thoughts on helen thomas

Here is the exchange that got Helen Thomas into trouble and led to her "decision" to retire.

Rabbi DAVID F. NESENOFF (Founder, RabbiLIVE.com): Any comments on Israel? We're asking everybody today, any comments on Israel?

Ms. HELEN THOMAS (Former Columnist, Hearst News Service): Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.

Rabbi NESENOFF: Ooh. Any better comments on Israel?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Unidentified Woman: Helen has one.

Ms. THOMAS: Remember, these people are occupied, and it's their land. Not German. It's not Poland.

Rabbi NESENOFF: So where should they go? What should they do?

Ms. THOMAS: They can go home.

Rabbi NESENOFF: Where is their home?

Ms. THOMAS: Poland...

Rabbi NESENOFF: So the Jews...

Ms. THOMAS: Germany.

Rabbi NESENOFF: You think Jews should go back to Poland and Germany?

Ms. THOMAS: And America and everywhere else.

1. I believe in free speech. I'm even happy to live in a society where individuals are able to make bigoted remarks without legal repercussion as long as there is space for more progressive voices to call out bigots on their bs.

2. Unfortunately, in terms of mic access in the popular media, there is an imbalance and some voices are constrained while others are not. Most recently, of course, we see this in the recent situation involving Helen Thomas where she is "encouraged" to retire while on a regular basis (Patrick Buchanan, Mike Huckabee, and others are able to make bigoted comments, especially against Arab/Muslims, with a great deal of impunity.)

3. I actually didn't know that Helen Thomas was Lebanese-American until this controversy came up and I'm not sure how I feel about how it is being used now. Several of the articles, columns and pieces have been mentioning Thomas' background and one can argue that it is relevant to the subject matter. On the other hand, one could argue that it is an example of playing the "race card" in order to discredit her objectivity much in the same way that anti-Obama folks would emphasize his middle name.

4. Thomas' comments were so offensive, primarily because they evoked the memory of the Holocaust but in reality, that was entirely unintentional. TODAY, there is no Holocaust in Germany and Poland and there certainly isn't one in America.

5. In spite of the offense, I think there is something salvageable in what Helen Thomas said and it would be worthwhile trying to find ways to express it more diplomatically.

6. The simple question: Where are you from? can either be answered briefly with a country or city. Or it can be answered with a 5 minute historical ethnography. In the case of Jewish citizens of Israel, answering the question can involve a rather tangled story. The oversimplified version would be to say that Jews are originally from ancient Israel. They left for a while. And now they are back.

7. Of course, in most cases "a while" is the nearly 2000 year period book-ended by the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD and the founding of modern Israel in 1948. So the ancient Jews spent hundreds, if not thousands of years, in different countries, learning new languages, intermarrying into new nations, adopting new cultures, etc. In addition, some Jews are descended from groups like the Khazars who converted to Judaism in large numbers and actually have little physical connection to the people of ancient Israel.

8. So how many centuries does it take to be "from" somewhere? Is 100 years enough? 500? 1000? 1500?

9. At least in the case of Ashkenazi (literally German) and Sephardi Jews (literally from the Iberian Peninsula), at some point, they became European and have been that way for centuries. So Zionist project is arguably the last vestige of European colonialism in the region. This would especially be true in the case of Jewish settlement in the Occupied Territories which is actually a violation of international law (and is probably what Helen Thomas was referring to when she said that the Jews ought to go back home).

10. As a thought experiment, I wonder what the reaction would have been if , during apartheid, in the wake of some move by the South African government analogous to the flotilla attack, especially one where a US citizen was killed, an American journalist said that white South Africans needed to go back to the Netherlands. How would that have been received? How should that have been received?

(more thoughts later...)

Daily Kos: Helen Thomas Referring to Ashkenazi in "Poland', "Germany" Remark

Real News: Nader says reinstate Thomas

Huffington Post:
In Defense of Helen Thoms: On Apologizing to Apologists
If Helen Thomas, Then Why Not Pat Buchanan?
Good thing we've got a "free press" here

Haaretz:
Jews should leave Palestine and return to Europe, top U.S. journalist says

Guardian:
Helen Thomas went over the top, but why is she gagged in the land of the free?

