>Hyperbole like this would just be silly, were it not an example of
>antisemite-baiting, as mentioned.
>
>It is in fact true that "the terror attack on the WTC by Muslims raised
>discussions of the posture of American Muslims to an acrid level." It did
>a good bit more -- it put a lot of them in jail. And one is not a racist
>swine for noting the facts.
>
>Similarly, Cockburn was simply reporting what is the case when he wrote
>that "there are a number of stories [he gives examples] sloshing around
>the news now that have raised discussion of Israel and of the posture of
>American Jews to an acrid level." And he ran afoul of only the language
>cops.
>
>I believe that Pradeep and I are suggesting that it shouldn't be different
>when it's the Jews. --CGE
The "language cops" took exception when Ace started talking about "The Jews," as if they were a homogenous and powerful entity. You did it here too. Whether intentional or not, it bears the scent of anti-Semitic discourse.
Even though this exchange has gotten pretty nasty, I haven't intervened to (try to) stop it, because under the invective there are some real issues - like the relations between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, and the use of anti-Semitism to police discourse (which works several ways, it seems: not only the classic fashion of foreclosing criticism of Israeli behavior, but also invoking that classic repressive use to defend turns of phrase like "The Jews...."). I'll probably run out of patience with the exchange soon, though.
Doug