Helen Thomas II

Not everyone has abandoned her. Here's a great article by Paul Woodward.

I read a comment somewhere that "maybe now she'll blog." I hope that comes true.

The Roots of Israel

Alright, this is really ticking me off. I was reading more about Helen Thomas, when I came across this gem in Haaretz:

Glick added that he felt "Thomas seems to have been schooled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a belief that Jews appeared in Israel after the Holocaust," while ignoring "historical facts that Jews have called the Land of Israel home for more than 3,000 years, long before any other group made a home in the land."

This is a fallacy. Yes, originally there were Jews in a land called Israel. But most of them were kicked out by the Romans (I think it was the Romans, it's been a while since I looked at this). For hundreds of years, that area of the world was populated by Jews, Christians, and, yes, Muslims! For hundreds of years, it was part of the Ottoman Empire and was predominantly Muslim. It was not until the late 1800s and early 1900s that people started calling for a homeland for the Jews, in a state called Israel. And Israel did not come to exist until 1948, after the Holocaust.

The fact that there were some Jews (probably Arab Jews too) living in Palestine during this time period does not mean that it was always a Jewish state, or that you can come in, build an army, and start removing Muslims from their homes. They live there too.

Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas has done so much in her lifetime, and I find it sad that she has to retire. Instead of blogging about her, though, I'm simply going to link to a post on Crooks and Liars. They do a very good job of dissecting the situation. If you're so inclined, check out anti-Semitic remarks by Pat Buchanan. And ask yourself "who is allowed to criticize Israel, and who isn't?"

The Washington Post has a photo gallery of Thomas.