Mondoweiss:
In Helen Thomas case, the world sees a taboo being enforced

Al-Jazeera:
The cautionary tale of Helen Thomas by Mark LeVine

100,000 Former Soviet Jews In Israel Return To Russia
Where Do France's Jews Belong?

Wikipedia:
Hebraization of surnames
Ashkenazi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Mizrahi Jews
Arab Jews

is lost racist? (part two)

For some more analysis of the tv show Lost, this time through an Asian/Asian-American lens, you might want to check out

Racialicious: Why I Still Watch Lost by Bao Phi
Into the Next Stage: Tragedy On ‘Lost’ by Guy Aoki

see also: is lost racist?

on critical self-definition

Washington Post
Guest Voices: On Faith
By Su'ad Abdul Khabeer
Department of Anthropology,
Princeton University

Critical Self-Definition is the most significant challenge facing American Muslim communities today. This challenge is the product of an all too popular conversation on "Muslim pathologies" i.e. a "culture of terrorism" created by institutions and individuals who benefit materially from demonizing Muslims. Unfortunately, under the pressure of this pervasive discourse many American Muslims have let this external narrative determine how they see themselves and what their communities' priorities should be.

Thus, the challenge before us is to reclaim our sense of who we are from those who believe the benefits of being American belong to only a chosen few. When Muslims engage in Critical Self-Definition we act in the world according to our own terms, rather than compelled by external threats of violence and marginality. What are these terms?

They are principles and values rooted in the Islamic intellectual tradition and the lessons we learn from the everyday work of being Muslim. Yet this process of definition on our own terms must be critical. It demands that we are serious about what it means to do the messy and difficult work of introspection. This means that Muslim communities must be open about our shortcomings, bound not by a fear of "airing dirty laundry" but by a deep commitment to eradicate social ills in our communities such as racism, misogyny, and elitism.

It also demands that rather than accept the "culture of terror" wholesale, we must critically examine the claims being made against us and stay alert to the way this narrative reinforces structural inequalities which bar not only American Muslims, but other historically excluded communities of Americans from engagement in all sectors our society. This type of consciousness allows Muslim communities, even while under the harsh glare of the spotlight, to resume the work of being human because at its root Critical Self-Definition is the refusal to relinquish our humanity.

This refusal to be anything less than fully human means the challenge of Critical Self-Definition is productive and as a result becomes one of American Muslim communities' greatest opportunities. Being fully human creates the possibility for creation and innovation, the room to take risks, to stumble and to try again, to work with passion and conviction toward the ultimate goal of humans everywhere: true emancipation.

Su'ad Abdul Khabeer is a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University.

secret chords and qawalli

Over at Killing the Buddha, there is an interesting piece called A Cold and a Broken "Hallelujah" about the Leonard Cohen song 'Hallelujah' and how it has been appearing repeatedly in a sanitized form on American Idol and some of the other singing reality shows. To be honest, I'd only heard the song in passing before (primarily on a West Wing episode) and didn't really pay much attention to the lyrics until now but I have to say it really is a beautiful song.

The best version by far is Jeff Buckley's:


For me, the song raises a number of interesting questions about the sinlessness of prophets in Islam.

For those who aren't aware, both Sunni and Shia assert as a dogma that all the prophets were to some degree protected/prevented from sins. A common Sunni position is that prophets were free from comitting major sins but that prophets may commit certain minor sins or make errors in judgement. Shias, on the other hand, seem to go a little further and tend to assert that prophets are free from committing sins of any kind. In any case, Muslim polemics on the Bible tend to discount some of the more scandalous aspects of the Biblical accounts (Noah getting drunk, Lot getting drunk and committing incest, Solomon committing idolatry, David committing adultery, etc.)

At the same time, there are some Muslim scholars who have a looser perspective on this subject. For example, The Word of Islam edited by John Alden Williams quotes from a Maturidi creed which states: "Errors of the prophets are in the things they did before the revelation, such as the marriage of David to the wife of Uriah the Hittite". And apparently some of the early Muslim scholars accepted at least the broad outlines of the Biblical version of David and Bathsheba.

