Auntie Semitism

Well, there I go, cracking wise about a serious subject. Which automatically makes me...an anti-Semite! Geez, I'm glad that's off my chest. What a great weight lifted! Monkey off my back! ([s] close sarcasm tag [/s])

A commenter came by to warn me of linking to a writer who regularly posts remarks critical of Israel's actions:

Anonymous said...

By endorsing and linking to Fleming Lee's site, you are endorsing his views that the holocaust did not occur. He is extremely anti-Semitic in his public postings on the very blog that you are linking to... Be aware of who you call friends, as you will be judged by their deeds.

At the time, it was tempting to say, "Gosh, Anonymous, that's very sage advice. Could I get that in a suppository?" Instead, it made me think about what I really thought. About what's true about that big subject, and what's not. In the absence of knowing exactly what he/she/it might be referring to about Fleming Lee, I replied as follows:

Thank you for your observation and admonitions. While I have not read all of Fleming's blog, I have become aware of his view that Israel is now a colossal pain in everyone's ass. I fully endorse that one.

As for holocausts, I would guess Fleming believes that no one group can claim it as their "brand." I've been close enough to ethnic cleansing to know, as did Hannah Arendt, that holocaust is very much in the eye of the beholder.

Millions of Jewish people were victims of virulent nationalism. Hundreds of Jewish people made up over 90% of the founding Soviet Comintern, which went to kill a score and more million Jews. Does stating these facts make me a "holocaust denier?" Does noting that the Neo-conservative movement has a de facto Comintern dominated with names like Feith, Abrams, Wolfowitz, Podhoretz, Kristol, Goldberg, Strauss (in absentia), Perle, Kissinger, Frum, et al make the Jewish people perpetrators of a latter-day Holocaust?

I endorse none of these things nor the vicious, state-sponsored murders of innocents they so euphemistically promote. I decry them, and have every reason to believe Fleming does, too. Food for thought. What, Anonymous, do your eyes behold?

Regarding the use of the term "anti-Semitism:" in the future interests of precision, its full meaning may be helpful. All Arabs, including the Israelites, are Semites. Ishmael and Isaac have the same father. I am not an anti-Semite, and don't believe in killing Arabs.

Later, I went to Lee Fleming's site, poked around, and found whole gales of fresh air which cleared away much intellectual fog on the topic, including some of mine. But first off, for the record, I'll go with something simpler. Guess what? I like Semites. And I really, really like Jews. I liked one of them so much I married her. That's why I hate the Zionistas. Why so much? Umm, lemme see...because they're bullies.

Lots of bullies had parents who beat them. And that's terrible, because the abused so often turn into abusers. But rather than re-enact abuse and exact pointless revenge on other innocents, how about dealing with it? Because until you do, you're still bullies, bullies who claim to dish out beatings on behalf of everyone who happens to share some DNA with you. I ask you, knowing the likely response in advance: was there ever an uglier thing to be, than this? I ask you again, then how are you any better? Everyone hates you just as much.

"The Holocaust did not occur" is a phrase applied increasingly by propagandists and apologists to people who believe Jews weren't the only victims of unspeakable crimes in WWII. Let's look at that for a minute. Holocaust denial. What does it mean? Maybe this: why should the Jews get a majority share of the milk of human kindness? They got a country, at least, and have quite a PR campaign going. But what about the Armenian Kurds? What about the Japanese nuclear bomb victims who bear different kinds of tattoos? What about the piles of dead Slavs, the ethnic-German Ukranians, the Serbs, the Croats, the Slovenians, the Vietnamese, Africa in general, the history of pretty much all of South America, and the 100 million slaughtered by Mao? Must I use the term "Killing FieldsTM" to describe all this tragedy, or can I say "Holocaust" if I pay the Simon Wiesenthal center its regular royalty? Could you somehow allow me to donate my Holocaust Royalty Check to Iraqi children orphaned by my government's "smart" bombs, without being accused of anti-Semitism, and probably terrorism?

Expansionist Zionism, if it ever had any usefulness, is now a bankrupt, xenophobic, criminal, zany mess which literally threatens the lives of billions of people. So, ah-yup, count me against further Zionism. Enough with the Zionism, already. I'm against unspeakable crimes, against the violent, infinitely manifold means of torture and death visited upon people because of a bunch of nonsense. I'm against World War Four, annoying traffic jams, people who try to deceive and poison me and my family with crap so they can get richer, I've never much liked broccoli sprouts and think them an abomination, and I don't want the world to end in a nuclear war started over religious philosophies which are, to put it mildly, tenuous at times. Is this so wrong?

So if I must be called a Holocaust-Denier, here goes: Jews don't have a monopoly on victim-hood, nor does a Jewish nation deserve free passes to viciously apply violence because collectively it's more than a little verkakt in the head. My views on this subject are thoroughly unexceptional. Got a little news for ya: There are a lot of Holocaust-Deniers out here. The American people, the world, and especially the Middle Eastern world, are sick and tired of the xenophobia, exceptionalism, racism, self-justifying ratiocinations, obvious lies and outright murders. Do you think I want my tax dollars supporting this evil bullshit? Think again. Cut it out, or to paraphrase Woody Allen, there are only two roads in front of Israel; down one lies ignominious ruin. Down the other lies utter catastrophe.

I went and read many of the posts the Anonymous Commenter presumably took exception to. Here are some discussing the growing movement of Jews against Israel. Jews who are being called Anti-Semites. How weird is that? Maybe the Anti-Defamation League should give its PR firm a serious talking-to.