I love to read articles by right-wing pundits. The more extreme they are, the more they seem to know exactly what the Palestinian leadership is thinking. Well, it seems to me, if you want to know what the Palestinians think, then read what they have to say for themselves, not words someone else puts in their mouths.
Another great right-wing tactic is the big lie. If you repeat something enough times the press will buy into it hook, line and sinker – without ever checking the facts.
Here’s a great example of that.
And don’t you just love the straw man leftist, that right-wing pundits create. The SML hates Israel and America, loves dictators of all sort, thinks Saddam Hussein and the Taliban are peachy keen, and never finds fault with dictatorial third world regimes. Yes I know there are some 16 year-old anarcho-socialist-stalinists who might fit the bill of the SML. But here’s the deal: Rightists support ruthless dictators as long as they support American interests, and only start worrying about these dictators’ human rights record when they need an excuse to depose them and put in another U.S.-friendly dictator (Saddam Hussein is a classic example of this). Leftist human rights activists and groups are in the forefront of protesting violations against human dignity, wherever and whenever such violations may be found. And if leftists are loudest in protesting their own governments’ actions, it’s because as citizens, they have the democratic right and duty to criticize. Moreover, the human rights violations of one’s own government, morally taints its own citizens, since the government is the representative of its citizens (or at least so they teach us in civic classes on democracy).
In regards to Israel, since it is American weapons and billions of dollars in aid that are propping up Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and its oppressive policies against the Palestinians, then American leftists have every right to protest more loudly against Israel (see previous sentance). This is equally true of other authoritarian regimes that America has or will directly propped up.
Think I am being unfair to right wing pundits? Here’s a quote from a recent rant by Andrew Sullivan:
“[Leftists a]re happy to have Saddam get re-elected with 100 percent of a terrified vote, happy to see him develop nerve gas and nuclear weapons to use against his own population and others. They’re happy to watch Syria’s rulers engage in regular massacres; or the Saudis subject women to inhuman subjugation.” Oh really?