Another interesting perspective (which is arguably more in line with the paradoxical tension, implied by the Leonard Cohen song, between sinfulness and sanctity) comes from Abu Sulayman al-Darani who wrote: "David (saaws) did not perform an act more beneficial for him than a misdeed. He continued to flee from it toward his Lord until he reached Him. Hence, the misdeed was the cause of his fleeing toward Allah, away from himself and the world." I would suggest that this dynamic, a sinful minor fall followed by the major lift of repentance and forgiveness is precisely the "secret chord" which was so pleasing to the Lord.

This idea is also vividly expressed in hadith:

Muslim Book 37, Number 6620:
Abu Sirma reported that when the time of the death of Abu Ayyub Ansari drew near, he said: I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them.

The sexual aspect of the song Hallelujah (especially Buckley's version) got me thinking about Song of Solomon and Rumi and mystical love poetry generally. And surprisingly enough Buckley's own musical explorations led him to Qawalli and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Somehow it just makes a lot of sense that the person who sung "Hallelujah" would also say "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is my Elvis."



from Grenada's past:
last man to enter paradise
kings (part one)

invincible - the emperor's clothes

Boycott. Divest. Sanction
Global BDS Movement

"drop the bomb"

This solution had actually occured to me way back at the beginning of the Deepwater oil spill but then I thought "I'm not a petroleum engineer so what do I know?"... More than I realized apparently. In a recent piece at The Daily Beast, Christopher Brownfield points out that the Soviets have been using explosives for years as a way to deal with runaway oil wells. The same thing was also pointed out by Jeremy Hsu over at the Christian Science Monitor. And what actually prompted me to blog on this idea is the fact that this morning I heard someone call into a radio show and make the same suggestion. Especially given the failure of BP's previous attempts to stop the leak, and the fact that even the current attempt at a "solution" will actually increase the flow of oil into the Gulf in the short term, and will at best merely slow down the flow of oil until August, perhaps we should look at a more radical solution which could shut the well decisively. Now, I'm still not a petroleum engineer so I still can't say if this approach has a good chance of working or not. But I do hope that the idea is given due consideration based on the technical/scientific merits and a concern for the environment without any regard for BP's bottom line or future profits. The Christian Science Monitor: Why don't we just drop a nuclear bomb on the Gulf oil spill? Crooks and Liars: Is it time to blow up the leaking Gulf oil well? BP doing its best to keep that option under wraps The Daily Beast: Nuke the Oil Spill Arran's Alley: Is BP Trying to Save the Well Instead of the Gulf? BP Oil News: Nuke the Gulf oil spill, says expert NPR: Placing Blame For The BP Oil Spill

"a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth" or why germany (and by extension, the rest of us) are in afghanistan, iraq, etc.

A country like Germany with a heavy reliance on foreign trade, Koehler said, must know that "in emergencies military intervention is necessary to uphold our interests, like for example free trade routes, for example to prevent regional instabilities which could have a negative impact on our chances in terms of trade, jobs and income."

Reuters: German President Defends Military Action

israel vs. freedom flotilla

Al Jazeera: Deadly Israeli raid on aid fleet
Al Jazeera: Previous activists killed by Israel
Huffington Post: Israeli Raid: 'Bloody, Bungled Takeover' Deepens Israel's Isolation
Huffington Post: Israel Boat Raid Sparks International Outcry

it ain't my fault - mos def

I have to wonder if there are solutions to the oil spill problem which are effective but aren't being tried because of the effect they would have on BP's bottom line. To my naive ear: Supertankers Could Clean up The Gulf Oil Spill, BP Won’t Listen makes sense, at least once the actual leak stops.

In related news...

