Helen Thomas Shunned for Anti-Semitic Outburst Against Israel
From "Top U.S. journalist loses agent, friends after saying 'Jews should get the hell out of Palestine,' by Natasha Mozgovaya in Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/top-u-s-journalist-loses-agent-friends-after-saying-jews-should-get-the-hell-out-of-palestine-1.294556?localLinksEnabled=false)
Senior White House Press Corps member Helen Thomas may have apologized for her recent on-camera remarks calling on Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" and go home to Europe, but her reputation seems beyond repair amid the abounding calls for her resignation.
Why? Because it was caught on camera, she was obviously hateful, and this is the Internet era. In an earlier decade, her MSM friends might have helped keep the actual film footage from being seen, and successfully spun the reaction against the statement as the issue. But today, lots and lots of Americans saw the malice in her eyes as she told "the Jews" to "go home to Germany and Poland."
So her agent, Nine Speakers Inc. has dropped her.
Lanny Davis, who served as former president Bill Clinton's White House counsel, said that Thomas should be stripped of her honors for having crossed the line of freedom of speech.
Now, you know that it's a bad sign when Bill Clinton's White House counsel feels that you've done something wrong ...
“Helen Thomas, who I used to consider a close friend and who I used to respect, has showed herself to be an anti-Semitic bigot,” wrote Davis in a statement.. “She has a right to criticize Israel…. However, her statement that Jews in Israel should leave Israel and go back to Poland or Germany is an ancient and well-known anti-Semitic stereotype of the alien Jew not belonging in the land of Israel that began 2,600 years with the first tragic and violent Diaspora caused bythe Romans."
Precisely, save that his arithmetic is off -- the Roman Diaspora occurred around 1850-2000, not 2600, years ago. He is confusing the Romans with other enemies of Judea. But anyway ...
"If she had asked all blacks to go back to Africa, what would the White House Correspondents Association's position be as to whether she deserved WhiteHouse press room credentials - much less a privileged honorary seat?” wrote Davis, referring to Thomas' seat in the middle of the front row at the White House briefing room.
One can imagine the response. Unless, of course, the speaker were Marcus Garvey. He then continued ...
“Does anyone doubt that my friends Ann Compton and Joe Lockhart, whobelieve in the First Amendment right of free expression as much as I do,would not be as tolerant and protective of Helen's privileges and honorsif she had been asking Blacks to return to Africa? Or Native Americans to Asia and South America, from which they came 8,000 or more years ago? I doubt it”, concluded Davis.
It's not even a First Amendment issue. Of course Helen Thomas may express any belief she desires. But other people have a right to support or oppose her based on the beliefs she expresses.
There are curious personal issues crossing here. Helen Thomas is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants, and Lebanon was the jewel of the Levant before the PLO and Syria basically wrecked the place. And she was famous for her role in dealing with the Kennedy White House -- and the PLO publicly approved of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the President's younger brother.
I wonder if she blames Israel for all this, and is in some way trying to appease the Palestinians?
In any case, it's refreshing to see an anti-Semite being held responsible for her statements in modern America. Gives me hope that we're not going to go down in the coming crisis.
Senior White House Press Corps member Helen Thomas may have apologized for her recent on-camera remarks calling on Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" and go home to Europe, but her reputation seems beyond repair amid the abounding calls for her resignation.
Why? Because it was caught on camera, she was obviously hateful, and this is the Internet era. In an earlier decade, her MSM friends might have helped keep the actual film footage from being seen, and successfully spun the reaction against the statement as the issue. But today, lots and lots of Americans saw the malice in her eyes as she told "the Jews" to "go home to Germany and Poland."
So her agent, Nine Speakers Inc. has dropped her.
Lanny Davis, who served as former president Bill Clinton's White House counsel, said that Thomas should be stripped of her honors for having crossed the line of freedom of speech.
Now, you know that it's a bad sign when Bill Clinton's White House counsel feels that you've done something wrong ...
“Helen Thomas, who I used to consider a close friend and who I used to respect, has showed herself to be an anti-Semitic bigot,” wrote Davis in a statement.. “She has a right to criticize Israel…. However, her statement that Jews in Israel should leave Israel and go back to Poland or Germany is an ancient and well-known anti-Semitic stereotype of the alien Jew not belonging in the land of Israel that began 2,600 years with the first tragic and violent Diaspora caused bythe Romans."
Precisely, save that his arithmetic is off -- the Roman Diaspora occurred around 1850-2000, not 2600, years ago. He is confusing the Romans with other enemies of Judea. But anyway ...
"If she had asked all blacks to go back to Africa, what would the White House Correspondents Association's position be as to whether she deserved WhiteHouse press room credentials - much less a privileged honorary seat?” wrote Davis, referring to Thomas' seat in the middle of the front row at the White House briefing room.
One can imagine the response. Unless, of course, the speaker were Marcus Garvey. He then continued ...
“Does anyone doubt that my friends Ann Compton and Joe Lockhart, whobelieve in the First Amendment right of free expression as much as I do,would not be as tolerant and protective of Helen's privileges and honorsif she had been asking Blacks to return to Africa? Or Native Americans to Asia and South America, from which they came 8,000 or more years ago? I doubt it”, concluded Davis.
It's not even a First Amendment issue. Of course Helen Thomas may express any belief she desires. But other people have a right to support or oppose her based on the beliefs she expresses.
There are curious personal issues crossing here. Helen Thomas is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants, and Lebanon was the jewel of the Levant before the PLO and Syria basically wrecked the place. And she was famous for her role in dealing with the Kennedy White House -- and the PLO publicly approved of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the President's younger brother.
I wonder if she blames Israel for all this, and is in some way trying to appease the Palestinians?
In any case, it's refreshing to see an anti-Semite being held responsible for her statements in modern America. Gives me hope that we're not going to go down in the coming crisis.