Lantos’ Tarnished Legacy by Stephan Zunes

[Tom Joad]

Pundits responded to news of the retirement of Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) at the end of his current term with platitudes and praise. They have focused primarily on his heroic role as a Holocaust survivor and member of the anti-Nazi resistance in his native Hungary as well as his leadership on human rights issues in Congress, serving as the founder and longtime co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

There’s no question that his personal history is both courageous and noble. Nor is there any debate that he stood up in support for the International Criminal Court, the people of the occupied nations of Tibet and East Timor, and the victims of oppression in Iran, Burma, Zimbabwe, Vietnam and other countries.

At the same time, most peace and justice activists have found Lantos - who has chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs since the Democrats regained their Congressional majority - as a very inconsistent advocate for human rights.

Indeed, the Congressman has openly challenged the United Nations as well as reputable independent human rights organizations when they have raised concerns about human rights abuses by certain key U.S. allies, even to the point of directly contradicting their findings. In addition, his leadership in support of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and his resulting culpability in the human rights tragedies that followed, will no doubt be the most significant negative mark on his legacy....

Much more at:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/30006
_______________________

This provides a much needed critical look at the career of Tom Lantos, and his militaristic agenda. I am very much sorry that he has cancer. First, because cancer is a terrible disease and i would not wish it on any one. Second, I think it would have been wonderful if Lantos had run for yet another term and lost (polls show he was likely to lose to a Jackie Speier, a challenger in the Dem primary). This would have had a wonderful wake-up call to Dems who choose to support war.

[MADem]

1. Yeah, deliver a few more steel-toed kicks to the head of a terminally-ill man!

Why do I get a feeling that this opus was prepared BEFORE Lantos's 'The Man Is Dying' announcement was made, and the enthusiasm for delivering a good thrashing overcame the normal sense of propriety that one usually observes when dealing with a guy at death's door.

What's the difference, really? The guy is GONE. He'll be DEAD soon. He won't be able to be 'mean' anymore...

Pile on smartly, anyway....

:eyes:

[montanacowboy]

2. Well it's the truth

Lantos is not a progressive Dem and his support of the war made him lose my respect a long time ago. He reminds me a lot of the Cuban American agenda down in Florida.

[MADem]

8. See the link in post seven. NT

[Tom Joad]

3. Are you his doctor??? How did you get the idea that he was terminally-ill?

I have not heard that. Why do you make such a reckless announcement that may very well not be true.

This is a political blog. We talk about politics. Lantos has been involved in politics, and it is right that we have opinions about his political activities.

The Iraq war is way beyond "mean". It was a criminal aggression on another sovereign state.

I suppose you think because cheney's days are numbered we have no right to be critical of his contribution to this crime either??

[MADem]

7. I say wait till the poor bastard is buried. You obviously have a different view.

Whoopie for you.

Cancer of the esophagus in an eighty year old man isn't something he's going to battle back from easily.

Lantos was one of the guys who was trying to REDUCE our footprint in Iraq, and he's not a wuss when it comes to taking on human rights issues either....but whatever....
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-lantos3jan03,1,4522351.story?track=rss

Lantos, who holds a doctorate in economics from UC Berkeley and taught the subject at San Francisco State University, is highly regarded by members of both major parties for his knowledge of international affairs and his interest in human rights.

He faced a possibly tough challenge this year from antiwar Democrats angry over his 2002 vote for the resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Iraq. After Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 election, Lantos took an early leadership role in challenging President Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq, and his staff noted that his position as chairman of the foreign affairs committee had enabled him to step up oversight of the war.

...During a hearing in November, for example, Lantos publicly scolded executives of Yahoo Inc., the Internet company, telling them that "morally, you are pygmies" for submitting to the Chinese government's demands to identify the owner of a Yahoo e-mail account used to forward a government memo to international human rights groups. The account holder, a journalist, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In 2006, Lantos was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy during a protest to call attention to the violence in Darfur.

[Tom Joad]

10. The man supported a war that has killed over a million people

I think we need to talk honestly about his work. otherwise we are just dancing on the graves of innocent Iraqis.

[MADem]

11. The man worked to reduce troop numbers.

The man is not evil like you paint him to be.

But your closed mind is made up. Whatever.

[Tom Joad]

12. Bush is calling for reduced troop numbers. the question is not

"good or evil". Don't play god.

The fact remains is that Lantos has supported policies that many of us oppose.
Perhaps not all of us. Some supported the attack on the people of Iraq, obviously.

I think your name fits all too well. chill out.

[MADem]

13. Yeah, don't play god--don't kick the poor bastard in the head on his way off this mortal coil.

Naaah, never mind--go ahead, do it. It gives you such psychic satisfaction, apparently.

I prefer to see the good in the guy who spoke up against genocide in Rwanda and Darfur, when no one else gave a fuck. Now THERE's some serious numbers of dead, if you want to play the "body count" game--of course, they're dusky dead, maybe they don't count as much???

What I honestly have to wonder is if it's Lantos' views towards Israel that bring out this kind of shit? I can't help but have that question in the back of my mind.

My name fits me perfectly. I am from MA--postal abbreviation for Massachusetts. I am a Dem.

And I am plenty 'chilled out.' I simply have an opinion of an elderly man who is concluding a long and honorable career that differs rather starkly from yours.

[Tom Joad]

14. It is really disrespetful to a) to pronounce that someone has a

terminal illness, especially when you don't know nothin' about his condition.
b) it is really disrespectful to call someone, be they sick or well, a bastard.

Lantos supports politics i do not. I don't support military occupations. He does. I should not be attacked for expressing my disagreements.

[MADem]

16. We're all poor bastards in my book. Your mileage obviously varies.

I'm not the one who's insulting that poor bastard, either. I honor his career and his service. I remember him when everyone else forgot what was going on in Rwanda.

And if you know of anyone who's recovered from his type of cancer, well, ain't that grand.
His days are numbered, and he knows it. That's why he's bailed from the job he loves.

I'm not "attacking" you, FWIW. What happens on a DISCUSSION board is something called "discussion."

I see you have trouble with "discussion" so I'll cease discussing this subject with you in order to spare your hyper-tender feelings. Apparently you can only tolerate a "Me, Too--Yeah, you are like, SUCH a genius, and SO RIGHT!!" chorus.

That's your cross to bear...

:eyes:

[Tom Joad]

4. I would also suggest that any discussion of Lantos political legacy on this

forum has absolutely no impact on Lantos' health.
I would like to hear some evidence that this is otherwise.

[MADem]

9. Of course it doesn't. It does say something about the individuals who

are so droolingly eager to kick the shit out of a dying man, though.

[Oilwellian]

5. There's a reason why...

Lantos is on Sibel Edmonds "state secrets privilege gallery." Hopefully, we'll soon know why.

[Tom Joad]

6. Thanks for bringing that up. Lantos is one of the people mentioned by Sibel Edmonds

I can't wait to find out the full story.

[lumpy]

15. Hear hear

x