Helen Thomas goes back to work
Disgraced former White House correspondent Helen Thomas is going back to work as a columnist for the Falls Church (Va) News Press. Why would they hire Helen Thomas? The Washington Jewish Week explains. Perhaps it's not surprising that the Falls Church News Press is hiring Thomas as a columnist given that back in 2004, the paper's publisher, Nicholas Benton, wrote an editorial endorsing Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) in which he talked about a pro-Israel "cabal."Helen Thomas attracts anti-Semites like manure attracts flies.
Here's just one quote: "This election is not about Moran's ability to lead, or about news headlines accusing him of questionable public statements or personal finances. It's about a cabal of powerful Washington, D.C., based interests backing the Bush administration's support for right-wing Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's handling of the Middle East conflict trying to upend an outspoken and powerful Democratic opponent."
Labels: anti-Semitism, Falls Church News Press, Helen Thomas, Israel Lobby, Jim Moran
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:10 PM
3 Comments:
This is a real problem--I live in Falls Church; Nick Benton is an odd duck but New Left conspiracy obsession with the neocon "cabal" has been one of his flavors. If you check out the comments for the online article in which he announced her column on www.fncp.com you will find a range of comments from anti-Zionism through to virulent anti-zionazi denunciations through to old-school out-of-the-closet unvarnished anti-Semitic conspiracy mongering about "the Jews" hating goyiim, running America, acting as Christ-killing agents of Satan, to being responsible for 9-11.
This is where we are today. There is a low-grade fever out there of resentment and semi-literate inability to accept any form of Jewish exceptionalism. Muslim-Americans supporting Palestine, that's diversity. Jewish-Americans supporting Israel, a cabal or treason. Gentiles supporting Israel, lackeys or dupes.
So proving we are "tough Jews" by supporting Pollards right to filch secrets for Israel is a "self-imposed" hasbara foul imo. No anti-Semites cannot set our agenda, but I don't think that American Jews can act as if they have a religious obligation to dovka ignore the "laws of the land".
My guess is that this DC 'burb newspaper hired like-minded Helen al-Thomas for her publicity and resulting circulation-enhancement value. Growing that particular anti-Semitic manure pile, to use Carl's metaphor. I didn't even go to that paper's website. I didn't want to even give them the benefit from their advertisers of one home page click.
I haave to confess I'm not sure of the best way to respond to these hard lefty "journalists" and networks. Ignore or counter-attack? For example, hard left cable network MSNBC is steadily at the bottom of news ratings, way below CNN and tiny compared to Fox News. MSNBC has newsreaders and commentators who never give America, much less Israel a fair shake. Is it better to ignore their venom or counter-attack, knowing that at least to some degree acknowledging and countering gives them publicity they'd otherwise not get. Comments on this, anybody?
Captain.H. thanks for your thoughtful observations. But what if the manure pile is on you doorstep? Maybe it will dry up and blow away or maybe it don't and you get an infestation of dung beetles. It's not just in the ether but fluke or not flake or not just a free-paper outrider or not in the community. And the local politicians treat the dung master as a local journalist for interviews and access and provide cover. It breaks my heart.
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