[lbo-talk] Double Standard: Israel and Saudi Arabia

Liza Featherstone lfeather at panix.com
Mon Jul 12 13:47:57 PDT 2004


1) The first paragraph of your post seems, in a juvenile fashion, to suggest that because some racist Zionists equate "Jewish" and "Israeli" it's OK for the rest of us to do so. The logical and moral problems with this "reasoning" are pretty obvious.

2) Your second paragraph so misinterprets my post it isn't worth responding to. I suggest reading other people's posts before weighing in.

3)As for your last sentence, maybe, maybe not, but merely re-asserting what's already been argued isn't going to advance the conversation.

Liza


> From: "Joseph Wanzala" <jwanzala at hotmail.com>
> Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 13:34:08 -0700
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Double Standard: Israel and Saudi Arabia
>
> How about JINSA, the "Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a
> non-profit, non-partisan educational organization committed to explaining
> the need for a prudent national security policy for the United States,
> addressing the security requirements of both the United States and the State
> of Israel, and strengthening the strategic cooperation relationship between
> these two great democracies." ? Here the term 'Jewish' and "Israel' are seen
> as co-extensive.
> http://www.jinsa.org/about/about.html
> http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20020902&s=vest
>
> As to the business of how confortable Bush is with other rich people, in
> contrast to Clinton, let's not forget that while Clinton himself came from
> humble beginnings, his cabinet was surpassed in its number of millionares
> only by the current Bush cabinet and most of Clinton's closest non-white
> consorts, other than the people in the photo ops, were wealthy African
> Americans like Vernon Jordan and Ron Brown.
>
> The portrayal of the Saudis in F911 was very problematic indeed.
> ___________________________
>
> Liza Featherstone wrote:
>
> I actually think "Saudi" money is OK, just as it's OK to talk about U.S.
> or
> Israeli or British or French money. And we do talk about U.S. money: the US
> money in Israel sustaining the occupation, etc. The reason the term "Jewish
> money" creeps us out -- and it should -- is because "Jews" qua Jews are not
> a nationality or government or any kind of body from whom "money" can
> reasonably said to originate. Jews cannot as a body write a check. Some
> Jews as individuals send money to pro-Israeli groups, others send money to
> anti-war groups, or subscribe to LBO. To talk about "Jewish money"
> substitutes a racist cliche for analysis, as we all agree. Inasmuch as talk
> about "Saudi" money is similarly not always about the government, it risks a
> similar racism, but when we make clear we are talking about the Saudi
> elites, who effectively do run the country, I think it is acceptable. I
> think Moore in his film did do that, especially with the shots of Bush
> senior cavorting with the Saudi ruling class. There the message was not,
> look, he's hanging out with these weird scary Arabs, but rather, look how
> comfortable he is with other rich people, regardless of apparent cultural
> barriers. Unlike Clinton, Bush I was not a guy was often shown relaxing and
> kicking back with people very different from himself, so the image is
> striking, making you think, oh, maybe they are not so different: perhaps
> globally, the ruling class is his "base" rather than the American people who
> voted for him.
>
> Liza
>
>
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