nathan and tim's 'cynicism'

[Tim Shorrock]

Nathan, you need to get a grip and end these moronic personal attacks on me
that have absolutely no basis in fact. You have an amazing knack for leaping
to wild conclusions and then completely avoiding your own sorry mistakes. I
knew the minute Doug sent out that transcript of yesterday's rally that you
would immediately scurry to your keyboard to attack me. And I was absolutely
right. The transcript I happened to send to Doug last night was incomplete,
but it was all that AP offered around midnight (you might have noticed that
the Wolfowitz comment were cut short too). I was just about to send the full
Sweeney transcript (below) when I read your diatribe about my 'cynical'
attempt to twist the truth. That is ludicrous. No one accused you of
twisting facts or misrepresenting anyone when you erroneously reported that
the AFL funds IPS and the Inter Hemispheric Resource Center. That happened
to be the crux of your argument about Sweeney's 'progressive' nature, and it
fell apart upon investigation. I saw that as a sign of a bad reporter and
someone not in full command of the facts, but certainly had no questions
about your motives. I'm not really sure what the source of your hostility
is, but you might be surprised that this 50 year old trade unionist, former
CWA local president and lifelong journalist and activist tries every day to
make the world a better place by seeking the truth. That's all I'm after.
I'm told that one of AA's key slogans is 'investigate before contempt.' Its
a pretty good way to live, both in politics and in one's personal life. You
might think about that before launching another one of your misinformed
tirades. Or maybe you should just take a pill.
Tim Shorrock

.

 and only lends to the impression of you as someone totally out of his
league. For anyone who wants it, I also have the complete transcript for the
entire rally, including the speeches by Sweeney's pals in struggle Bibi
Netenyahu, Mayor Giuliani, Paul Wolfowitz and the whole sad sorry lot.

Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 12:30:40 -0400
From: "Nathan Newman" <nathan at newman.org>
Subject: Re: sweeney & wolfowitz comments yesterday at pro-israel rally

Wow- this post is very cynical by Tim, since it includes only the first part
of Sweeney's remarks and omits the parts where he talked about meeting with
Palestinian trade unionists and their desire for peace, the despair driven
by poverty, the need to address the national aspirations of the
Palestinians, and the need for economic rebuilding.  It was essentially a
spoken version of the AFL-CIO position posted early today.

This kind of deceptive excerpting of a speech is exactly what I was
condemning when I said Tim was "defaming" principled people.  And yes, I
include Sweeney in that category.  I wish he had not participated in the
rally, but his speech was one of the only ones along with Wolfowitz's that
discussed the needs and aspirations of the Palestinians.

Nathan Newman
nathan at newman.org

We are therefore deeply grateful that our next speaker, John Sweeney, the
leader of the American labor movement, stands with us again in this moment
of grave crisis and pain. Please welcome a champion of working men and women
and a true friend of Israel and the Jewish community, AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney. (Applause.)

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you very much, Stuart Applebaum. I'm happy to also be
joined with Morton Barr, the president of the Communication Workers of
America and a vice president of the AFL-CIO.

On behalf of the 13 million working women (and) men of the AFL- CIO, I stand
with you to express our support for the people of Israel in this darkest of
hours. The AFL-CIO condemns all acts of terror directed against Israel and
its citizens. America's working families, seared by the horrors of September
11th here in our own country, can begin to imagine how terrifying the
suicide bombs have made daily life in Israel.

These assaults on innocent civilians at their places of work and rest should
be named what they are -- crimes against humanity that cannot be condoned.
(Applause.) These acts of terror will not succeed. The AFL-CIO joins with
you in calling for an end to all acts of terror. We call on all parties to
make respect for life and for the dignity and rights of all people the
cornerstone of peace.

When violence escalates, it is working families who pay the price in loved
ones lost, homes destroyed and dreams crushed. The American labor movement
has a long and enduring relationship with the state of Israel, a
relationship grounded in our solidarity with the Israeli Trade Union
Federation, the Histadrut. We join with you in asserting the simple reality,
Israel has the right to exist in security and in peace. (Applause.) We will
work with you toward that day.

At the beginning of this new millenium, I led a delegation to Israel,
accompanied by President Morty Bahr and Jay Mazur, then- president of UNITE.
We met with Israel's political, military and trade union leaders as well as
with workers from all sectors of society. We traveled to the West Bank and
met with the Palestinian trade union leaders. We met with workers from both
sides, who expressed a real desire and commitment to work for peace. At that
time a secure and lasting peace seemed to be within reach, a peace grounded
in security for Israel and hope for a prosperous future and fulfillment of
the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Tragically, the hopes of that
moment have been shattered. Now we witness violence that can only spread
despair among all people, fueled by even greater poverty and unemployment.
The cycle must be broken. Conflict must give way to negotiations. Hope must
supplant despair.

The AFL-CIO applauds the initiative now under way by Secretary Powell
seeking to end the violence, to move quickly towards negotiations that might
lead to a political settlement. We hope it is not too late. As the richest
nation on Earth and the cradle of democracy, it is incumbent on the United
States to take the lead in these efforts. The United States must stay
engaged, using its influence to condemn the acts of terror while moving the
parties back to the negotiating table.

The AFL-CIO stands ready, together with workers across the world, to help
rebuild the peace and the region once the violence stops. I will tell you
this: The AFL-CIO will continue to defend Israel's right to exist and the
right of its people to live in peace. (Cheers.) We will continue to denounce
terrorist assaults on civilians, and we will work to support a just and
lasting peace.

Thank you. (Cheers, applause.)