"Insane" rabbi?

[Boston Critic]

Anyone notice the headline on the front page of DU this weekend? It had to do with a rightwing Orthodox rabbi claiming gay rights was worse than the Holocaust.

I can see calling him "rightwing," "extremist," "ultraOrthodox," but isn't "insane" going too far, even if you totally disagree with his views, as I do? I should note that neither the article nor the thread used the term. It appeared only on the front page of DU.

I'm troubled by the tolerance of anti-Jewish sentiments I've seen here.

[Boston Critic]

1. No comment?

Am I just off-base here or are people afraid to say anything?

[Lurking Dem]

2. I saw that.

At first I thought maybe that was the headline of the actual article but when I went to the site it wasn't.

"Insane" is OTT.

[DeeDeeNY]

3. I had a different reaction to this

As a Jewish person who has a gay son, I was disturbed by this story and don't find anti-Jewish sentiments in using the description "insane". Disagree is not strong enough a word to what a sane person's reaction would be to the story. Rather than disagree, I find the rabbi's assertion sickening, as it trivializes the Holocaust.
While I do find some sentiments bordering on anti-Jewish around here occasionally, this is not one of them.

[Boston Critic]

4. Of coure it was

I think the rabbi's remarks were outrageous and offensive, but the blithe manner in labelling him "insane" was just plain wrong. By itself I might not have thought anything of it, but having running into the buzzsaw of the heavily biased moderation in the I/P forum here it now seems more like an indication of part of the official attitude.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Welcome!

I agree with what you wrote. It trivialized the Holocaust, which happens way too often, IMO, as is. Also, it is not a very enlightened take on gays. Most rabbis I know are changing their views to a more progressive stance on gays.

[Skinner]

6. How charming.

I see that you aren't just making baseless accusations against me in my email inbox. You're also doing it publicly on the website. For the record, here are some other people that the DU admins have personally referred to as insane:

Allen Trovillion (Christian, Florida State Representative): http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/01/top10_2001_15.html

Bill O'Reilly (Christian, TV Personality): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x219024

John Cornyn (Christian, US Senator): http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/04/164.html

Members of the the British National Party: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x212150

Katherine Harris (Christian, Congresswoman): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x231285

"insane fundamentalist Islamic fanatics": http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/03/99.html

John Ashcroft (Christian, US Attorney General): http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/01/top10_2001_47.html

Jesse Helms (Christian, US Senator): http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/01/top10_2001_33.html

Roy Moore (Christian, Jurist): http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/03/120.html

The Bush Administration: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=541905

Childish? Sure. Over the Top? Sure. Deserved? Absolutely.

We're talking about a guy who says gay marriage is worse than the Holocaust. That's an insult to gays *and* Jews. And, yes, it's insane.