>
>Carlin Romano, the guy who wrote a rather inspired attack on Catherine
>MacKinnon in the Nation years ago, now blasts Noam for anti-Americanism.
>
>http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/12/09/books/CARL09.htm
>
I've read his piece and I am disappointed. I have known Carlin for a quarter century. We were at Tigertown together. He's a philosopher and a lawyer and a fine journalist. He used to hold up the virtues of Phil Ochs agsint my advocacy of Bob Dylan. And now this rubbish. Michael Walzer, thoughtful, at least on thia sort of thing? Walzer's a good philosopher, and even a tolerable abstract proponent of just war theory, but he's a knee-jerk Zionist. And was there anything concrete that CArlin had to object to in Chomsky's tediously thorough recitals of the iniquities of US foreign policy? The only concrete substantive point that he is able to lable as a misfire is Chomsky's insistance that international law is the law, just like any other law. Now in one Realpolitik sense, Carlin's right--and Chomsky knows it. But in another sense, Carlin, who does have a JD from Columbia Law, and who should know this, the treaties to which the US subscribes are every bit as much the law of the land as any enactment of Congress. So there is no misfire after all, even if it is a bit rigid to insist on a point that is only taken seriously when it is convenient. I hoped for better from Carlin. jks
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