July 26, 2006
One Less Bedfellow For The Western Left?
According to a column by Dennis Prager, I may have been a little hasty in recent posts when I opined that the Israeli left might well, even in the face of the ongoing purely defensive Jewish State military action against terrorism, continue to emulate the American left in pure lemminglike fashion.
Happily, this doesn’t seem to be the case — Israeli liberals, unlike our own, are in touch, it would seem, with a much larger chunk of reality than one might give any liberals credit for.
The Left’s anti-Israel positions until now were based, at least in theory, on its opposition to Israeli occupation of Arab land and its belief in the “cycle of violence” between Israel and its enemies. However, this time there is no occupied land involved and the violence is not a cycle with its implied lack of a beginning. There is a clear aggressor — a terror organization devoted to Islamicizing the Middle East and annihilating Israel — and no occupation.
That is why the Israeli Left is almost universally in favor of Israel’s war against Hezbollah. Amos Oz, probably Israel’s best-known novelist and leading spokesman of its Left, a lifetime critic of Israeli policy vis a vis the Palestinians, wrote in the Los Angeles Times:
“Many times in the past, the Israeli peace movement has criticized Israeli military operations. Not this time. . . . This time, Israel is not invading Lebanon. It is defending itself from daily harassment and bombardment of dozens of our towns and villages. . . . There can be no moral equation between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah is targeting Israeli civilians wherever they are, while Israel is targeting mostly Hezbollah.”
Given an identical situation in the U.S., if their conduct re our homeland’s defense against terrorism is any indicator, our own liberals would be out in the streets in force, doing the usual blocking of intersections with a little gratuitous vandalism thrown in, the ACLU hammering out dozens of lawsuits against the government, the New York Times sabotaging our defensive efforts at every turn, Greenpeace, GBLT (– I like the 2nd and 3rd letters in that order, it sounds like a certain popular sandwich, with granola added), NOW, The Sharpton-Jackson Axis, All Of Hollywood, Planned Parenthood, ELF, Everyone In Berkeley, 98% of Congressional Democrats, my personal favorite, Dykes On Bikes, and every other liberal organization “weighing in” against America. CAIR (the terrorist supporting Council for American-Islamic Relations) would be bending forward to allow PC liberals a better angle at which to perform “The Kiss Of Shame”.
It’s refreshing to know that there are some lefties out there who possess some quantity of common sense and have retained that most valuable commodity, the survival instinct. Too bad they don’t live here.
I wonder if Israel would agree to an exchange — their liberals for ours….
The entire column can be read here.
http://hardastarboard.mu.nu/wp-trackback.php?p=462
July 27th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
“Israeli liberals, unlike our own, are in touch, it would seem, with a much larger chunk of reality than one might give any liberals credit for.”
Funny how the immediacy of a fight for one’s life does that.
Liberals here in the States seem to have forgotten about 9/11. Those liberals whom I personally knew before 9/11 did quite an about face. Why? They were rare liberals–they love America. Plus, they had a reality check. I know that sounds like a contradiction. But I don’t think so. I differentiate between liberals and leftists. I’m not fond of the former, and I hate the latter.
July 27th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
AOW –
I have tried really hard to differentiate between the two, but when I lived in San Francisco, surrounded by and getting into political debates with every kind of wingnut, I kinda’ sorta’ began to realize that in many cases, they have closed ranks, agreeing like soul mates on every issue.
Basically, both have completely eased away from reality. I once thought of a leftist as a marxist or even (another pedigree common in SF) an anarchist. However, when I see who the Dems are voting into and keeping in Congress and whom they are attempting to put in the White House, I realize that the majority of those voters are no longer the Democrats I grew up around — they have, for the most part, listed well to port and remained there. There are, however, a few more responsible, self styled “liberals” around who might better be described as “libertarians”, who hold more conservative views on many issues.
Admittedly, no matter how many definitions I’ve read of “libertarian” and no matter how many libertarians have explained the concept to me, I still don’t completely grasp it — many of their individual beliefs seem to differ from one to the next
July 28th, 2006 at 5:34 am
Seth, not to compound ambiguities, but most “liberals” do not fit the dictionary definition of liberal. Colloquialism seems to have redefined “liberal” to mean a progressive socialist with a mix of Marxism. Conservatives of today more closely fit the dictionary definition of liberal. I know I have succumbed to the redefining of liberal, and now to me it pretty much means those who merely bitch about everything and doggedly oppose any viable solutions.
July 28th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
LOL Old Soldier!
Seth, not to compound ambiguities, but…
You know, when I try to step away from the whole liberal association, I actually think of the guys with muskets and ponytails who sent the Brits packing some 2 and 1/4 centuries ago.
But we are more liberty oriented than those we term liberals, and, for that matter, more democracy oriented than those calling themselves Democrats.
What a convoluted society we’ve become.
July 29th, 2006 at 6:48 am
Seth,
when I see who the Dems are voting into and keeping in Congress and whom they are attempting to put in the White House, I realize that the majority of those voters are no longer the Democrats I grew up around
I know what you mean. At this point in my life, I personally know only one liberal who loves America–he hails from Canada, but is now an American citizen. To be fair here, I must mention that his wife is a righty; they’ve been married for 37 years. She’s had her influence, no doubt.
At the symposium I attended in April, David Horowitz discussed the bastardization of the term “liberal.” He provided a date for that, but I don’t recall it at the moment.
I just love what Old Soldier said: now to me it pretty much means those who merely bitch about everything and doggedly oppose any viable solutions!
July 29th, 2006 at 8:20 am
AOW –
I think Old Soldier’s description applies well, LOL. When I think of some of the “live” political arguments I got into in San Francisco, it does, indeed.
What these short-sighted wingnuts don’t take into account is that many of the changes they wish to engender would have consequences they would definitely not like.