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In Defense
of Helen Thomas
Is there a defense if you're misquoted as saying
something less-than-flattering about Israel?
Excerpt:
They say Helen Thomas should not be allowed to
practice journalism because she seemed to indicate
the belief that the Palestinians are the rightful
inhabitants of Israel, and that Israel should "go back to Germany."
Oh, perfect.
Even her defenders are lying about what she said.
Further, there was the suggestion Helen Thomas
favors deporting Jews back io Germany with the attendant
innuendo of extermination as if that's all the
Germans should be remembered for is gas chambers. Apart from
the obvious anachronism, it struck me as egregiously
unfair, so I posted a comment suggesting that the blogger consider:
1) Helen Thomas will turn 90 years old in exactly
two months from today
2) Ms. Thomas is of Lebanese descent.
3) She was among John F. Kennedy's most beloved
reporters, and is a widely respected journalist
who has been in the newspaper
business for 60 years.
I got a nasty comment in response, so I responded
by saying only that the blogger who posted this inflammatory video clip
ought to consider going after prominent columnists
like Robert Fisk, and others who have consistently sided with Palestinians
and suggested Israel was an occupying force with
no right to the land. It never occurred to this blogger that maybe, just
maybe,
Ms. Thomas is still not over the Israeli bombing
of Beirut, a town which may have a family history to her.
But why lie about what she said?
As I always say, if you have to change the facts,
then the facts on the ground obviously
weren't flammable enough so they had to add some
gas to make the flames higher.
Why is a truth-teller being run out of "journalism?"