On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 21:05:41 EDT, Bemmzim wrote > So let me put my big jewish mouth into this portion of the debate. I > agree completely with Gautam here. She is saying there is a jewish > conspiracy to help Israel.
Find me one place where she said anything remotely resembling "conspiracy" and I might respond to this. Until then, I think it is nonsense. She talks geopolitics, not cabals and conspiracies. She talks about the *nation* of Israel, in the political sense, which can't possibly have participated in any such conspiracy for the last hundred years or most of the other centuries in which Christians persecuted Jews. Cindy argues that the war deliberately serves the interests of Israel, the nation, excessively -- that Israel, the nation, has too much influence in Washington. You may choose to turn that into a vast Jewish conspiracy down through the ages, but Cindy doesn't say anything of the sort. Saying "Israel has too much influence in Washington" is anti-semitic is like saying "England has too much influence in Washington" is anti-Anglo-Saxon. > Let me ask you Nick. Do you think that we are in this war to protect > Israel? I'm quite sure that our desire to control the Middle East is connected to our alliance with Israel. It would be crazy to imagine that Israel is not a factor. > Are we in this war at the behest of a jewish cabal? I would be terribly surprised. I believe that is impossible. > If not > then this view must be repudiated. Tell me, *who* would I be repudiating? David Duke? Why do I need to repudiate him or any other nut job conspiracy theorist? I sure as hell wouldn't be repudiating Cindy Sheehan, since she isn't one. When we speak as members of Gold Star Families for Peace, my view is that we don't need to talk directly about politics at all. And when Cindy expressed her views about Israel's role the first time we sat down to lunch, I was uncomfortable. At the same time, she is a mother searching for the reason her son is dead. I'm not surprised that she has some ideas that seem wild and I don't think it's my job to try to stop her. On the other hand, I do believe that if we are to be peacemakers, compassion is the key. The blessing of this discussion is that I realize how a political comment about the nation of Israel can be blown up into much more than was intended. The grief of this one mother is hard for most of us to grasp; the grief of the Jewish people after the Holocaust is far beyond that... so I find myself struggling to show compassion for both. I'll be more than happy -- downright eager -- to forward your thoughts to not just Cindy, but all of GSFP. We need to understand how we are being heard. Which words shall I forward. Nick -- Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voicemail: 408-904-7198 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
