johntinker.com

Obama speaks. Ordered silence. Uniforms rising.

Nancy Pelosi claims that she could not report information she received in classified discussions by the Bush administration about the torture tactics that were being used. That is an interesting relationship between these two branches of government. It makes for a kind of a collusion between them. The result is that they both have secrets to keep from the people. Secrets like about whether the executive is torturing people, and about who knows it.

Strange stuff, democracy in America as practiced by those who are elected via their sympathy with corporate interests. By their fruits we know them. When it comes to political ideas, they appear baffled by any notions that elected leaders somehow hold any responsibility for the health of democratic institutions, per se. Those who insist on such responsibility are taken as naive and idealistic. It is like such ideas are part of some elaborate joke, and those who don’t get it, are bereft of the sense of humor.

Oliphant, 25 Mar 2009

Anthony Lerman says that it is possible to criticize Israel without being anti-semitic. He goes further to say that too-loose usage of anti-semiticism weakens more justifiable accusations, by dilution. Like crying wolf, I suppose.

I question the title, though, which is “Antisemitic, or just offensive?” The snag occurs at “just offensive?”

Lerman examines the anti-semiticism aspect, and finds in Oliphant’s favor. No anti-semiticism there, more-or-less, says Lerman.

So why “just offensive?” in the title? With no explanation offered as to why it would be considered offensive, my view is that it represents an intended slight of hand - an unsupportable charge of antisemitism in order to distract us.