Helen Thomas Retires After Controversial Remarks

[crikkett]

What, exacty, did you mean by saying that this is "about the Left," Jeff?

Because demagogues on the American Right are daily saying much worse without vilification and job loss, and one voice on the American Left always seems one too many.

Americans seem to hold our Left to a higher standard. I'm sorry that Helen's retiring.

I'm NOT endorsing the Tea Party, as such, I'm just saying that they ARE representing a lot of people's anger at being dispossessed by the corporotacracy, and as such, are marginalized at every turn.

And patriotic, know-nothing populism is a channel of dissent dug by the Corps of Engineers.

Well said.

[justdrew]

could someone post the comments in question? I've not seen a full quote of what the supposedly horrible thing said was...

[Bruce Dazzling]

could someone post the comments in question? I've not seen a full quote of what the supposedly horrible thing said was...

[justdrew]

clearly not one of the most well informed opinions to be found. but so what? and exactly who was it that conducted the ambush?

When is Buchanan resigning from whatever it is he does? Don't recall hearing a peep out of the usual chorus about his supreme court comments.

funny how it works like that. every god damn time.

[lupercal]

and exactly who was it that conducted the ambush?

Oddly enough, the man who asked the question also videotaped Thomas's answer and subsequently posted it to YouTube:

She made the statements at a May 27 White House event in celebration of American Jewish Heritage. Here is the transcript of the exchange between and Helen Thomas and Rabbi David Nesenoff, the man who videotaped the conversation, which became public on June 4, 2010:

http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_conte ... ticle=1869

[82_28]

Holy fuck, what a perfect storm this is! Helen Thomas was the only asshole (I didn't think she was an asshole) in the "press corps" (but I was referring to the assholes who are the press corps) who even threw anything remotely hard hitting at Bush. Besides a shoe I guess. And now she goes off the deep end like this, making a completely INOPPORTUNE statement. My god, WTF is this world literally coming to? Everybody is losing their minds. Nobody is down with making amends. The world prefers to seethe and scream and lash out and be, ultimately, very sad in their hatreds. I know I just did that whole "hatred thing" on the "Is RI left wing" thread. But I don't hate at all. However, this is so far gone opportune for something, somebody. I am just left to scratch my head in disbelief. She knows to watch her language and such -- she's been doing it for long enough.

Obviously the hip little intro music sound to accompany the gaffe by Thomas wasn't being played while she said it, but it gives it that Israeli right wing sound and feel of one of what's his face's (can't remember his name) infiltrations of right wing events of extreme stupidity (the dude is also Jewish I believe).

Perhaps, not the same "subject material", but I called this about the right wing some ten years ago. They would attempt to overtake "pop culture" by overtaking it in saturation. They couldn't fucking out-do it at the time, but they would learn how to flood the "industry" with money and monikers. Like bands like Stryper and Petra back in the eighties were test beds for this. I always suspected it. I used to go this "youth group" thing at my family's church every Wednesday (it was fun as a kid). But the way my music that I liked meshed up with the hip music that was suitable for the youth group was totally uncanny in the way of how STUPID Christian shit was. It was as though the industry was TRYING to create some kind of Satanism VS Christianity thing back then. I mean look at the big metal bands of the eighties. Everybody called it progress. But what it was, was some kind of manicheanism. The right simply mimics shit and requires no body anywhere at anytime be free of them. Because they have the power through this "economic collapse" they can literally do what they want. It wasn't that way then -- but I think it is now.

I would like to see the context of Helen Thomas' "gaffe". I agree with her. I don't think Israelis or Jewish people anywhere are more targeted than the rest of us by this creeping fascism. However, this seems far too opportune. Perhaps she's only senile. She is 89 afterall.

However the Christian, Muslim and Jewish right, IMO, have become the satanists and nazis they supposedly were bulwarks against. The right "wing" (read: fascists) in every way has a mind of its own. I have more thoughts on this, but my lady is bugging me to go to a show.

[17breezes]

"I agree with her."

She thinks Jews should go back to Germany and Poland. And you agree with that racist fucking bullshit?

[justdrew]

and exactly who was it that conducted the ambush?

