Alan Dershowitz
OK, I have issues with Abraham Foxman for his often overly paranoid reaction to perceived insults/threats/verbal attacks on Jews. But he's taken a protective role, and looking at a monstrous history of violent anti-Semitism, maybe he'd rather be over-reactive than to fail to stop a REAL threat.
But Dershowitz?
He's Attacked Rabbi Michael Lerner because Lerner has said he will give Tikkun's human rights award to South African judge Richard Goldstone because Goldstone -- after leading a U.N. investigation -- determined that BOTH Palestinians and Israelis have committed human rights abuses during their long struggle.
Oh wow! The arrogance -- suggesting that BOTH Israelis AND Palestinians are humans and -- when stressed -- EITHER or BOTH may do unpleasant -- even criminal -- things.
Dershowitz would have us believe that ANY rabbi who finds Goldstone's report to be credible is a "Rabbi for Hamas."
And that Rabbi Lerner -- one of the most even-handed and objective religious persons in public life is "the worst of these rabbis."
Does Dershowitz's attack have anything to do with denunciatory posters pasted to the fence outside Rabbi Lerner's home, accusing Lerner of terrorist sympathies? Maybe.
That's not my point.
As I said, Mr Foxman is doing his best to perform a protective service, even if he sometimes comes across as an asshole or a fool.
But Dershowitz is a self-serving little shit who seems to revel in ALWAYS coming across as an asshole and a fool -- as if that were a positive human quality -- and doing it FOR HIS OWN AGGRANDIZEMENT.
He has assumed the role of Self-Appointed Super Jew, attacking other Jews for daring to disagree with his opinions, thereby combining two of the nastiest socially barely-permissible personality traits -- one being the unpleasant aggression of the sawed-off shorty who is attacking everyone taller than he is and the second trait -- acting out as the sort of lawyer who believes anything he thinks or says comes directly from God.
And he knows he's absolutely right because he can argue a technicality to prove he's right and to prove that his vicious statements have NOTHING to do with adding fuel to the race-religious hate fire.
Other people's statements are holocaustic crimes, but his?
It's a violation of his 1st Amendment Rights to find anything he says objectionable.
And the most repugnant objectionable thing that man can say?
"I'm Alan Dershowitz."
There is only one reasonable, logical response to that statement -- to simply turn and walk away.
Quickly.
(One afterthought -- if there is EVER to be a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict between those two groups, I am convinced it will take people much much more like Rabbi Lerner than Lawyer Dershowitz.)
********
OK, I have issues with Abraham Foxman for his often overly paranoid reaction to perceived insults/threats/verbal attacks on Jews. But he's taken a protective role, and looking at a monstrous history of violent anti-Semitism, maybe he'd rather be over-reactive than to fail to stop a REAL threat.
But Dershowitz?
He's Attacked Rabbi Michael Lerner because Lerner has said he will give Tikkun's human rights award to South African judge Richard Goldstone because Goldstone -- after leading a U.N. investigation -- determined that BOTH Palestinians and Israelis have committed human rights abuses during their long struggle.
Oh wow! The arrogance -- suggesting that BOTH Israelis AND Palestinians are humans and -- when stressed -- EITHER or BOTH may do unpleasant -- even criminal -- things.
Dershowitz would have us believe that ANY rabbi who finds Goldstone's report to be credible is a "Rabbi for Hamas."
And that Rabbi Lerner -- one of the most even-handed and objective religious persons in public life is "the worst of these rabbis."
Does Dershowitz's attack have anything to do with denunciatory posters pasted to the fence outside Rabbi Lerner's home, accusing Lerner of terrorist sympathies? Maybe.
That's not my point.
As I said, Mr Foxman is doing his best to perform a protective service, even if he sometimes comes across as an asshole or a fool.
But Dershowitz is a self-serving little shit who seems to revel in ALWAYS coming across as an asshole and a fool -- as if that were a positive human quality -- and doing it FOR HIS OWN AGGRANDIZEMENT.
He has assumed the role of Self-Appointed Super Jew, attacking other Jews for daring to disagree with his opinions, thereby combining two of the nastiest socially barely-permissible personality traits -- one being the unpleasant aggression of the sawed-off shorty who is attacking everyone taller than he is and the second trait -- acting out as the sort of lawyer who believes anything he thinks or says comes directly from God.
And he knows he's absolutely right because he can argue a technicality to prove he's right and to prove that his vicious statements have NOTHING to do with adding fuel to the race-religious hate fire.
Other people's statements are holocaustic crimes, but his?
It's a violation of his 1st Amendment Rights to find anything he says objectionable.
And the most repugnant objectionable thing that man can say?
"I'm Alan Dershowitz."
There is only one reasonable, logical response to that statement -- to simply turn and walk away.
Quickly.
(One afterthought -- if there is EVER to be a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict between those two groups, I am convinced it will take people much much more like Rabbi Lerner than Lawyer Dershowitz.)
********
posted by Saintperle at
12:04 PM
