Antisemitism and the Flight of the ‘Progressives’
Adam Levnick at the Algemeiner:
While, even in the most “enlightened” circles, the failure of so many to reveal, yet alone seriously confront, the Nazi genocide as it was being perpetrated is well-documented, in our post-Shoah world the homage paid posthumously to Jewish victims is nearly universal among the respectable class. Indeed, such pieties are often observed, if perfunctorily, by even the most shrill critics of the modern Jewish state.
However, in observing the failure of such a large segment of the ‘progressive community’ to engage in serious moral resistance in the face of explicit threats by manyleadingIslamists (such as the leaders of Hamas) to annihilate the Jews, it seems extremely unlikely that the next coordinated assault on world Jewry would be radically confronted.
He then goes on to list examples of the moral impunity enjoyed by antisemitic extremists.
Excellent article. Read. It. All.
One of the comments stated (edited for language):
If any country attacks Israel, surely the world will gasp in horror. There will be editorials, speeches, marches, blah-blah-blah. So now,its “neighbors” think twice before they decide to attack Israel. Why? Because they know [damn] well, that if they try it, that Israel will hit them back with every kind of weapon that exists in the world today, and a few that them nasty Jews-boys thought up all by themselves, that nobody ever thought of before. Why else haven’t they attacked? Because they’re scared sh*tless of Israel’s response.
Exactly my thoughts.
Reality sets in. Like abdominal pain. One that really, really hurts.
…it is now clear, if it wasn’t already, that Israel has lost the propaganda battle (aka the effort to persuade people that there is a just Israeli cause), and there is nothing that can be done to reverse its defeat. This is not because there is no just Israeli cause. It is because for a wide swathe of left-liberal and ‘anti-imperialist’ opinion there is now no way Israel can conduct itself from which it will earn moral credit. It is irredeemably tainted in its origin. Conversely, and in the same quarter, there is nothing that Hamas or other representatives of the Palestinian people can do, no wrong or outrage they can commit, which will not be morally ‘cleaned up’ by the perception that these representatives are supposedly the pure vehicle of a struggle against injustice. Neither the codes of war nor the principles of international law nor the ordinary requirements of humanity count for a tittle or a jot against the volume of hatred that Israel incurs each time a new armed conflict breaks out. The double standards that underwrite all this and the stinking hypocrisy of it are one thing; but another is the rank failure of anyone to find the terms in which it can be rationally and convincingly explained. For want of such explanation, it is impossible to believe that anti-Semitism plays no part in it.
Mr. Geras says in words what every Jew knows. Or should know.
Springtime for Qaradawi
I am not the only one who has noticed the betrayal of the Jews by the Democrats. Over at Israel-Thrives, they understand exactly what is happening:
What we are currently witnessing is the most significant geo-political development since the fall of the Soviet Union and progressives are ignoring it entirely, despite the genocidally anti-Semitic nature of this movement. Calling this development the “Arab Spring” is something akin to calling the rise of Nazi Germany the “German Spring,” about as cruel a misnomer as one can imagine.
The conclusion is spot on.
Today’s progressives are stretching the palm of friendship to the current iteration of Nazi ideology in the Arab world and, yet, they still expect our support? Ridiculous. It is long past time for Jews to drop this movement and see it for what it is. While claiming to stand for anti-racism and universal human rights, the progressive movement has thrown both those concepts in the garbage entirely.
The progressive-left stands for nothing and has sold the Jews down the river. The first thing to do now is simply acknowledge that fact.
As the man said, read it all. Then go to any progressive left website to read the articles and the subsequent comments the moderators allow when it’s about Israel, Zionism or the Jews. Go to the Minnesota Green Party website and see their condemnations of Jewish self-defense against opening supply lines to the Islamic Resistance Movement in Gaza.
Progressive left sympathies with crude, gutter, genocidal anti-Semitism is right there in front of you.
If you want a great review of Springtime for Qaradawi, here’s one by Robert Wistrich.
Jan 22, 2012 @ 13:51
What DFL values?
I have returned from the State Capitol to voice by complete disgust with the introduction of House File 6 [1], co-authored by Representatives Karen Clark, Jim Davnie, Jeff Hayden, Phyllis Kahn, and Alice Hausman; and Senate File 3 [2], co-authored by Senators Linda Berglin, Sandra Pappas, Mee Moua, Scott Dibble (see UPDATE, infra), and Patricia Torres Ray.
