Thank You, Mrs. Thomas

[Desensitized]

Helen Thomas to "retire."

She is the longest running White House Correspendent, her tenure dating back to JFK. She didn't take shit from anybody: she asked W. questions like "Why do you want to destroy the barrier between Church & State" at his first press conference (while other reporters lobbed softball questions) and kept pestering him throughout his time in office as to the "real reason for invading Iraq."

Over the weekend she was overheard making private comments regarding Jews, who should "get the hell out of Palestine." She will no longer have a job as a press correspondent for taking a line against Israel.

Thank you, Mrs. Thomas. You were one of the good ones.

[Chip]

It is sad and unfortunate that she was essentially forced out of her job over one comment. Ari Fleischer equated it to telling blacks to go back to Africa, but that's bullshit, and completely overlooks the entirety of the Arab/Israeli Conflict. It is fucking disgusting how Israel conflates race and religion to the point where anyone critical of Israel is anti-Semitic. It's more like if all the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina came back and found their homes being squatted in by BP Spin Doctors, and suggesting that they'd, "go back to the UK."

[Desensitized]

Free speech: you're free to say whatever you want but you won't be able to work if you do. OK.

Anyone interested in learning more about Thomas can dig up the short feature Thank You, Mr. President or watch Colbert's 2006 White House Correspondent's Dinner, during his roast of W., he has a short film with her in it with him.

[Chase]

Can someone explain to me why republicans are so pro-Israel? Not to say any other party isn't, but I so often see a "Support Israel" bumper sticker next to a "NOBama" one. Compound that with the impression they give about hating the Jews here at home.

[Desensitized]

Can someone explain to me why republicans are so pro-Israel? Not to say any other party isn't, but I so often see a "Support Israel" bumper sticker next to a "NOBama" one. Compound that with the impression they give about hating the Jews here at home.

Jerusalem ---> Armageddon ---> Not in those heathen Muslim hands.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Can someone explain to me why republicans are so pro-Israel? Not to say any other party isn't, but I so often see a "Support Israel" bumper sticker next to a "NOBama" one. Compound that with the impression they give about hating the Jews here at home.

Not all Republicans are die hard pro-Israel. If anything, most Israeli-Americans have traditionally voted for Democrat candidates.

Hardcore evangelical Republicans are die-hard Israeli supporters because I think they say it'll speed up the rapture or something like that. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[BluTack]

Can someone explain to me why republicans are so pro-Israel? Not to say any other party isn't, but I so often see a "Support Israel" bumper sticker next to a "NOBama" one. Compound that with the impression they give about hating the Jews here at home.

Pshht. So all them Jews can go to Israel.

[Desensitized]

Here are some recent highlights.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninsca ... e_grea.php

[Mr. Fantastic]

Unbelievable, Obama is the WORST president in American history.

[Desensitized]

Unbelievable, Obama is the WORST president in American history.

How is that relevant to the topic and what are you basing that on? Otherwise, I'm just gonna delete your post.

[Chase]

Dumb. Bush isn't even the worst, and anyone who says Obama is worse than Bush is simply in a bubble.

[Chase]

Can someone explain to me why republicans are so pro-Israel? Not to say any other party isn't, but I so often see a "Support Israel" bumper sticker next to a "NOBama" one. Compound that with the impression they give about hating the Jews here at home.

Not all Republicans are die hard pro-Israel. If anything, most Israeli-Americans have traditionally voted for Democrat candidates.

Hardcore evangelical Republicans are die-hard Israeli supporters because I think they say it'll speed up the rapture or something like that. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know, that is why I am asking. I think statistically Jewish and Israeli-Americans go towards the left (I read something like 80% of them), which also compounds the situation. Maybe it has something to do with 9/11, the enemy of our enemy is our friend? Most republicans have a beef with Arabs, if you want to agree with that or not there probably isn't much need to debate that. But regardless, according to this survey Israel support between repubs and dems has a substantial gap - http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2006 ... crats.html

[Mr. Fantastic]

Dumb. Bush isn't even the worst, and anyone who says Obama is worse than Bush is simply in a bubble.

I admit Bush made a few screw ups, but I'd rather take him than Obama any day!

[Chase]

Of course you would. I think the moderator still wants you to associate this with the thread topic, so let's hear it.

[Desensitized]

Colbert had a damned good line he made on the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. just now: (I'm paraphrasing) "The Israelis go back to their homeland? That's ridiculous-- but I think the Palestinians should go back to theirs'."

[Mr. Fantastic]

Yeah I saw that, Stewart and Colbert were hilarious.

[Desensitized]

In somewhat related news this week: CNN has fired one of their most senior Middle-East correspondents for saying she had "respect" for recently deceased Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. So, just so we're all on the same page here: dis Israel: get shitcanned; say you "respect" someone from Hezbollah: get shitcanned. OK.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/cnn ... lah-cleric

Also similar is the way they both recanted what they said afterward, with Thomas saying what she said "does not reflect her true views" (ok?) and Nasr saying that when she said she had "respect" for him, she didn't mean "respect for his life's work" (ok?!).

[Dusty]

Do we love our enemy or hate them? Thank you CNN for shaping our views the right way. It's so confusing!

[Desensitized]

I don't think it's confusing at all. It illustrates a clear-cut bias in favour of Israel.

[Desensitized]

A more in depth article from Salon.com touching on the link between these two firings/resignations:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn ... 7/08/media

An excerpt:

"What each of these firing offenses have in common is that they angered and offended the neocon Right. Isn't that a strange dynamic for the supposedly Liberal Media: the only viewpoint-based firings of journalists are ones where the journalist breaches neoconservative orthodoxy? Have there ever been any viewpoint-based firings of establishment journalists by The Liberal Media because of comments which offended liberals? None that I can recall. I foolishly thought that when George Bush's own Press Secretary mocked the American media for being "too deferential" to the Bush administration, that would at least put a dent in that most fictitious American myth: The Liberal Media. But it didn't; nothing does, not even the endless spate of journalist firings for deviating from right-wing dogma."

[Desensitized]

AHAHAIAAIAIHAAHAAAAAH THEY GOT OLLY STONE TOO!!!

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ... ntroversy/