From: "wayne mcguire" <wayne.mcguire@channel1.com>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: opinion elites
Date: 9 Jan 93 11:50:54 EST
Reply-To: "wayne mcguire" <wayne.mcguire@channel1.com>
Distribution: talk
Organization: Channel 1 Communications

To: Chris Metcalfe

Re: Western opinion elites and Israel: perhaps I should have used
the word "privately" rather than "secretly." What Western opinion
elites are saying about Israel publicly can be easily discerned
by consulting the appropriate books and journals. What they are
saying publicly is none too positive or friendly these days. What
they are saying about Israel privately is much harsher. Obviously
private remarks are not the sort of things one cites in public
forums. That is is the nature of private remarks.

But if you're such a smart guy, and have such a good line on what
Western opinion elites, particularly Western non-Jewish opinion
elites, are thinking and feeling about Israel these days, and
know that everything is in such good shape, then you have nothing
to worry about, right? You can comfort yourself with the certain
knowledge that I am full of hot air.

With regard to the rosy economic forecasts for Israel: it's all
bullshit until Israel gets off the American dole and stands on
its own two feet like any other normal Western democratic nation:
England, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, you name it. At
the moment Israel is the world's most obnoxious schnorrer nation
state, and increasingly an object of contempt for its combination
of neediness and churlishness. We just saw an emotional Israeli
supporter here suggest that anyone who doesn't agree that tiny
Israel should consume the lion's share of America's foreign aid
budget is a "cheap bastard." Oh, the gratitude of beggars is a
delight to behold.

Ditto for Josh Backon's goofy hints about Israel developing a
practical and economical substitute for petroleum: it's all
bullshit until the product is on the table. Israel has a long
history of peddling bullshit scenarios in the economic sphere.
Consider the fate of the kibbutz movement or of messianic
socialism in Israel. These scenarios are usually as credible as
the notion that Menachem Schneerson is the Messiah.

You keep trying to paint me as a Nazi because I expressed strong
exasperation with the bullying tactics of AIPAC and other
components of the Israel lobby. Believe me, my exasperation with
the lobby is shared by many other Americans who are increasingly
determined to do something about the problem, using precisely the
same tactics that AIPAC has championed. Why don't you point to
any statements of mine in which I have called for violence against
anyone or the violation of anyone's human rights. Unless you can,
I don't think your attempts to paint me as a Nazi are going to
carry much weight with the more sober readers of this newsgroup.

On the other hand, we have seen numerous emotional supporters of
Israel in this newsgroup support the notion that a nation can
deport at will anyone it considers a threat to state security
without a shred of due process under the rule of law. Supporting
such policies is far more Nazilike than expressing strong
exasperation with AIPAC. Your value system is turned upside down,
Chris, as the result of blindly following the Israeli government
wherever it goes.
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