it, and it gives you the timeline:
>(a) The October 26 rally. Lerner says ANSWER is anti-Semitic because it
raised the "unrelated" issue of Palestine.
>(b) The January 18 rally. Lerner says ANSWER is anti-semitic because it
raised the "unrelated" issue of Palestine.
>Through this whole period Lerner is raising this in Tikkumail. See
www.tikkun.org and click on the Tikkunmail - back issues link on the left
side.
>(c) The NYT article appeared the week after Jan. 18, something like Jan.
21 or
22. It was written by the same reporter who had been criticized for
downsizing the numbers. It's out there somewhere but I can't do the
search
right now.
>(d) He says the same stuff on a radio show.
>(e) UFPJ then tells him they aren't nominating him to speak.
>(f) He says that he doesn't care if he speaks, since 3 minutes isn't long
>enough, but he wants UFPJ and the other coalitions to issue a statement
>attacking ANSWER for anti-Semitism.
>(g) They don't do it.
>(h) He issues the "ANSWER banned me" letter that ignited the whole flap.
UGH!! the joint statement would have done much more to not bring up that stupid rule then. initially it would have been much easier to redress this charge
"But ANSWER has not permitted any critique of Palestinian violence—only of Israel. Moreover, while Israel's denial of human rights is worthy of critique, it is not more deserving of critique than the far greater acts of human rights abuses perpetrated by Saddam Hussein against his own people, and the genocidal acts of mass murder against the Kurds. But ANSWER did not permit any criticisms of Saddam Hussein. Nor of the human rights abuses of China in Tibet, Russia in Chechnya, or of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, etc."
and just say repeating the numerous criticisms of Palestinian violence and Hussiens crimes or whatever only reinforces propaganda of the 'war on terrorism' and is counterproductive to the anti war movement, say exactly why and that Lerner wasn't nominated specifically for this reason.
~M.E.
===== Quenby Ellis
"No"- pulic domain
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