"It Ain't My Fault" performed by Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz, the Preservation Hall Band, Trombone Shorty, and Tim Robbins came out of a 12-hour jam session in order to help Gulf Aid, a non-profit organization created to respond to the Deepwater oil spill off the Louisiana coast


Oh Lord, Oh Lord
It ain't my fault
Mama no don't you say
oil and water don't mix
petroleum don't go good with no fish
Awww, it ain't my fault
BP
Big Pimpin'
Big Pile of
Bad Presses
Billionare Pirate
Boiling Point
[?]
Awww, it ain't my fault
Say man: Who pushed the marshes back?
It's where the hurricane shelter
and the gardens at
Awww, it ain't my fault
Said: from the Gulf of Mexico to the broke levee wall
Something's going on and its somebody's fault.
Awww, it ain't my fault.
Scripture say:
Said they go to the rock to hide they face
Said the rock cried out "no hiding place" (3x)
Oh Lord, oh lord, it ain't my fault

There is also a live recording of the song from the subsequent benefit concert. The quality of the recording isn't as good but there are subtitles (and slightly different lyrics) along with some comments by Mos Def.




Text "GULFAID 10" to 27138 to donate $10 to Gulf Aid. Replace "10" with the number of US dollars (no $ sign) you'd like to pledge, donate as little or as much as you like. Donors will receive an automated call the next day to fulfill their pledge over the phone via credit card.

The fund will ensure all proceeds are distributed to organizations focused on supporting wetlands/coastal environmental issues & the well-being of fishermen, and the regional seafood industry.

Donations may also be sent to the
Gulf Relief Foundation
A 501 C3 Non-Profit Corporation
P.O. Box 61035
New Orleans, LA 70161
PH 504-841-2380

is lost racist?

For a show which started off as multi-racial/cultural/national as Lost, it is a bit disappointing to think about how it ended. (Spoilers abound if you haven't seen the end.) Just a few random thoughts, comments and questions:

-The African-American father and son: Michael Dawson and Walt Lloyd
Even in a TV Guide interview, Harold Perineau (who plays Michael) had some critical comments to make about how this storyline got "resolved":

TV Guide: Were you disappointed Michael and Walt didn't reconnect before your character died?

Perrineau: Listen, if I'm being really candid, there are all these questions about how they respond to black people on the show. Sayid gets to meet Nadia again, and Desmond and Penny hook up again, but a little black boy and his father hooking up, that wasn't interesting? Instead, Walt just winds up being another fatherless child. It plays into a really big, weird stereotype and, being a black person myself, that wasn't so interesting.

-Speaking of Sayid and Nadia, it seemed unbelievable that in the "sideways" afterlife timeline, Sayid's "soulmate" was the blond Shannon instead of his childhood sweetheart. We saw his love and devotion to Nadia drive him to incredible lengths both before and after the crash (shooting himself so that Nadia could escape prison, working for the CIA, working as a hit man for Ben, etc.) but he's going to spend the next level of eternity with Shannon?

-The African drug-dealer Mr. Eko's stay on the show was relatively short-lived and he didn't even come back for a cameo in the last season, but that seems to have more to do with behind-the-scenes constraints of the actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje rather than the writers and producers of the show.

-Also a bit disappointing was the 6th-season episode "The Candidate" where the last few major brown and yellow characters (Sun, Jin and Sayid) were killed off all at one go.

-Given all the emphasis on Aaron, what happens to Sun and Jin's baby?

-What's the story behind the big statue of Taweret and the hieroglyphics everywhere? In my mind I imagine that some ancient African alchemist/numerologist/scientist/mystic was trying to find the elixir of life or a perpetual motion machine and inadvertently discovered/invented the Light at the heart of the island. A side-effect was that the land surrounding his laboratory/temple, including the statue, was transported out to the Pacific to the island. Of course, I'm not a writer for Lost so for all I know Allison Janney's crazy mother character built the statue single-handed.

-I'm still thinking about how to process Hugo "Hurley" Reyes and Richard Alpert/Ricardo/Ricardus in terms of the racial dynamic of Lost but basically they are white (and Hispanic).

See also:

BlackNerdComedy.com
Lost (&Heroes) Hate Black People


Bitch Media: The Numbers–Lost and Race and Death on the Island looks at the body count on Lost through a racial lens.

