Posts Tagged ‘helen thomas’

My last thought on Helen Thomas

Posted: June 8, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
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As I woke up this morning I was channel surfing and I stopped on CNN for a moment and they were discussing Helen Thomas and there was something that struck me, beyond the point that if she is function in a job at her age she needs to be held to the standards of the job.

The thought was they couldn’t believe that Helen Thomas really meant what she said about the Jews. They all knew her, she couldn’t actually mean it. She is old etc…etc…etc…

I leave you all this thought:

How many died in the last century because they wouldn’t let themselves believe people actually meant what they said? How many will die this century for the same reason?

If you want to know why people like Pam Geller gets so excited over radical Islam. It’s because she understands this basic truth.

Update: And apparently (via Glenn) some services don’t want any more last thoughts on the matter:

Ah Helen we hardly knew ye

Posted: June 7, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, media
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I go for a bite of lunch, wash some dishes, start slow cooking a few rib and do a little vacuuming and what happens. Helen Thomas runs:

“Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately,” read a statement from Hearst Newspapers on Monday. “Her decision came after her controversial comments about Israel and the Palestinians were captured on videotape and widely disseminated on the Internet.”

The Drudge headline is the best:

Helen sent to Poland

But there is plenty of buzz on the net:

The Lonely conservative:

Helen Thomas announced today that she will retire after she made it perfectly clear that she’s a raging anti-Semite.

I disagree, this was already clear, it’s just that she removed plausible deniability from the equation for the left.
Dave Weigel:

I’ve posted the statement below the fold, but I think it’s important to note why some people saw this coming, and why Thomas had basically no defenders over the past 72 hours. She parlayed 60 years of journalism experience into a comfortable job as a columnist, one who had the right to a seat in the front row of the White House briefing room and lob questions at the president. In her later years, she used that privilege to indulge an opinion fairly rare in Washington’s press corps — that Israel was engaging in criminal acts against Palestinians.

I’m sure Dave knows the press corps better than me but I suspect that opinion is a lot more wide spread that he thinks.
Glenn Reynolds reminds his Army of Davids:

I told you those ubiquitous video cameras mattered

One doesn’t have the option of public bigotry in an age of instant film
No more Mr. Nice blog plays so’s your old man:

Even the White House piled on her. She apologized for her comments, which is more than El Rushbo or Glenn Beck ever did for their “controversial comments” but she’s out of a job now after five decades, unlike those two clowns.

And well, she’s gone now. Great work, the Village. You finally got rid of the old bat, right? You stopped the source of cooties after all these years. Good luck filling her chair, any of you in the WHPC. None of you are worthy, frankly.

This seems to be a theme on the left. Taylor Marsh for example:

Meanwhile, Glenn Beck who invokes Mein Kampf when talking about Barack Obama’s presidency, and other right-wing screed provocateurs who use hate speech to make a living remain gainfully employed.

Back on the right Protein Wisdom

She should look on the bright side: at least nobody decided to gas her, then stick her in a big-ass pizza oven.

Arbeit macht frei, Helen, baby!

Yid With Lid:

It is sad that the controversy surrounding Thomas will now end and the media will go back to ignoring Anti-Semitism within its ranks

My thoughts exactly. You can fight this type of thing only when it is in the open.

Morning Joe is playing the “89 year old” card…

Posted: June 7, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
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…when talking about Helen Thomas; Joe suggesting that they: “Get her a cake and retire her”. The tone of Savannah Guthrie et/al was old lady sad thing (choice 5 see link above) but Anthony Weiner was having none of it, pointing to her last press conference going after Israel. Everyone in the media at that table looks really uncomfortable.

And remember of the MSM, Morning Joe is the most balanced, on the other networks it’s going to be even worse.

This is one of the reasons why I like Helen Thomas keeping her job, every day she does is an uncomfortable day for the MSM and for those who oppose Israel.

The White House is VERY lucky that Rush is gone for two weeks. If HE called for her resignation on his show then it would be rock and hard place time.

Update: Jonah cuts to the chase:

For starters, this is a classic gaffe because Helen Thomas accidentally told the truth. She’s wrong on the substance, obviously. But of course she believes the Israelis should go away. I sincerely doubt there is anyone familiar with Thomas who really doubts for a moment that she was being less than honest when she made her “back to Poland” comments or that she is lying now when she says she didn’t mean it.

But beyond that, can we do away with all of the shock and dismay at Thomas’ statement? Spare me Lanny Davis’s wounded outrage. Everyone knows she is a nasty piece of work and has been a nasty piece of work for decades.

…and his examples are not just about Israel.

And more on Helen Thomas

Posted: June 6, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
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…apparently Lanni Davis, Craig Crawford and her publisher have had enough:

I concur with the following response from my agent to Helen Thomas’ lamentable remarks about Israel, and will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects. — Craig Crawford

“It is with a heavy heart that Nine Speakers, Inc. announces its resignation as the agent for Helen Thomas, Dean of the White House Press Corps. Ms. Thomas has had an esteemed career as a journalist, and she has been a trailblazer for women, helping others in her profession, and beyond. However, in light of recent events, Nine Speakers is no longer able to represent Ms. Thomas, nor can we condone her comments on the Middle East. Nine Speakers will continue to enthusiastically represent all of our other current and future clients.”

Meanwhile while I don’t share the insult the woman’s looks bit at the other McCain (hey at that age simply being alive is pretty good) but I do agree with him concerning Rachel Corrie vs Shiri Negari

Shiri died that day, just two weeks before her 22nd birthday, in a blast that ended the lives of 18 other people ranging in age from 11 to 72. They were all killed on orders of Hamas — the same terrorist organization that rules Gaza, where 23-year-old Rachel Corrie arrived to join the anti-Israeli ISM contigent in January 2003, barely seven months after the blast that destroyed Bus No. 32A.

If you want another explanation why I stand with Israel, this is one of them.

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