Some Thoughts to Consider on Helen Thomas & the Penalty for Criticising Israel

Thoughts on Helen Thomas

The other week we saw Israeli commandos board a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza while still in International waters. The end result was hundreds arrested and detained. Many were brutality beaten and 11 were shot dead. The world screamed in outrage as Israel went into spin mode and started having everyone from its ambassador on down to its de-facto pundits within mainstream media craft stories that suggested the people who were on board the ship where folks were killed, were attached to some sort of terrorist organization.

Actually, lemme back up a sec, cause that’s the latest spin. The initial spin was when the Israeli commandos boarded the ship they were facing an ‘armed militia’ which caused them to shoot. The only problem was no weapons were found. This led to Israel changing up again. This time they said they switched the story and said the folks on the ship came at them with metal pipes, rushed them and made them fearful for their lives hence 11 people had to be killed including an American citizen..

Now, I’m not no military expert, but since my tax dollars pay for many of the weapons and high-end training used by our good friend in the Middle East (Israel), I would venture to say, that those commandos knew exactly what was going on. If they didn’t then our money is being wasted. I find it hard to believe that an army with ‘superior’ intel capabilities and precision training stormed a ship and were caught off guard by these ‘humanitarian activists turned terrorists’. I find it hard to believe this uber trained military outfit didn’t have undercover operatives amongst the flotillas to convey information that would allow for a smoother take down..

If we use our common sense we’d note that many of the folks aboard the flotillas included nobel laureates, professors and seasoned peace activists. It seems pretty far-fetched to think they would be consorting with terrorists, knowing that it would kill their credibility in the court of world opinion in addition to putting them in danger. These humanitarian workers have been well aware of Israel’s military might and would not try to go against them. The flotilla people have long been and continued to act in the long tradition of civil disobedience. Part of that tradition means acting non-violently to maintain a moral high ground. To suggest these folks were doing otherwise, even if its the Israeli ambassador spouting the story is in insult to our intelligence. The bottom line is Israel messed up and has been in spin mode ever since..Part of their defense is to use allies and friends in media and government to come down hard on anyone speaking against them. Folks are quickly labeled anti-semitic and black-balled from influential circles if possible. In short Israel can do no wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlElXOJV4CA&feature=player_embedded

Such was the case with longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas who was caught on tape responding to a question..’Do you have anything you would like to say to Israel’? Thomas responded ‘Yes-Get the Hell out of Palestine‘… She then noted that Palestine was occupied land. When pressed as to where they should go, Thomas retorted, They should go back home to Germany, Poland and the United States. The outcry against Thomas calling for her ouster was deafening with former Bush press secretary Ari Fleisher leading the charge and everyone from Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs to no-name schleprocks dragged up and placed on talk shows, joining the chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQcQdWBqt14

The amount of anger that was directed at Thomas was overkill. First and foremost her remarks have a political context which could and is debated. When I heard her remarks I immediately thought of the new Israeli settlements that have caused lots of uproar and been heavily criticized. If Israel as was stated by Ambassador Michael Oren will have peace when we have a two states, than Thomas wasn’t off base when she said ‘get out of Palestine’. Sure her blutness ruffled feathers, but really when you consider what folks like Minister Pat Roberston and actor Mel Gibson, the late Reverend Jerry Falwall and numerous others have said about Israel, Thomas’ remarks are no where in the ballpark. What really angered her detractors was her stature. She gives a boost to a POV that has long been silenced here in the US while vigoriously debated elsehwere including in Israel.

Seems like the Zionist lobby wanted to send a strong signal by being relentless with their shut down of Thomas. Don’t speak ill of Israel. Don’t oppose Israel and don’t you dare give credibility to any POV or argument Zionist find problematic. This has long been a tactic used especially when Israeli policy was dead wrong.i.e Their support of Apartheid, South Africa or in recent days the tactic Zionist supporters of Israel used to intimidate including threats to blacklist UC Berkeley student Senators who voted to divest student funds from Israel.

Real News Network CEO Paul Jay wrote an insighful essay folks should peep that addresses this issue called ‘In defense of Helen Thomas on Apologizing top Apologist’. We also had a discussion on the topic which I am also including…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0UVJ35L2EU

Where’s PETA and the Angry Tea Party Crowd on this Gulf Oil Disaster?

Here’s a few things to ponder …

Where’s PETA and the Tea Party?

Where the hell is PETA? Yeah i said it? Lemme repeat that incase I was misunderstood.. Where is PETA? You know them, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals… Where are those guys around this Gulf Oil Spill Issue?

For many of us this disaster didn’t hit home until we started seeing dead turtles and pelicans immersed in oil come washing up on our shores. I mean we lost 11 people and for the majority of us, it was in one ear and out the other.. People losing jobs?…Again-it was in one ear and out the other. But all those dead animals struck a chord. It was exasperated when we heard idiots like Alaskan Congressman Don Young try to explain this off as if it was natural and the animals killed weren’t no big deal. Sounds to me some serious animal rights violations took place, both by BP and those who support and explain away their actions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuozWIsDyyU

When the oil spill started and was said to be headed toward the wild-life packed marsh lands of Louisiana, I half jokingly and half seriously tweeted ‘Where’s PETA?’ I was joking that if folks like a ‘dog killing’ Michael Vick and a fur coat wearing Jennifer Lopez could incur this organization’s wrath, wait till Tony Hayward CEO of BP crossed paths with PETA. I even included PETA  (@Peta) on the tweet and never heard back.

That was a good 50 days ago. Here we are on day 60 and as I perused their website I see there’s still no mention of the Gulf Oil Spill, which I find to be beyond strange. As you can see from the front page of their website which was taken today June 10th, they have updated information including the recent passing of Golden Girl Rue McClanahan. There’s also a recent story of porn star Jenna Jameson and her doing a shocking video about how chickens are treated, but no Gulf Oil Spill…

The website PETA.org has an action center page where people can join campaigns against KFC, Petsmart and others but no BP. I don’t wanna be petty and I realize some of these campaigns are probably worthwhile but to see how vehement PETA was over Michael Vick and the NFL where members could be found picketing outside games and stepping to fans who supported Vick, why so silent on BP and Hayward? Will members show up at his next outing and throw blood on him for all the oil soaked rare Brown Pelicans his company’s negligence harmed and killed? Will they be picketing BP stations the way they did NFL games? Thus far I haven’t seen them at the BP in my area..They were out and about during the NFL games when Vick returned..

Not to be unfair with PETA, I have to also ask this question about the Tea Party crowd? It was just a few months ago we saw a big Tea Party rally in New Orleans where folks skewered Obama for giving away government money. Some went so far as to have Obama’s face made to look like Hitler… Where’s the Tony Hayward posters that vilify him? Where’s the Tea Party  crowd whoo-riding the CEO’s press conference or townhalls like they did during the healthcare debates? Where’s the venom and outrage being directed toward BP executives who seem tell endless lies about the spill to people who live in regions that the Tea Party found major support?

One has to wonder if these organizations are all hype, scared or in the back pockets of a multi-national like BP and their friends. In any case, it was bugging me to see these outspoken groups  absent from the fight while others like the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington DC picketed Hayward’s New York office last week and attempted to secure a citizen’s arrest.  CNN did a story on a young girl who was 10 or 12 years old launching some sort of protest for the destroyed wild life..Rap star Talib Kweli stepped to the plate and dropped a searing song called Ballad of the Black Gold which deals with issues around oil. Everyone’s been stepping up..Just wondering why we haven’t seen and heard more from these two groups that garnered reputations for kicking up dust?

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