It's critical to insist that legitimate, stringent criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza is not equivalent to anti-Semitism, or even anti-Zionism. But, of course, it can be and in many cases in Europe, and, I'm ashamed to say, in Britain, it is.
Jeff Weintraub finds a classic example.
From here. Derek Thompson captions:
I'm sympathetic to the argument that taxing "bad" food is too blunt an instrument to use in the war against obesity (food isn't like cigarettes, because we don't need tobacco to live, etc…). But let's be clear: the federal government already has a tax policy affecting what we eat, and it dramatically distorts the price of our food … and the size of our waists.
"Glenn Beck hosted Eric Massa. Rahm Emanuel won," – Spencer Ackerman, channeling a Rauch classic.
I was worried, to tell you the truth, after Jon's failed run-in with war criminal John Yoo. But Stewart totally destroyed the McCarthyite mediocrity last night. He didn't get into Thiessen's disgusting defense of the brutal torture of al-Qahtani, but he completely devastated the vile insinuation that because Thiessen believes torture made America "safe" – his sole evidence being seven years of no attacks, which Stewart briliantly reminded him could have been said of the no-torture Clinton administration record as well – Obama was somehow endangering American lives.
My favorite point was the lawyers defending pedophiles. Thiessen went so far to say that a lawyer who defended pedophiles in court should be suspected of supporting child abuse.
Thiessen's arguments were both morally repugnant, legally absurd, McCarthyite and ignorant. For this, he gets a weekly column from Fred Hiatt in the Washington Post. That tells you all you need to know about Fred Hiatt and what has happened at the WaPo.
Having forcibly evicted Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, the new inhabitants sing songs in praise of the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein. And you really think the decision to make the site of that massacre a national heritage site for Israel had nothing to do with this association? Maybe AIPAC will wake up one of these days and see the reality that less informed and educated observers cannot miss:
No, this is not representative of all Israeli opinion, as massive Israeli demonstrations against this latest provocation reveal, and as another brilliant column by Bradley Burston demonstrates. But open your eyes. Something is happening in the soul of Israel. And it carries great foreboding for peace … for the West, and above all, for Israel.
He met with Catholic officials in Uganda and said nothing about the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. David Gibson provides a rationale:
There are several reasons why Benedict may not have mentioned the anti-gay bill — or rather the broader issue of human rights and protections for homosexuals and love of the sinner, since for diplomatic reasons the pope would not target a specific piece of legislation. One is that he may not be aware of the legislation or the controversy. Another is that his aides know that if he raised the issue it would become the lead of every story. There is also concern that having religious leaders outside Uganda speak out against the popular bill would backfire and ensure its passage.
Eric Martin argues that you can't ignore Iraqi sovereignty in order to protect Iraq's democracy:
It is quite possible that the Iraqi government will request that between 5,000-10,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq [past] the SOFA deadline in a training/advisory role. In fact, I'd say the odds are better than even. But a large scale presence is unlikely. And, most importantly, any such limited or large scale presence will be as dependent on Iraqi decisions as U.S. willingness - not based solely on the reluctance of U.S. military personnel to give up their position, and their whisperings in the U.S. President's ear.
Here's hoping. Please kick us out, guys.
Wow:
[R]eligious right mainstay Janet Porter [is] praying at “Convergence 2010: A Cry to Awaken A Nation” conference on March 4-6, 2010. She’s not praying for love or peace, but control over the nation’s media. This just goes BEYOND any criticism I can give against Porter and the groups whom she aligns herself with. This is more than insane. It’s scary. Whatever Jesus would do, I feel safe to say that He wouldn’t support such madness.
Free Exchange asks:
If America loses its position as the world’s largest and most powerful economy does it really matter? The country's national pride would take a blow. And perhaps there are geopolitical reasons for wanting to hang on to the top spot. But, economically speaking, it probably wouldn't be so bad. Often when it comes to growth and globalisation, a high tide raises all boats. For example, the quality of life today is far better for most Britons than it was a century ago, when it was the world’s leading empire. Britain’s economy still grew even as America’s topped it.
But it took generations of Britons to come to peace with that. As it will take a long time before Americans realize that the days of empire are coming to a close – and they have a republic to refresh and rebuild.
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