[lbo-talk] Dissentoids dissent

Jerry Monaco monacojerry at gmail.com
Fri Aug 4 20:53:48 PDT 2006


On 8/2/06, Michael Pugliese <michael.098762001 at gmail.com> wrote:
> If they have ever found one person in Israel,
> including lefty kibbutzniks whether ordinary citizen, politico or
> soldier not bestial fascist thugs I haven't seen it.
>
> --
> Michael Pugliese
>

Personally, I never thought that Israel Shahak was a "bestial fascist thug", just to name one person who was once in Israel, now sadly turned to dust. Any one in Israel who actually opposes attacking civilians on principle and shows their opposition, I think will also qualify for the accolade of being called "decent". There are a few, if my memory serves. Or take for example Ze'ev Maoz who proudly declares of his state and nation _Morality is not on our side_. (see http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=742257) Unlike Shahak he has the advantage of being currently among the living. I am not quite sure this is true of our way-ward Apulian.

But, as in all things of such political matters, groups and people must be judged on a case by case basis. So I am willing to say that those who followed the Revisionists and the Stern Group, and their descendants, were for the most part "fascist thugs." All "men" (sic ?) are beasts, and thus to some extent "bestial", so I will leave out Mr. Pugliese's demeaning modifier and take it as assumed that all fascist thugs are "men."

Unfortunately, if Mr. Pugliese's comments have any significance beyond simple bile and hatred I have not been able to comprehend what that significance might be. So he should forgive me for actually taking the "logic" of what he is saying at face value. What the pugnacious Apulian toe seems to suggest is that all of us leftists perforce must think in the way that Israeli nationalist ideology taught me to think in my youth. In their ideology the Israeli national state is identified with the Israeli people (excluding Arabs) and the Israeli people is identified with world Jewry. This is what Israeli national ideology wants us to accept. When ultra-religious types like George Bush, Pat Robertson and the Iranian clerics accept this logic some are called "friends of Israel" and others are called anti-Semitic "Islamo-fascists." It is a hard road to travel but as far as I can tell most of the left don't identify the Israeli state with the Israeli people as Mr. Pugliese wishes that we did. We actually don't accept the logic of Israeli propaganda as he does. So the fact that Israel is a terrorist state sponsored by the United States does not mean we consider every Israeli a terrorist.

Jerry Monaco



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