Four Points Glenn Greenwald makes about Israelis and their war

[BurtWorm]

The sum total of them equaling: Israel is a more open society (for Israelis, of course) than the US is for Americans:


http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/08/11/israeli_doves/index.html?source=rss


1) Many Israelis are openly acknowledging that the Israel-Lebanon war has been a disaster for Israel;

2) Waging unnecessary wars, particularly when they are waged poorly, makes a nation much weaker, not stronger (see, e.g., Iraq);

3) Contrary to the reprehensible accusations in this country that opposition to, or criticism of, the Israel-Lebanon war is evidence of anti-Israel bias or even anti-Semitism, many people are opposed to the war -- and critical of President Bush's foolishly unrestrained support for it -- precisely because it is so harmful to Israel;

4) Israel's democracy is sufficiently healthy that journalists and other citizens not only can criticize the country's leader in the middle of a war but can call for his resignation -- without being branded a traitor, a subversive, a coward and all of the other slurs to which Bush critics in the U.S. are routinely subjected.

-- Glenn Greenwald

[adriennui]

1. don't expect any replies

your article makes israel seem too humane and reasonable. many DUers will not tolerate that opinion and will go off on weird tangents about the "plight of the palestinians" and the 'enormous war machine" while not once admitting that israel is a more open and free country than %95 of the world.

[BurtWorm]

2. I didn't say the government of Israel was humane and reasonable.

I didn't say anything about the government of Israel at all. I just said the society is freer and more open than American society when it comes to being able to express dissent from the war AND the policies of the government.

[adriennui]

3. that is known as a free society.

and thank goodness there is one in that part of the world.

[papau]

5. adriennui - you hit the nail on the head - on DU humane and reasonable

are not allowed in any paragraph that descrobes Israel.

[burythehatchet]

6. Europe - 725,000,000

India - 1,000,000,000
USA - 300,000,000
Total - 2,025,000,000

World Population - 6,500,000,000

Minimum percentage of "open and free" population - 30%

Love to meet your statistician.

weird tangents about the "plight of the palestinians" holy fucking shit.

[Pirate Smile]

4. Thanks for posting. Great points made by Greenwald. Recommended.

[burythehatchet]

7. Israelis are

just like Americans, getting royally screwed by their leaders.