These two resolutions are apparently identical. The most memorable visits were to the offices of Representative Clark and Senator Moua.
The resolution begins with:
A resolution memorializing the President of the United States and Congress to review the FBI raids on Minnesota activists.
That would be Michael Kelly, Jessica Sundin, Meredith Aby, Anh Pham, Tracy Molm, and the offices of the Anti-War Committee. [3]
and goes on to state that:
WHEREAS, a number of Minnesotans were issued subpoenas to appear before a grand jury
in Chicago in October; and
WHEREAS, these Minnesotans have not been arrested or charged with any crime; and
These are subpoenas to appear before a federal Grand Jury as part of an investigation. Anyone can be called before a Grand Jury.
WHEREAS, four of these Minnesotans are American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees members in good standing in the union; and
WHEREAS, FBI spokespersons have stated that the raids were prompted by the activities
of the four union members, and other individuals subject to the same raids; and
Their membership in a union has nothing to do with their activities to allegedly support a designated foreign terrorist organization – unless they used union money or facilities to support the activities.
WHEREAS, these people are entitled to a presumption of innocence under the United
States Constitution; and
Obviously.
WHEREAS, every American has the constitutional right to advocate and organize for
change of the foreign policy of the United States; and
Not for material and open support for foreign terrorists. See the discussion of the Anti-War Committee, infra.
WHEREAS, the recent report by the Department of Justice Inspector General soundly
criticized the FBI for improperly targeting domestic peace and antiwar groups for investigation; and
Non-sequitur.
WHEREAS, Minnesota’s elected officials have frequently gone on record in defense of
trade unionists and others to educate, mobilize, and organize for the legitimate goals of peace,
justice, and solidarity with all working people; and
Support for Islamist fanatics do not advance “legitimate goals of peace, justice, and solidarity with all working people”.
WHEREAS, Minnesota’s elected officials disavow any practices or policies which threaten
the rights or civil liberties of trade unions and nonviolent peace organizations, and oppose both
attacks on traditional constitutional guarantees and the granting of wider powers to the FBI to
infiltrate or intimidate community groups, unions, and activists; NOW, THEREFORE,
Open and repeated support for jihadists and foreign travel in support of the same are not the marks of “nonviolent peace organizations”. It is the opposite.
BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it expresses grave
concern that the recent FBI raids are reminiscent of the Palmer Raids of the 1920s, the McCarthy
hearings of the 1950s, and the FBI’s harassment of nonviolent civil rights and peace activists of
the 1960s and 1970s, and that these raids may be the beginning of a new and dangerous assault on
the First Amendment rights of union activists and antiwar peace campaigners.
The analogy between the supporters of murderous anti-Semitism and the civil rights movement is so completely vile that it deserves no further recognition or comment. These DFLers are to be shamed and condemned for this act of either deliberate support for Jihadist sympathizers, unfathomable ignorance and stupidity, or just stupidity. You do not have a First Amendment right to engage in material support for terrorists, nor to travel in interstate or foreign commerce in furtherance of same. If this is the Senators’ understanding of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution, we are in deep trouble as a Party and as Minnesotans.
To reiterate: this discussion is not about union activism, this is about the alleged support of terrorists by union activists. Supporting murderous, exterminationist anti-Semites and enemies of liberal democracy are not the activities of “antiwar peace campaigners”. This attempt at “framing” the issue (I despise that concept as well as the word itself – it is an excuse for obscurantism) is so completely and totally intellectually dishonest that it is an outright lie – unless these DFL Representatives and Senators have become so delusional to actually believe it to be true – they must be turned out of office.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that, since
no acceptable justification or evidence has been presented for these raids and subpoenas and
there is no reason to believe any are forthcoming, it urges Congress to review these arbitrary
and capricious raids.
Search warrants are issued based upon probable cause.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that, in light
of the Inspector General’s recent report on the FBI investigation of certain domestic advocacy
groups, we call upon the President of the United States to order an immediate investigation
into the circumstances, motivation, and propriety of the judicial and FBI intimidation of these
Minnesotans.
See non-sequitur, ante.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is
directed to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States,
the President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, and Minnesota’s Senators and Representatives in Congress.
