Comments on: The Abbreviated Read (3)

By: Grania

Grania — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:46:02 +0000

#5 As a mother of a teenage son with autism I was not offended by Obama’s gaffe – however I did find the ‘phony’ outrage exhibited by some Republicans and their groupies offensive. For the last eight years under GOP rule funding for special education has been slashed. Sarah Palin even cut funding for Special Olympics in her own home state – so spare me the collective knickers in a twist routine!

#10 – LOL surely a sentiment held by most of the male population in Israel!

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:40:07 +0000

Good luck with 10 although I’m not sure if I met her, I’d ever get beyond the open jaw giggly stage. I don’t watch late night talk shows because they are almost all masturbatory (“Everyone is wonderful”), the very few good bits are easy to catch later on, and none of them ever measure of to the Larry Sanders show anyway. I did see the Obama clip and I am starting to get a little tired of him making public appearances to say the same few things. The Special Olympics gaffe was just him swinging and missing on a joke.

By: LB

LB — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:45:44 +0000

@Gert – whoa, no offense intended. Second, you said increased militancy of settlers, and I extrapolated to soldiers, since that the was the topic.

Regarding what you did say – 1. Yes and no. I think that argument is much too complicated to flesh out in such a forum. Hitchens definitely is not authority, and I find it ridiculous that someone with such a superficial understanding of the settler movement would have the chutzpa to write about them. 2. Just btw, Religious settlers are a minority. Contrary to popular opinion – most Israelis who live over the green line are not religious (in the accepted sense of the word), and are just a loud minority.

By: Gert

Gert — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:15:24 +0000

Ooops, badly phrased: ‘[...] may join [...]‘ as in ‘[...] may join those settlers who resist [...]‘

A ‘militia from YHWH’, as it where…

By: Gert

Gert — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:12:15 +0000

@ LB:

“Increased militancy of soldiers?” Where did I write that????

I was referring to the increasing number of ’settlers on the rampage’ incidents. A few months back there was an incident so bad, Olmert amazingly used the word ‘pogrom’ (against the Palestinians). The religious part of the settlers appear to get increasingly vocal and physical.

Hitchens asserts that some radicalised religious IDF soldiers may join the settlers when (if it ever happens) the settlers are made to pack their bags. I find that an entirely plausible scenario.

By: LB

LB — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:00:20 +0000

Gert – no, it’s not. Increased militancy of soldiers? It’s an army. Increased militancy of an army does not preclude its morality. It is not the job of any part of the army to make political decisions. That is for the PM/Defense Minister. The army is supposed to give the military options, which are, by definition, “militant” – the political echelon is supposed to decide whether or not to avail themselves of those options.

By: Alex Stein

Alex Stein — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:47:10 +0000

Abbreviated Read is the Top 10 interesting things I’ve read online during the week (amongst smaller posts, and with some balance to keep things interesting). Making it onto the list doesn’t necessarily mean I endorse the message.

By: Gert

Gert — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:29:05 +0000

Alex, do you find the “Colonialism” (HP) post worthy of note?

Some South African echoes debunked “World Jooooish Conspiracy” theory, and, ooops, David T is on the case! Too much time to think and too little to do, if you ask me…

Should be gefundenes fressen for the other David, over at Engage.

@ LD:

If you look at the alarmingly increased militancy of at least the religious part of the settlers then I think Hitchens’ point is entirely valid.

By: LB

LB — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:17:27 +0000

2. While I usually tend to agree with him, Hitchens likes to turn everything into an argument, an exaggerate one where it already exists. If the stories are true, I don’t like what IDF rabbis did, either. However, it’s a big step from saying it’s wrong to portraying them as a radicalizing element, purely because of religion. If one takes the religious aspect of it – then saying one has a mission that to be devoted to, to sacrifice their life for – is little different from a commander riling up his soldiers before battle (as a coach does to a team before a game, l’havdil).

9. “are not exposing IDF policy per se, but rather the immaturity of their teenage years and the insensitivity common to armies the length and breadth of the globe.” precisely. Then again – “Those up in arms in the Muslim world over this latest incident would do well to look in the mirror before hurling stones from their glasshouses.” but that’s never going to happen.

In any case, the western world has become largely “desoldierized” – as far as the intelligentsia goes. 80 years ago, every other person was a soldier, today – in America, only the poor enlist en masse. My point is not an issue of class, but that the average westerner no longer knows what it’s like to be a soldier, and blows out of proportion anything that would seem objectionable in Park Slope. The army is a different world – the t-shirts are stupid, fine. They don’t mean their designers/wearers are murderers.

10. good luck with that…