HPW: David Harris on McCarthyism

Zach already talked about David Harris' article about the accusations of dual loyalty that are starting to be thrown at Israel supporters. There weren't very many abusive comments, but those that were basically said, "yeah, McCarthyism is bad, but not if the people being accused really are traitors!", which effectively made Mr. Harris' point for him. Read on for the comments we thought were worthy of your attention.

hierstein

as much as i agree with mr. harris on other topics, lately he seems to see bogeymen everywhere he looks. harris forgets that american freedom of speech works both ways. ms lowey had every right to express her feelings about obama and by the same token americans were also free to express their feelings about her. i thought lowey's letter was a bit zealous.. our president did not criiticize israel as she claims, he was critical of netanyahu's policy in east jerusalem.( as was all of the western world.) is it lowey's rule that an american criticism of an isreali politician's policy is the same as mistreating the land of israel?. if so then mr. harris has mcarthyism turned backward. and what's all this american baiting that seems to be going on by jewish organizations. for instance,, netanyahu's kin folks calling obama anti-semitic, the adl calling general petraeous anti-semitic and dangerous and now the head of ajc saying that americans resort to mccarthyism in dealing with out- spoken jews.. for too long some jewish organizations have gotten away with their own brand of mccarthyism by branding anyone who disagrees with them as anti-semitic. and by the way how did jews corner the market on the expression anti-semitism? aren't palestinians also semitic people.so why do jews call an american who sympathizes with palestinians anti-semitic? all i can say is that some jewish organizations can dish it out but they can't take it.

muck-raker

after 242 was drafted and finalized the USA and Britain both went into this document and CHANGED it for Israels benefit....why....or is it that our Govt are owned and directed by powers other than our own.?
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fiskrsquos-world-one-missing-word-sowed-the-seeds-of-catastrophe-1205017.html

happymick

Having Dennis Ross as an official participating in Middle East problems involving Israel, is the same as having Osama Bin Laden in a disucssion group about 9-11.

Is this David harris kidding me, it is obvious that these people like Schumer would never think of israel as a foreign country. To me it appears that his and others feeling toward israel are a deeper sense of loyalty than to America.

Macready

that is exactly what I think happymick . . . they have a greater sense of loyalty to israel than to America . . . it shows in so many ways . . the aipac slammed the Goldstone Report . . our loyal senators and congressmen did not read the Goldston Report but fell in line with the aipac policy .. . contemptible

David Rozgonyi

Once again, legitimate criticism and concern over potentially unfair and unproductive policies is met with name-slinging. Question the continued settlement construction? An.ti-Sem.yte! Question whether people in the US are actually placing another country's welfare about the one to whom they swore allegiance to? McCarthy! 

Either come up with a proper retort, or stop calling names. It gets very childish after a while, not to mention ineffective.

NewYorkRob

If Israel has so many companies when can we expect a refund of taxpayer financed $3Billion aid per year? You ass.
[personal attack]

SouthernLeftist

Actualy it's the smell of Americans beginning to wake up (OK, the metaphor gets a little smelly here). Israel's interests arer definitely NOT the same as ours, PERIOD. We've been hypnotised for 60 years into believing that they are, and some of us are beginning to wake. 1) No one with dual citizenship shuld be allowed to hold national office, and 2) People who hold the interests of a foreign power higher than the US' oreally ought to come clean about it.

shadow7

Let's get real, here. No one in the US can get elected to public office without pledging unconditional support to the government of Israel. Not a single word of dissent is permitted. Not a single word of criticism of Israel's policies is ever heard. Check it out. This is not limited to legislators who are Jewish - it's an all encompassing position will never be breached. The Middle East policy of the US is written by AIPAC. That's documented and factual. This is McCarthyism in reverse...not against those who support every move made by the Israeli government, no matter how illegal or immoral - but against anyone who dares to speak out against anything done by the 'only democracy'' in the region that continues an illegal occupation for so many decades. As I said, get real.

Fein

Hardly. It's just another disingenuous attempt to vilify anyone who criticizes the Israel.

Mcarthism! : The chorus of dismay from the apologists is reaching an apex of absurdity!

Macready

In case you haven't noticed Mr Harris . . israel is not part of the United States . . . it breaks international law with impunity on a daily basis . . . .unfortunately it gets preferential treatment by congress because the aipac has lots of money and many of our senators and congressmen are in their employ . . . israel is a foreign country that does not respect rule of law, it violates the Geneva Convention, the list goes on and on . . what is very contemptible is that some members of Congress are putting the interests of israel above those of the US and above peace in the Middle East . . our congress supports israel by sending millions of US taxpayers dollars to fund israeli citiziens. israel is an apartheid state based on religion and the US is not a country founded on religion . . I think those Senators and Congressmen who have signed an aipac dictated letter saying that Obama has mistreated israel are behaving like people in the pay of a foreign government . . I think they are traitors . . . israel seems intent on one thing only to destroy the Palestinian people by its continued illegal expansion of settlments, etc . . . 

I respect President Obama's continued efforts to bring peace . . . I do not respect the obstructionist attempts by the aipac and the members of Congress who back israel at the expense of their own