A letter was circulated to members of the Minnesota House by Rep. Karen Clark. I requested a copy from her office, and a DFL Legislative Assistant refused. She knew about the subjects of the search warrants, and I questioned whether she knew about the Anti-War Committee (I brought along copies of the AWC’s statement on “Palestine”, the Hamas Covenant, and the PLO Charter). Paraphrasing: The letter is none your business at this point and not for public viewing until sent to the intended recipients – namely President Obama,and Senators Kloubuchar and Franken. Realizing I’m not about to take no for an answer (and subsequently folding her arms and staring into space), she calls over the DFL Caucus Secretary to the Majority Leader, who explained that I should contact Rep. Clark. Noting that I already left my name and phone number, I stated that a member of the public and a member of the DFL should be able to view a document passed around to representatives of the public.
Joke of the Day from the DFL Caucus Secretary: What if the resolution has bipartisan support?
Punch Line, after me smirking at the near impossibility: I’ll go after the Republicans as well.
No agreement on my request could be reached. Thanks anyway. We shook hands, and that was that.
At some point I noted that I get somewhat concerned when people support murderous anti-Semites. Me, dead.
Senator Moua’s office was really not worth the trouble. The assistant, though well meaning, was somewhat ignorant of the issue I was presenting. Left my name and phone number.
Next, Senator Dibble. Left him the following note.
Sir:
I am very concerned about your co-authorship w/Senators Berglin, Pappas, Moua, & Torres Ray of SF3 in the special session. Your apparent concern for members of the Anti-War Committee, virulent anti-Semites, who have declared their support for the destruction of Israel and their support for Hamas, is in opposition to the DFL core beliefs in the Preamble of the DFL Constitution.
We’ll see what happens. (see UPDATE, infra)
Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow DFLers, objective truth time.
The Anti-War Committee believes that [4]:
The Anti-War Committee is opposed to the U.S. military, political, and economic support for the state of Israel. We see Israel as an illegitimate apartheid state, and we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination. We support the Palestinian right of return, the demand for a dismantling of Israeli settlements, an end the Israeli Occupation, and an end to racist policies in all of the territories. Our work includes protest, education, and solidarity trips to Palestine.
Aside from being libel, this is their statement of support for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel, the Salafi Islamists who call for it’s destruction, and, in turn, for the subsequent annihilation of Jewish presence in the Holy Land. The Anti-War Committee and it’s supporters are public about their support for these ends, as their public statements of their support for the re-establishment of supply lines to and material support for the Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiyya (Hamas – the Islamic Resistance Movement), a designated terrorist organization. [5] The warrants were issued based upon probable cause and pursuant to an investigation concerning violations of “Providing, attempting and conspiring to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations”. [6]
As a reminder, here are the core beliefs of the DFL [7].
We, the members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, in the State Convention assembled, in order to…sustain and advance the principles of liberal democracy, and uphold human rights, civil rights and constitutional government, do establish this Constitution.
Representatives Clark, Davnie, Hayden, Kahn, and Hausman; Senators Berglin, Pappas, Moua, Dibble (see UPDATE, infra), and Torres Ray have some explaining to do.
UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Senator Dibble. Reasonable conversation. He is aware of my concerns as I am now aware of his opposition to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolutions. I instructed him (as my Senator) to be more circumspect about what he signs and who he gets his advice from. (As an aside, it is disingenuous for him advocate for anti-bullying legislation, then to sign a resolution sympathizing with the likes of the Kelly, Aby, et. al. who in turn support exterminationist Islamists, who in turn tortures and executes homosexuals). Point taken.
——
[1] House File 6, introduced during Special Session 2, October 18, 2010.
[2] Senate File 3, introduced during Special Session 2, October 18, 2010.
[3] “FBI cites terror link in raids of local activists”, Randy Furst and Abby Simons, Star Tribune, September 24, 2010; see also “Search Warrant issued by the United States District Court for the State of Minnesota…In the Matter of the Search of the residence of Michael Kelly…”
[4] http://antiwarcommittee.org/?q=node/4
[5] http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/fto/2801.htm ; See also: “Flotilla Incident”, “Gaza Flotilla”, etc.
[6] Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B.
[7] Constitution and Bylaws of the Minnesota DFL Party, as amended.
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