Oddly enough, the man who asked the question also videotaped Thomas's answer and subsequently posted it to YouTube:

She made the statements at a May 27 White House event in celebration of American Jewish Heritage. Here is the transcript of the exchange between and Helen Thomas and Rabbi David Nesenoff, the man who videotaped the conversation, which became public on June 4, 2010:

http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_conte ... ticle=1869

She doesn't stand by that as a "plan" and were heated words. murdering nine peace activists for no reason other than to make a show of force has a way of engendering anger that can lead people to say things they don't mean. Is the Rabbi unaware that Jews also have been known to say things in anger they don't really mean? Does he hold them to account? There will be on-going repercussions for this attack and things are not going back to normal for a long time. The utter lack of remorse is just disgusting.

[lupercal]

^ justdrew, what I'm getting at is that it may well have BEEN an ambush. She seems to have asked a lot of inconvenient questions.

[alwyn]

"I agree with her."

She thinks Jews should go back to Germany and Poland. And you agree with that racist fucking bullshit?

She said Jews out of PALESTINE, not Israel, you frikkin ignoramus. It is not racist, it is humane. Although I can understand how you might not know the difference. Go Helen. Jews out of Palestine. And stop being racist about Germany and Poland. They are fine countries with wonderful people.

[SanDiegoBuffGuy]

Alwyn, you are correct and that's where I think Helen is being misunderstood.

They were talking about the Occupied Territories, ie Palestine, not Israel per se. This is a tempest in a teapot.

[SanDiegoBuffGuy]

"Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land," Thomas says. Then the person doing the interview asks where should "they" go. There is some confusion in the use of pronouns here and who "they" refer to. From the flow of the conversation, Thomas is referring to the Israelis who are occupying Palestine, not all Israelis. The clip on YouTube spins this a little and takes it a few steps further, saying "6 million Jews were killed at home" (Poland and Germany). It's a little ridiculous (not the deaths, but the jumps made here).

[17breezes]

"I agree with her."

She thinks Jews should go back to Germany and Poland. And you agree with that racist fucking bullshit?

She said Jews out of PALESTINE, not Israel, you frikkin ignoramus. It is not racist, it is humane. Although I can understand how you might not know the difference. Go Helen. Jews out of Palestine. And stop being racist about Germany and Poland. They are fine countries with wonderful people.

She said MORE than Jews out of Palestine and that makes all the difference

you frikkin ignoramus.

[SanDiegoBuffGuy]

17Breezes wrote:

She said MORE than Jews out of Palestine and that makes all the difference

Well, no, she didn't. In fact she said less, and with the use of just pronouns "they" and "their" by the interviewer and Thomas in the latter half of the clip it becomes a little ambiguous. You have to look at where she started and stay there while they muddle through the pronouns.

The YouTube clip ran with her comments in a very unfair way.

[Percival]

"I agree with her."

She thinks Jews should go back to Germany and Poland. And you agree with that racist fucking bullshit?

She said Jews out of PALESTINE, not Israel, you frikkin ignoramus. It is not racist, it is humane. Although I can understand how you might not know the difference. Go Helen. Jews out of Palestine. And stop being racist about Germany and Poland. They are fine countries with wonderful people.

Listen folks, do we really have to salt and pepper every fucking post with a personal attack, why cant we simply state our position and let it be, it is totally unproductive and making it very difficult for Jeff, to have to deal with all this name calling and trying to shout eachother down.

I have been here for a long time, I have a lot of posts and except for a small misunderstanding between C2W and myself some time ago I have never had a problem with any of you, I have made friends with many of you and had private discussion with a lot of you and now here I find myself a part of a very small, obviously very hated and despised minority that I am sure will never allow me to regain the respect I once had from many of you and that really saddens me, because it has all come about because I have simply expressed a different viewpoint than the lot of you hold and as a result of that I have been called a murderer, a fascist, a delusional insane old man, a moron and countless other names all because we have a different idea as to how this problem should be handled.


Is it really that important to all of you doing the shouting down that we destroy the forum over it, send Jeff over the edge and cause many a good poster to be banned or suspended.

I would like to ask for a cease-fire here and now, thats not to say we cannot continue this discussion but can we all try and do so in a more professional and friendly manner because as it is this place is looking really second rate and not the RI that I was once very proud to be a member of, some of you who I always held in high regard have suddenly become juvenile and have resorted to the kind of behavior that I expect of my 5 year old, not adults like you all certainly are.

So, for the sake of the forum, for Jeff and Cuda and those who work to keep this place going, can we tone it down while continuing our discussion, heated as it may be, but without all the name calling and personal attacking?

If not, then I suppose I will just bow out and be on my way because I dont want to be party to this ugly meltdown any longer.