Submitted Comments RSS Feed Comments by John Q. Public
Posted in: I am Jewish
I watched the video I am Jewish and I found it long, loud, and disturbing. My cousin sent it to me and this is my take on it. I feel exactly the same way about Andrew Lustig as I do about those Fundamentalist Bible thumping, right-wing social-conservative Evangelist Christians. They're equally as obnoxious exposing their weaknesses and the over-reliance on "labeling" themselves and imposing their labels on others. I detest that. It seems to me to be a psychological condition of people who generally are insecure about their own existence and life in general to have to vocalize the chips on their shoulders in a most self-centered manner. I know who I am, I know that had my father and his family not escaped Paris back to England and to the USA, I might not be here today to share my thoughts on this subject. It is also what spurs me to challenge bigots and their labels as well. Tolerance and acceptance of others means just that. It means going about our lives being respectful of others and their beliefs without having to fall back on crutches when feelings of insecurity or even inferiority or superiority arise. I feel that is about as clear, rational, concise and cogent I can be in my perception of the Lustig video. Life is too short to waste on rehashing tired themes of the past. At some point in time we have to join the human race and trade in the our tribal mentality to be advocates for the greater good of all humanity.
Posted in: Anger over ad campaign missed the point
The problem with the entirely racist concept of the advertisement is the notion that one's identity as a Jew is somehow diluted if the person is raised in the Diaspora versus being an "Israeli-Jew". What kind of nonsense is this. Being a Jew means following some traditions of our past and a belief that Israel is a homeland for Jews (irrespective of their ancestral background.) If the Government of Israel seeks to create more barriers to citizenship and to acceptance into their society, that is their problem, not ours. We don't need to financially provide support to Israeli causes if the national policy veers too much away from democracy towards right wing religious fanaticism, like their neighbors. American Jews should respond by working with other Diaspora organizations to prepare for the onslaught of anti-Jewish prejudice that is going to continue to spread as a result of or as long as Israeli and Palestinian refuse to resolve their conflict. We should be protecting ourselves from the abuse and hatred that comes as a result of irresponsible policies of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Posted in: Reflections on Amy Winehouse (plus video)
Some will criticize Amy Winehouse for her drug and alcohol addiction and say she was not Jewish because of that. I say stuff and nonsense. As with many Jews who are secular, she contributed to society with her music in 27 short years more than most of us will contribute to society in our entire lifetimes. I am proud of her music and sad for her family during this painful period they must be experiencing. Life goes on, but the message is still there. We should try to help those who need assistance in overcoming their addictions and troubles.
Posted in: On 'militant' vs. 'terrorist': JTA responds
I clearly understand the distinction between militant and terrorist. It is rational and logical. The question I have is this definition accepted as mainstream in the general Mass Media, or is this how we as Jews or JTA seek to distinguish the meaning between the two words?
Posted in: Helen Thomas quits
Retired to greener pastures and good riddance to her racist rubbish. Well, it is good she was finally caught on video making her remarks and she has removed herself from further controversy.
Posted in: Pundits weigh in on the flotilla
Peaceful flotilla on a humanitarian mission. That's the biggest crock of BS I've heard to date. It is hoped that the IDF in it's rational response to the United Nations Security Council will point out just which side initiated the violence. It is clear from the videos that the IDF troops were outnumbered on the cruise ship and they were met by thugs who immediately attacked them, thus providing the IDF with little recourse other than to defend themselves with unfortunately lethal force. I would have done the same thing had I been attacked by a mob of knife, club wielding and stun grenade throwing thugs. Lest we also forget that this flotilla was supported directly by both Islamists and terrorists groups in the Gaza Strip, and by the reaction of the Turkish Government both indirectly and directly by the Islamist Government in Turkey. i hope the Europeans realize that Turkey is not a reliable European State and it should never be a part of the EU, nor should it be part of NATO. It's time to cut ties with Turkey.
Posted in: Pundits weigh in on the flotilla
Peaceful flotilla on a humanitarian mission. That's the biggest crock of BS I've heard to date. It is hoped that the IDF in it's rational response to the United Nations Security Council will point out just which side initiated the violence. It is clear from the videos that the IDF troops were outnumbered on the cruise ship and they were met by thugs who immediately attacked them, thus providing the IDF with little recourse other than to defend themselves with unfortunately lethal force. I would have done the same thing had I been attacked by a mob of knife, club wielding and stun grenade throwing thugs.
Posted in: The flotilla raid (video)
The problem with the IDF in this case, as is plainly visible in the videos, is that they used their equivalent of Navy Seals improperly (they were outnumbered) and they underestimated the activists' willingness to use violence. It is important that Israel now use its PR machine to reiterate that the flotilla and particularly the Turkish contingent are backed by Islamists who are willing to play games to force Israelis into a position where they end up using lethal force. If the IDF had invaded the ship with an overwhelming force, the activists would have stood down and would not have been able to initiate violence against the soldiers leading to a lethal response by the IDF.
Posted in: Oren at Irvine
It is time that various on campus Moslem Student Union members be given a warning that the purpose of a university education is to learn from policy makers from all sides of the fence. If they want to protest, then do it after the speech is made, or to be genuinely intelligent, why not ask a legitimate question rather than spewing off the typical Arab anti-Semitic propaganda that prevents rapprochement.. These students have to take responsibility for their actions instead of playing the race card or the blame game at inappropriate times. If these hecklers were foreign students from Arab nations, frankly I believe they ought to be expelled from the University and sent home. It is the same shameful behavior shown by the Arab League towards Israelis at the United Nations. My concern is that so many of the condemnations against Israel are bogus and incited by the same racists and their sympathizers who seriously don't want a just peace in the Middle East, because it means they must do something to lift their own people (not just the dictator's family and cronies and monarchs) out of poverty. Bottom line is that Israel is a developed nation, whereas so many of the surrounding neighbors are corrupt hereditary dictatorships. The same is true with a two State settlement. It cannot happen when the Fatah faction makes new pre-conditions and provocations for negotiations and every excuse under the sun not to solve problems civilly without resorting to childish shenanigans similar to this embarrassing episode on a US campus.
RSS Feed Breaking News
Updated 02/09/12 @ 05:54PM EST
- A poll showed that nearly half of likely voters believed the United States should use military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
- Rabbi Gunther Plaut, a major figure in Reform Judaism, died in Toronto.
- The application for a proposed Hebrew-language charter school was accepted by the District of Columbia Public Charter School board.
- A truck driving calves from Eilat to the Golan Heights was hijacked into the West Bank.
- U.S. Rep. Howard Berman introduced legislation that would allow eligible Israeli nationals to receive non-immigrant investor visas in the United States.
- Poll: Half of U.S. voters back strike on nuclear Iran
- Reform leader Rabbi Gunther Plaut dies
- D.C. Hebrew-language charter school accepted for review
- Op-Ed: Kick the reaction addiction on campus
- Berman moves to grant investor visas to Israelis
- Holy cow! Calves hijacked into Palestinian territory
- Report: Israeli journalist also works for prime minister
- Larry Greenfield tapped to lead JINSA
Posted in: Gingrich has it right on Palestinians
02/09/12 01:01 PM
The same could be said about the majority of European and American Jews who emigrated to Israel during the period when Jews were fighting the British for their own homeland.