Paul Jay interviewed Ralph Nader about the controversial remarks Helen Thomas made about Israel. Her comment happened right after the massacre on the Freedom Flotilla and she is of Arab descent. She was referring to the Israelis who are living on land stolen from Arabs. I agree they should give the land back. I think what she intended to say did not come out well because she was angry. She has apologized. Her career was taken for one remark. Look at Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, they constantly produce a stream of idiotic statements and continue to work in mainstream media. This country just makes no sense. This is just wrong. She has stood up to the lies and asked the hard questions for all of us and in the end we let her down when she was nearly 90 years old. In this country telling the truth comes at a high cost. The truth is only allowed when it coincides with the agenda of those in power. Lie is truth, war is peace.
It is all political. Israel can do no wrong in the eyes of our government. They can kill activists, spin lies about it and our government goes along with this. Why is our country so controlled by a very right wing theocracy called Israel?
Watch these newly released videos someone managed to hide from the Israeli soldiers of the attack on activists on the Mavi Marmara and make up your own mind if Helen Thomas should be forgiven. I was horrified by what I saw. What is even more frightening is the Israelis have convinced many that they were provoked to defend themselves when they came with lists of people for the purpose of seeking them out for murder. Our govenment should have reacted when they found out about the attack, we had military in the area.
Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. George Orwell
UPDATE: Poll from the Washington Post: Should Helen Thomas be removed from the White House Press Room?
11 comments:
Great post. I agree with you 100%. It is a truly sad thing that Helen was let go for one slip.
To say I'm ticked off is an understatement. Where's the justice? Your blog's name, "Frozen Justice," says it all.
Your link doesn't work.
You should research Helen Thomas. She's been a fiesty journalist for a looong time. She has quite a reputation, that I admire, regardless of whether or not I agree with her views.
She was neither "let go" nor "fired". She resigned. The woman is 90. She was a White House correspondent. What that means is that she represents the administration - she's not an independent media person. If they did let her go (which they didn't), the administration has every right to do that at their discretion.
Maybe you're confusing that her speaker representation dropped her immediately.
Or maybe you're getting your information from unreliable sources. Do your homework.
You should maybe check out the female journalist in Turkey who was publically stoned. Or how women in Islamic countries are treated in prison. Or maybe read the Hamas Charter. And the Palestinian Authority Charter. While you're at it, read the Balfour Declaration and the British White Paper.
Doesn't matter if your views are the same as mine - just so we all have the same reliable historical information. If you don't lay a strong stable foundation of real information first, any house you build is gonna be shaky.
Quality is also important. Trash in - trash out.
I've gone out of my way to spend time reading your stuff and looking for more resources in order to better understand before I form an opinion. I would ask that you do the same.
But you do whatever you want - it's your blog.
If this was Islam, you wouldn't have a blog.
I totally agree. I'm personally re-thinking my unmitigated support of Israel. This is disgusting and inhumane.
Annonymous 12:19, Helen Thomas was fired from the Hearst Corporation where she worked as an opinion columnist(an independent media person),she was fired from a speaking agency where a speaking engagement that was already scheduled was canceled. The word is she was essentially constructively fired from the press corp. by being asked to resign by several people. I have been researching Helen Thomas for decades because I absolutely think she is fabulous.
You simply wrote your post to advance your hate of Islam and perhaps Arabs. You describe what you feel would happen to me in an Islamic country for writing a blog that says something you do not agree with as a way to spread your sexist views. Garbage in-garbage out.
more specifically, why was Helen Thomas fired for suggesting that Jews go back to where their parents came from --- yet it is perfectly acceptable for Gov Jan Brewer of AZ to say that natural-born-US children of immigrants should be forced by law to go back to where their parents came from?
The double-standard is growing more ridiculous by the day
Whoa! I thought Anon@ 12:19 gave you a thoughtful well-founded critique. Why would you be so defensive? I like your blog, but we can all learn from others. Try to be a bit more objective about your work.
What?
I've described NOTHING about YOU and have made NO comparison to ANYTHING regarding YOU.
The Turkish journalist was stoned for a CARTOON. A REAL journalist - NOT a blogger.
My reference to women in prison was meant to appeal to your personal narrative of experiencing injustice. That's WHAT your blog is about - get it??
"advance your hate of Islam and perhaps Arabs."
Not even close. How could you possibly get that?
You know what my post is about? Stupidity. Advancing my hate of stupid people and ignorance. Deadly harmful ignorance perpetuated with the best of intentions.
What do you know about Muslims and Arabs?
And NO, Helen Thomas WAS NOT FIRED. You don't know how the White House press corp works, do you? That WAS the Hearst job.
Are you, or are you not, aware that the remarks were TO a rabbi during the White House Jewish Heritage Celebration Day?
Not a little "slip" - stunningly wrong. But the woman is 90, so they cut her some slack.
A comparison - imagine a Caucasian school prinicipal at a Black Heritage Celebration saying to the black leader: "They should all go back to being slaves picking cotton..."
Thanks so much for your tolerance and insight. Delete my posts, or not, as you choose. I won't be back. You know, I actually believed your story for awhile there. Sometime when you're more level, go back and read my post again.
Look it up yourself:
HELEN THOMAS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
The following story was issued by Hearst News Service today.
HELEN THOMAS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2010 – Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately.
Anonymous 12:19, you don't know what you are talking about. Helen Thomas was a never a White House correspondent, she was a member of the White House Press Corps, which in no way implies that she is employed by the administration. Hell, ask George Bush - she was a burr under his saddle for 8 years.
When you get such a basic fact wrong, I'll rarely bother to read the rest of your screed.
Pat in Texas
Anonymous 6:03, Yes,I realized that your post was about stupidity and that your goal was to say that I am one of the stupid people by suggesting that I did not do much research. That was made very clear. I found this very entertaining considering the fact that I have Aspergers and compulsively research subjects I am interested in. I read a large number of articles and blog posts about this incident. The truth is your goal was to discredit me to therefore discredit my opinion which makes your comment that I have no tolerance rather interesting psychologically. Why are you reading my blog if you think I am full of crap?
Pat in Texas, The White House Press Corps is the group of journalists who are covering the White House, plain and simple. A reporter is generally more fact based, leaving out their opinions or perspectives on the news, whereas as correspondent generally interjects their opinions and perspectives into their stories. In no way did Helen Thomas not interject her opinions, she was an opinion columnist for Hearst. As is so typical for so many of us, the older she got the more opinionated she was. So, how could anyone say she was not a correspondent? As for being a thorn in GWB’s side, that is one of the reasons I love her. Helen said George Bush was the worst president we have ever had and she was right. Do you know that some of our best journalists were not allowed to print their articles under the GWB regime, such as Greg Palast who was essentially run out of the country? Amy Goodman, “Thomas is the most senior White House correspondent and has covered every president since John F. Kennedy.” Helen was not a member of the White House Correspondent's Association, but they do choose where journalists sit. They had made an announcement that they were looking at changing her seating arrangement after her controversial statement because they felt perhaps an opinion columnist should not have a front row seat. I am sure she got a lot of complaints from many people about her comment on Israel. In fact I was shocked myself and took several days to think about my reaction. I decided that after all the good she has done she should not be defined by one comment. Have we not all said something out of anger that we wish we had not said, something that did not represent our true feelings. I choose to forgive her after looking at the person she really is. She has apologized. I once had a supervisor who told me if I never made a mistake I was not doing anything. Helen Thomas was 89and continuing to work, really let's give the woman a break.
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