On 27/11/2007, qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx <qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gerald Magnuson wrote:
I'm not saying you CAN'T oppose various policies.....
I'm saying WHEN you do, AND your not a part of that group
your ANTI-<what-ever-group-your-opposing>.
There is _some_ validity in this (not much). Unfortunately, you
continue by bringing in an unequal element --
None at all I'd say. I might oppose the way IBM markets System i; that
doesn't make me anti-IBM. I might be opposed to some of the policies
of the British government; that doesn't make me anti-British. If that
were the case we might have to arrest the leaders of Her Majety's
Opposition. That's the sort of argument used by the rulers of Burma,
Zimbabwe, and Pakistan.
Now in the example the Anti-Semite from Oklahoma provided:
"Israel targeted civilians"
Those of you who are apologizing for Booth, are saying that's ok
to say, because other members of the Jewish community say similar things.
You jump from 'anti-Semite' to 'Israel'. But 'Semite' and 'Israel'
aren't the same things. 'Anti-Semite' and 'Israel' sets up a false
dichotomy. The shred of validity disappears.
I certainly wouldn't say it's okay to say "Israel targeted
civilians" because "other members of the Jewish community say
similar things".
I'd say it's okay to say it regardless of whether or not _any_
members of the Jewish community have said it. (I'd expect some
reasonably verifiable evidence before beginning to believe it.)
I don't see how comments from any Jewish community member on actions
by the Israeli government have any connection to the 'okayness' at
all, except insofar as they might provide testimonial evidence from
personal experience in the action itself.
I'm curious how deeply your belief runs. Would it not be okay to
criticize Julius Rosenberg? Meyer Lansky? Murder Inc.? How do you
choose a line between 'okay' and 'not okay'?
Israel is in breach of UN resolution 242 and many others. Israel
carries out extrajudicial executions. Israel has deliberately targeted
civilians with cluster bombs and flechettes. It's OK to say these
things because they're true, not because many Jews also say them. The
fact that Jews are prepared to say them does, however, support the
contention that such statements are not in themselves anti-Semitic.
I haven't seen anything in Booth's postings to suggest that he's
anti-Semitic, and I don't believe for a moment that he is.