Hollywood Insider: Harold Perrineau on his departure from Lost: "I was disappointed... I wouldn't say I'm bitter" which follows up on Perrineau's comments to flesh them out and give them more nuance (i.e. walk them back).

race to fame

SF Weekly has an interesting article called Race to Fame on the up and coming comedian W. Kamau Bell. He mostly does thoughtful race humor.

see also: w. kamau bell - ending racism in about an hour

our enemy is not terrorism

"Our enemy is not terrorism, because terrorism is but a tactic. Our enemy is not terror, because terror is a state of mind, and as Americans we refuse to live in fear. Nor do we describe our enemy as jihadists or Islamists, because jihad is a holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam," -John Brennan

I heard this on NPR a few hours ago before going to work and I was so surprised I could not wait to come home and post a link. By law, each White House administration is supposed to issue statement regarding its National Security Strategy. The Obama administration is set to officially issue theirs tomorrow. But today, John Brenan gave a speech at the Center for International and Strategic Studies which is presumably a sneak preview.

Highlights: As suggested above, there is greater clarification that the enemy is Al-Qaedah rather than "Islamism" or Islam. There is also an increased focus on domestic terrorism.

Politics News: Transcript of Brenan's remarks
NPR: Obama's New Security Strategy To Stress Cooperation
AP: Obama's new security strategy breaks with Bush

and in a surprise move...

I don't know if I'm just a pessimist at heart or if I've just been watching too much FOX News lately (e.g. Pamela Gellar's bigoted tirade on Mike Huckabee's show) but I was pleasantly surprised to read on Huffington Post that a NYC Community Board gave its overwhelming support to building a mosque at Ground Zero.

rajae el mouhandiz and malcolm lateef shabazz

BonTon: Grandson of Malcolm X in Rajae El-Mouhandiz’s latest video

h/t to Lantern Torch

"even my conditioning has been conditioned"

CNN: Updated version of the famous 1947 Doll Study
CNN: Home influence on kids and race
CNN: Race in America
CNN: Doll Study Reactions

Scene from the 1989 independent film, "Chameleon Street" (I'm going to have to see if this is on Netflix or something)

ok how about now?

Mark Williams, Tea Party Leader, Says Muslims Worship "Monkey God"
Mark Williams Apologizes To HINDUS For Saying Muslims Worship 'Monkey God'

More Mark Williams on MSNBC

okay now can we say the tea party is racist?

"It's just a few bad apples."
"They don't speak for all of us"
At least that's what the Tea Party leadership would say when confronted with the clear presence of bigots and racists at their rallies. Ok. Fair enough. But what will they say now when Rand Paul, who recently won the Kentucky Republican primary under the Tea Party umbrella publically expresses his reservations with respect to the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s? I think I understand Paul's point that he is "opposed to discrimination", but still, what good is that if deep down he also believes that private businesses are perfectly within their rights if they choose to racially discriminate? He's got some explaining to do. (He also made a terrible appearance on Rachel Maddow... even if he is going to take the radical libertarian stance on the Civil Rights acts, he could have gotten much better preparation on answering those questions.)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rand Paul Underscores the Tea Party's Connection to Race
Rand Paul On 'Maddow' Defends Criticism Of Civil Rights Act, Says He Would Have Worked To Change Bill
Rand Paul On Civil Rights Controversy: I Shouldn't Have Talked To Rachel Maddow

mos def and k'naan on austin city limits

Austin City Limits: K'Naan/ Mos Def (Full episode)

I once wrote a poem about how Black musical forms would continually change and evolve so that by the time the next new thing came out, present-day cutting edge hip-hop would be considered ancient history; associated with elevator music and museum pieces. I even threw in a line about Yo! PBS Raps which apparently has started to come true.

Both Mos Def and K'Naan are Muslim.

america 2001 - long hairz collective

Just continuing my Michigan musings... here is one of the few clips I could find online with music by the Long Hairz Collective. I've blogged about them before (see "i've seen ethiopians knocking out rome" and also water warriors). I could be wrong but I think they've basically broken up but the members are still out there performing and putting positive messages out there in the atmosphere.



You can download their album Dread Locks & Pony Tales over at CD Baby

never mind...

TMZ: Miss USA Champion Pole Dancer