From: makowsky@enuxha.eas.asu.edu (David Makowsky)
Subject: Re: Lehi and nazies
Reply-To: makowsky@enuxha.eas.asu.edu (David Makowsky)
Organization: Arizona State University, Tempe AZ
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 14:03:28 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.084733.16802@cs.anu.edu.au> bdm@cs.anu.edu.au writes:
 
# In article 29800@ennews.eas.asu.edu, makowsky@enuxha.eas.asu.edu (David Makowsky) writes:

# >	Fortunately for you, one can be a good bigot without having to
# >resort to outright lies when a simple distortion will do.  At any
# >rate, you might be surprised at my opinions of Lehi.  Ever wonder why
# >I do not defend Shamir as strongly as I do Begin (although Begin does
# >not need any defense)?

# No, it is quite clear.  You find the Lehi distasteful in many respects
# but you still feel you must defend them against people like me.  The
# fact that you really disapprove of some of their actions (such as the
# Nazi contacts) makes your self-appointed task quite unpleasant.  
# I don't envy you.

	No, you do not seem to understand.  You see, I believe certain
things due to my religious background.  I do not feel that others are
going to side with me on those isues, nor do I expect them to, nor do
I feel they are wrong for not doing so.  This definitely applies to
the Arab Israeli conflict.

	There are, however, activities taken on behalf of the Zionist
movement that I find repulsive (which includes many activities rightly
or wrongly associated with Ariel Sharon).  I condemn them and I have
no problem if others do.

	 There are other discussions that I find irrelevent (such as those
dealing with the balfour declaration and who was their first and in
what numbers 0 no matter which side the "facts" support.

	However, when I see hypocricy, lies, and other distasteful
strategies used by arabists I feel compelled to point them out even if
I do not believe the issue in question, even if "resolved on my side",
should not be a factor.  That is what I am doing here.

	For instance, I disagree with Lehi contacts with the Nazis.
However, given the fact that 20/20 hindsight is to a certan extent
cowardly, I feel that condemnation of them should be based on what was
known by them about the Nazis.  It should also be viewed in the same
light as the allied alliance with Joseph Stalin, hardly a paradigm of
virtue.  That is why I take exception to some, but not all criticisms
of Lehi.

# >	Much behavior of Lehi may have been racist (I am not conceding
# >anything here, only noting the possibility), however, you have no
# >proof of anything racist here, and you have even less then zero proof
# >for your "JUSTIFIED" conclusion of anti-semitism.
 
# Since I never made that conclusion but stated the opposite several
# times, I think you are going too far.   I could respond in kind, but
# I'll resist.  Want to drop the topic?

	I am not going to far.  You posted this from someone else with an
intended effect.  One can only wonder why since based on civility
there was more reason not to do this then to do it.

	I am willing to not reply anymore, which is not the same as
droping the topic, if it stops here.  I will not even reply again to
your bigoted remarks in the other thread, since your own words
confimred my charge at the very least, and at the most show you to be
callous. 
--

David Makowsky
makowsky@enuxha.eas.asu.edu
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast