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Ken Hiebert wrote: > We now have a more accurate statement > of the facts. According to SJP, "... > it is important to note that Ms. Weir did > nothing to challenge these assertions by Mr. > Douglas and has in fact repeatedly stated her > belief that Mr. Douglas is not racist, violent, > or anti-Semitic." Yes. Omitting that part of the Stanford SJP's statement distorted the facts. I will let others decide whether the distortion was deliberate. The point is, as DW said, Weir "refuses to take up blatant anti-Jewish bigotry when it's thrown in her face on the many right-wing, tea-party like radio stations she appears on....She simply sits there and avoids confronting such bigotry." I would add, though, that it is not not only a matter of "blatant anti-Jewish bigotry." Weir generally doesn't challenge racism of any kind. The most charitable thing one can say about that is perhaps she sees that as the price she has to pay to get appearances on white supremacist and anti-Semitic talk shows. Some of Weir's defenders, e.g., Paul Larudee, deny that, insisting that Weir is an "antiracist writer, speaker, and activist." Others, like Paul Stewart, defend her as "a single-issue policy advocate" whose role "requires...one speaks with parties on both sides of the aisle to make any real headway in their efforts." He likens it to Ralph Nader making a speech at the Chamber of Commerce. But Weir's appearances on racist and anti-Semitic radio programs are not like Nader speaking before the Chamber of Commerce. Alison Weir and If Americans Knew believe that the "Israel Lobby" and "Zionists" control the US government--not the capitalist ruling class who support Israel as its proxy and gendarme--and fascists and anti-Semites agree with her. That is not speaking "on both side of the aisle." That is preaching to the choir. Yes, Weir's line appeals to some Palestinians. Why? I think what Joseph Massad wrote about Mearsheimer and Walt is relevant here: "In the last 25 years, many Palestinians and other Arabs, in the United States and in the Arab world, have been so awed by the power of the US pro-Israel lobby that any study, book, or journalistic article that exposes the inner workings, the substantial influence, and the financial and political power of this lobby have been greeted with ecstatic sighs of relief that Americans finally can see the 'truth' and the 'error' of their ways. "The underlying argument has been simple and has been told time and again by Washington's regime allies in the Arab world, pro-US liberal and Arab intellectuals, conservative and liberal US intellectuals and former politicians, and even leftist Arab and American activists who support Palestinian rights, namely, that absent the pro- Israel lobby, America would at worst no longer contribute to the oppression of Arabs and Palestinians and at best it would be the Arabs' and the Palestinians' best ally and friend." As Massad says, that "gives false hope to many Arabs and Palestinians who wish America would be on their side instead of on the side of their enemies." That is the role that Alison Weir and If Americans Knew play in the Palestine solidarity movement. Does one have to be a Marxist to see that their influence is pernicious? I don't think so. A.R. G. wants us to believe that the Stanford JVP's concerns about Weir were "very vague, very dishonest, and very attenuated, *audience-related* (A.R.G.'s emphasis). That is false. She didn't just happen to be in the audience. One of Weir's defenders, the tour coordinator, Paul Larudee, asked her to bring her "excellent written materials" and coach one of the speakers on "reaching American audiences." In other words, he invited her to participate in the event and help shape its content. Larudee wants to believe that he and the other organizers of the tour "had no idea that [Weir] would turn out to be an issue." As I said before, that defies credulity. Given the controversy surrounding Weir and given Larudee's past support for her, it is hard not to see his invitation to Weir as a deliberate provocation. --Kevin Lindemann _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
