Helen Thomas to Retire

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Good. Her actions are inexcusable. She just repeated Ahmadinejad's views. Besides, she's almost 90--it would be good for her and her health to retire at this point.

Please learn the difference between anti-semitism and opposition to existence of Israel.

Frt, I disagree with her.

And I concurr px75 reminds about neocon/conservative commentators.

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Good. Her actions are inexcusable. She just repeated Ahmadinejad's views. Besides, she's almost 90--it would be good for her and her health to retire at this point.

Please learn the difference between anti-semitism and opposition to existence of Israel.

Frt, I disagree with her.

And I concurr px75 reminds about neocon/conservative commentators.

Ahmadinejad also said he doesn't oppose the concept of a Jewish state--he just opposes one being created in Palestine.

Right... we started with Helen Thomas, now we're with Ahmadinejad. Who next? David Duke of Hitler?

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Hey Roch, I do oppose settelements. Am I an anti-semite?

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The Israelis should get out of Palestinian territories, like she said. They are illegally occupying them and illegally settling in them.

Palestinian territory is whatever Israel makes it. 

Sure, just as General Government was what Nazi Germany made.

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Sure, just as General Government was what Nazi Germany made.

The unfortunate fact (for now) is that there is no Palestine.  There should be a Palestine, and once there is, Israelis will have no right to take that land, but at this moment, Israel controls all of that land.

Don't get me wrong, I fully support a two state solution, but at this time any claim to Palestinian Land is simply wrong.

Suggesting that living in Poland or Germany is somehow dangerous or horrible is insulting.

I'm not suggesting that; I'm saying it is insulting that Jews are being told to "Go back to where you came from."

Sorry Ben, I misread your intentions.

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Suggesting that living in Poland or Germany is somehow dangerous or horrible is insulting.

I wish there would be more Jews in Poland today. Jewish people contribution to our history and culture was trurly invaluable. Before WWII there were 3 millions, after just few tousands left.

Good job, German assholes.

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Hey Roch, I do oppose settelements. Am I an anti-semite?

If you oppose the existence of Israel and think the Jews should go back to Germany and Poland, where they were slaughtered in the millions by Hitler and his minions, then yes, you are an anti-Semite.  Just like Helen Thomas.  Good riddance to her!

Wow that's funny.

No, I don't oppose existence of Israel, I oppose new settelements. But if I opposed existence of Israel, would that make me an anti-semite?

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Hey Roch, I do oppose settelements. Am I an anti-semite?

If you oppose the existence of Israel and think the Jews should go back to Germany and Poland, where they were slaughtered in the millions by Hitler and his minions, then yes, you are an anti-Semite.  Just like Helen Thomas.  Good riddance to her!

Wow that's funny.

No, I don't oppose existence of Israel, I oppose new settelements. But if I opposed existence of Israel, would that make me an anti-semite?

There is an "and" in my sentence.  Opposing the existence of Israel comes very close to the line, though.

You know, there are even anti-Zionist Jews. Are they close to self-hating?

While I'm probably in minority there due to my 100% support for existence of Israel (thought not certain Israeli policies), such narrow-minded classifications pisses me off.

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You know, there are even anti-Zionist Jews. Are they close to self-hating?

Why is it so important to you to find out what you think we think your motivations are or what loaded terms you want us to use? Is that really important?

No, I just want to outline one clear difference: opposing existence of Israel in Palestine itself (which I support) doesn't automatically makes people anti-semites.

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No, I just want to outline one clear difference: opposing existence of Israel in Palestine itself (which I support) doesn't automatically makes people anti-semites.

Ok. For what it's worth, there is very little on this Earth that I would say "automatically" makes anyone "anti-anything," and I get frustrated at these discussions because in the U.S. one consequence of making racism and anti-Semitism beyond the pale is that we're unable to have any kind of discussion about them because it's perceived as an attack on the person's reason or sanity. It's one reason I almost never use the word anti-Semitic, people automatically shut down their ears if they hear it. It's worse for "racist."

Secondly, I can not figure out what you actually believe based on your statement above. I apologize, I completely forget you're not a native speaker most of the time you post, but in this case you've qualified things such that I don't understand.

Ok, let me put this way: Helen Thomas comment was idiotic and I disagree with it. However, calling her an anti-semite, which some posters did, based solely on this one, is equally stupid.

My point was: opposing the existence of the state of Israel doesn't make anyone anti-semite per se. It's just like calling a person which calls for, for example, returning Texas to Mexico, an "American hater".

And I don't know why are you going personal.

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Just because you oppose Israel, or my case the recent actions of the Israeli government, does not mean you are an anti-Semite.

It makes you more likely to be one.  Almost all anti-Semites oppose Israel, but not all who oppose Israel are anti-Semites.  Someone who opposes Israel and says the Jews should go back from where they came, including countries in which millions of their relatives were slaughtered IS an anti-Semite.  

Two things.

1. Please do not equal Nazi Germany and Occupied Poland
2. Anti-semite would rather say "lock them in ghettos" or "exterminate them all".

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I react badly to this particular line of argument because I have seen it deployed in a very manipulative way by people who are critics of Israel, no matter what intellectual position they come from. It delegitimatizes people who disagree with them by pre-emptively labeling us as labelers who try to shut down discussion. If someone says "I'm sure I'll get called an anti-Semite for this, but I think Israel's policy is wrong," they're pre-emptively disrespecting people who disagree with them because we're so irrational or obnoxious that we refuse to debate. And you end up debating whether criticizing Israel is always anti-Semitic or not, but that's not the issue, the issue is Israel's policies, let's just debate that for damn sake. And what's more, 1 times out of 5 on Daily Kos you get someone saying "I'm sure I'll get called an anti-Semite for this by the Likudniks, but wealthy Jews control America" and it's infuriating to everyone.

I guess you misunderstood me. I used my positions as an example.

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Btw, an ironic side. Jews actually comes from Palestine.