Ah me, always makes a man feel he is doing something right!
First, I have absolutely no idea what I wrote to suggest Palestinians had a propensity to violence - it would be a service to me if I could find out.
Second, most of the time I'm attacked as an anti-Semite for my support for the Palestian people and their struggle, and my sharp criticism of Israel. However, partly because at my age one remember the Holocaust without waves of TV specials, remembers it and knows what it meant to Jews (including the guilt of some in the Jewish community in this country who knew and did little or nothing at all - fearing a wave of East European immigrants would start an anti-Semitic backlash), I am not prepared to ignore Jewish feelings about terrorism.
Third, I do indeed condemn all terrorism, even if I can understand why it is being done. The irony of my comparing the PLO actions to the Stern gang, and my suggestion that the Likkud Party has been led by "former" terrorists, or my statements that if you condemn the terrorism of the suicide bomber at least the bomber had the courage (or insanity) to die in the act, while Israeli jet planes risk nothing, but their bombing raids are absolutely as terrorist as any act by the Palestinians.
I don't like actions where old men send young men to die, whether it is that criminal. Sharon, or the religious leaders in the Palestinian community who applaud the youth who go forth to die.
So as far as I know that is what the fuss is about. As for the issue of thinking Palestinians more likely to be terrorist, I'd like the source - if I said it it means some words must have gotten left out of something I sent by email, because it isn't my view.
Best, David
<< Subj: Fwd: Re: Fw; [ASDnet] Should Peace Movements Criticize Terrorism?/socialfascist?
Date: 6/9/01 4:37:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: dhenwood at panix.com (Doug Henwood)
To: DavidMcR at aol.com (David McReynolds)
David - they're saying bad things about you on the lbo-talk list -
what are they talking about? - Doug
>X-From_: owner-lbo-talk at dont.panix.com Fri Jun 8 19:37:03 2001
>Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2001 18:36:50 -0500
>From: Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu>
>X-Accept-Language: en
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Subject: Re: Fw; [ASDnet] Should Peace Movements Criticize
> Terrorism?/socialfascist?
>Sender: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Precedence: bulk
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>
>
>
>Doug Henwood wrote:
>>
>> ppillai at sprint.ca wrote:
>>
>> >Is this prick the same David McReynolds who ran as the Socialist
>> >Party canditate for
>> >pres. in the last US election by any chance?
>> >
>> >hmm if so maybe that whole 'social fascist' label thing wasnt such a
>> >bad idea after
>> >all
>>
>> Huh? What's your beef with David McR? He seems like a fine fellow to me.
>>
>
>Doug, read McReynolds on the Palestinian struggle, and read them
>forgetting everything else you know about the man. Taken by themselves,
>"prick" seems a mild designation for their author. He not only equates
>isolated Palestinian violence (including suicide bombings) with the
>Stern Gang but ascribes to the Palestinians a _tendency_ to terrorism. I
>had always thought highly of him too, but that post made me gag.
>
>Carrol
>
>> Doug
>>