Thursday, January 07, 2010

Glen Greenwald's Insightful Analysis: My latest hero is Glen Greenwald of Salon.com. I do not always agree with everything he says but on so many issues the man is a verbal veracity machine.

He said the following: "It's truly astounding to watch us -- for a full decade -- send fighter jets and drones and bombs and invading forces and teams of torturers and kidnappers to that part of the world, or, as we were doing long before 9/11, to overthrow their governments, prop up their dictators, occupy what they perceive as holy land with our foreign troops, and arm Israel to the teeth, and then act surprised and confused when some of them want to attack us. In general, the U.S. only attacks countries with no capabilities to attack us back in the "homeland" -- at least not with conventional forces. As a result, we have come to believe that any forms of violence we perpetrate on them over there is justifiable and natural, but the Laws of Humanity are instantly breached in the most egregious ways whenever they bring violence back to the U.S., aimed at Americans. It's just impossible to listen to discussions grounded in this warped mentality without being astounded at how irrational it is. What do Americans think is going to happen if we continue to engage in this conduct, in this always-widening "war"?"

For his whole post see: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/

My response:

Glen's editorial on why they hate us is brilliant. I call him my verbal veracity machine. And yet, assuming he is Jewish as I am, I am always uncomfortable at his indictment of Israel. Do I think Israel always does everything correct or always acts in a moral way? No, of course, I do not but when the left waxes generally lugubrious toward the Islamic or Palestinian cause it makes me squirm. I know his words have some truth but really, Glen, do you think if the US made a 360 degree about face foreign policy toward Israel that Muslims would cease all violent activity? I highly doubt it. Moreover, there is NO question in my mind if that were to happen the state of Israel, yes, the Jewish state of Israel would be dust.

Is that what you want? Truly, how would anyone, for example, who was homosexual fare in Muslim lands? How do they fare in Israel? I often use that as a yardstick for how democratic and humane a country is. I think homosexuals fare MUCH better in Israel and there is no about that. As you say the illumination of the would be suicide bomber was stated in Haretz newspaper in Israel. Is the Israeli position ever touted in any Muslim land? Rarely.

Glen does the Holocaust mean nothing to you? Is Jewish history meaningless? Do you think, given the chance, that Israel's neighbors would like nothing more than to, as they say so often, drive Jews into the sea?

I simply do not know WHY the left is so in love with the Palestinian cause. Is your memory so short that you cannot see the reality of what I think is your own people? How do you think you would survive in Arab lands? Not well I suspect and neither would I.

I cannot give up my support for the only democracy in that violent neck of the woods. I can, though, ask the government of Israel to think well when they decide to use force!

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