Stonington

Stonington

84p

366 comments posted · 7 followers · following 0

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - England’s Left-W... · 0 replies · -3 points

Possible, but not easy. Definitely not easy.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - England’s Left-W... · 0 replies · +2 points

Sadly, some of the settlers on the West Bank have been committing crimes against Palestinians. (And some have even been venerating the memory of the mass-murderer Baruch Goldstein.) Not all behavior, either by the Israeli government or by settlers, is above reproach. But it is also true that even were Israel and all Israelis to behave absolutely perfectly that there wouldn't be some terrible slanders and libels -- such as that of the Hamas spokesman who, in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, perpetuated the old, discredited "blood libel."

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - England’s Left-W... · 1 reply · +6 points

That's not entirely true. There are those who believe that Jews are only those with a certain religion and, therefore, like for example, Methodists, have no need for a nation-state. And, indeed, many Jews in countries like the United States are, nowadays, just those of the Jewish religion. But Jews have been and are, in many places in the world, seen as an identifiable ethnic (or even tribal) minority. And, of course, over the centuries there have been many persecutions of Jews-- even of those of Jewish origin who practice other religions -- with, of course, in recent history, the Holocaust. It is sometimes tough to figure out whether animosity towards Israel is the result of anti-Semitism, but I strongly suspect that it is often present. After all, we do see criticisms of Israel by people who show little concern for what is much worse in any number of other countries.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - President Obama Condem... · 0 replies · +3 points

Nonsense! Who, pray tell, are those supposed "Jew-haters" in the administration? And don't just name names, but provide evidence that they do, indeed, hate Jews.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Including LGBT Jews in... · 0 replies · +2 points

"Self-designated victim status"? What sort of arrant nonsense is that? What planet are you on? There are many places where, even now, gays and lesbians are discriminated against in this country. And what about the treatment of gays and lesbians in places like Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Iran and Russia?

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Including LGBT Jews in... · 0 replies · +1 points

True, we should all be offended by Tom Cotton's "be grateful we're not executing you" as it's clear that if he doesn't want gays executed he'd be happy with denying gays basic rights.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Including LGBT Jews in... · 0 replies · +1 points

That's a fair point. Still, perhaps we could consider the counter argument: that societies which are tolerant of minorities -- including sexual minorities -- are best for Jews. Iran's intolerance for gays and lesbians is only one aspect of a society and regime that is intolerant in a number of ways. And the Jews of Iran, if not currently persecuted (as are the Bahai) are not exactly flourishing.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Poll: Jews Sour on Oba... · 0 replies · +3 points

In short, no. I may not be happy about all aspects of Obama's foreign policies, but compared to both the disastrous policies (in so many respects) of George W. Bush's administration and what's advocated by so many Republicans (including, for example, John Bolton), we all should be thankful that it is Obama who is president.

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Poll: Jews Sour on Oba... · 0 replies · +4 points

What arrant nonsense to call President Obama "anti-Israel." Clearly alextribeca has no idea of both current and long-standing USG policies with respect to Israel. (Opposition to expansion of settlements on the West Bank, for example, is decades-old policy -- through both Bush administrations and the Clinton and Obama administrations.)

9 years ago @ Jewish Daily Forward - Poll: Jews Sour on Oba... · 2 replies · +3 points

How American Jews, like other Americans, will vote in the 2016 presidential election won't just depend on views of Hillary (assuming that she'll be the candidate) but how the Republican nominee is viewed. Given those on the Republican side who've so far indicated interest, I suspect that most Jews (and anyone else with an ounce of grey matter) will vote for the Democrat, even if it's the proverbial yellow dog. (Let's keep in mind, that it's not just the candidate who is important, but those who advise the candidate and who'd have administration positions should the candidate win. So, for example, even those who might have thought McCain would have made a good president no doubt were horrified at the thought of Sarah Palin as VP.)