Helen

I lived in the DC metro area from 70-93 and read the Post almost every day. Quinn was basically a society columnist in the "Lifestyle" section until she bedded the boss and became a bona fide "journalist". She shouldn't credit Helen Thomas for her opportunity, she should credit Ben Bradlee.

You said:
"Helen still needs to admit that what she said was reprehensible and acknowledge the offense. She needs to say, "I believe in Israel's right to exist" and "I pray for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem", or words to that effect."

I ask, WHY? Why should she say what YOU believe? Why is she not entitled to have an opinion of her own? Do we seriously no longer have freedom of speech and expression in this country? Who are you to tell her, or me, or anyone else what we SHOULD think about Israel?? Perhaps we might look at what's happening there and form our own opinions? Or do you think that we're all so stupid that our opinions need to be determined for us?

Perhaps you never knew your old friend as well as you thought, and maybe that bothers you. But she ABSOLUTELY does have the right to her own opinion, even if it isn't the popular one right now.

Am I an anti-semite because I don't think Thomas' quote was bigoted? I think her ideas are impractical, but I don't see why they're racist.

Maybe she is more on the cutting edge more than you think, as young people the world over are expressing some of the harshest rebukes of Israel policies in a generation. Maybe this generation simply cannot believe a solution has not been found for a conflict that has been a festering sore in world affairs for 4 generations.

Correction to previous posting:

Wonder where Helen thinks the Turks should go back to? After they exit Cyprus, having ethnically cleansed it of 1.2 MILLION Greeks?
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Addendum to previous posting:

Odd that Thomas, the Lebanese Catholic, has always neglected to mention Lebanon, which the Lebanese call Greater Syria.

Wonder where Helen thinks the Turks should go back to? After they exit Cyprus, having ethnically cleansed it of 1.2 billion Greeks?

After having exited Kurdistan? MOre than four hundred thousand murdered since 1980?

To date, 400,000 Kurds have been murdered by the Turks, thirty-two in the last ten days.

Ocalan, the head of the Turkish Workers Part, has been illegally imprisoned along with 800 other Kurdish leaders. He has announced that he would no longer negotiate with the Turkish government as of May 31st, since the situation is hopeless. He has kept his word. Kurds all over the region are watching.

Turkey has occupied Cyprus since 1974, when it invaded, ethnically cleansing the island of 1.2 million Greeks. It has literally stolen half of Cyprus. The new UN envoy to Turkey, Lisa Buttenheim, will solve nothing. Turkey needs to leave Cyprus.

The organizers of the Israeli Flotilla are private citizens, politically on the Left.

See article at UN Center News:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34507&Cr=Cyprus&Cr1=

Pope on 3-day visit to Cyprus amid Greek criticism of Turkey
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
06/04/2010 18:25

PAPHOS, Cyprus — Greek Cypriot leaders made a blistering attack on Turkey for its occupation of northern Cyprus as Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to the divided island Friday bringing a message of peace to the region.

Addressing Benedict, the head of Cyprus' Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II said that "Turkey has barbarously invaded and conquered by force of arms 37 percent of our homeland."

Chrysostomos said that Turkey "continues to carry out its obscure plans which include the annexation of the land now under military occupation, and then a conquest of the whole of Cyprus."

His comments came as Benedict began a sensitive three-day day visit to Cyprus, an island divided between ethnic Turks and Greeks and viewed by the Vatican as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East.

Cyprus Mail
June 12, 2010

Flotilla fever sweeps the Med

'FLOTILLA MANIA' has taken Cyprus and the Middle east by storm, after reports that Israeli activists were planning "reverse flotillas" to the occupied areas and Turkey to highlight its neighbours’ naval embargoes and treatment of minority groups.

It seems such informal fleets - ostensibly on humanitarian missions - have become the latest instrument of protest and clandestine diplomacy in the chaotic politics of the Middle East, offering up new heroes, villains and untold opportunities to cast wild aspersions against political enemies.

Israeli flotilla plotters said on Thursday they aim to dispatch flotillas with two goals in mind; firstly to confront future Gaza-bound flotillas, and secondly to highlight Turkey’s hypocrisy, since it too is an occupying power, had introduced embargoes and oppressed minorities.

The first reported flotilla is bound for occupied Famagusta, and, according to the Jerusalem post will be led by Alex Goldfarb, former member of Knesset, and Meretz Party activist Pinhas Har-Zahav of Modi’in to protest the fort’s occupation.

The second reported flotilla will reportedly head towards either Turkey or the north of Cyprus tomorrow, coinciding with a Turkish Naval exercise, and consists of students of the National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS), and it could be substantially larger than either the freedom flotilla or the Cyprus bound flotilla.

According to spiked-online, as many as 400 Israeli yacht owners have volunteered their yachts for the reverse flotilla. The Cyprus Mail also received unconfirmed reports of a third flotilla to the Republic of Cyprus to protest against the illegal Turkish occupation.

Ironically, this could play into Turkey’s hands. As Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s Chief Negotiator pointed out, the flotilla would effectively is breaking what Turkey deems an embargo by the Republic of Cyprus. He said "They will pay the fees, they use these ports and on the other hand they will lift the embargo imposed by the Greek Cypriot sector."

Nevertheless, Boaz Toporovsky NUIS chairman said they hope to raise money for humanitarian supplies to bring to the Armenian, Kurdish minorities who are impoverished as a result of Turkish oppression, thereby exposing "the hypocrisy of Turkey and through that the hypocrisy of the whole world.’

In so doing, they will introduce the latest fashion in humanitarian protest to two further conflicts, the Cyprus problem and Kurdish independence.

Toporovsky said ‘If the Turks are so concerned about human rights, they should think about the millions of Kurds who have wanted their own country for over 100 years. There are more Kurds in Turkey than there are Jews and Palestinians in the whole world. So if Turkey’s heart and mouth are in the same place, they should give the Kurds independence. The same with northern Cyprus: Turkey occupied it and only Turkey recognises it as theirs."

U.S.A. Team:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/usa/

Yea!

Where else but in America can you pillory the career of an old woman for the mere crime of having the audacity to speak her mind? The purge of the screeching castrati of our fourth estate is now nearly complete – any reporter who dared consider the improbable narrative that always justifies all that Israel is and does is now surely too cowed to openly question the official talking points of the post-WW2 European Diaspora.

Helen Thomas’ brief outburst was little more than an opportunistic diversion from the unwelcome attention Israel continues to receive (deservedly) for its savage flotilla fiasco. Had it not been Helen it would certainly have been someone/something else. These master propagandists know their American benefactors well enough to know that our national attention span is embarrassingly short, to the point of porcine wallowing in the myopic bliss that comes with our willful, fundamentalism-fueled ignorance.

In the unflattering glare of the flotilla fallout, speaking the truth will set you free. These hypocritical bigots, these fascist apologists of apartheid, these raging racist rapists of Lebanon’s greener pastures, and Gaza and Golan and Jenin and Jerusalem – they have finally “emancipated” the indomitable Helen Thomas. So here’s a toast to Miss Helen (as they say down here in the South); may you use your new-found liberty well and may the days you have left be a constant consternation to the bastards who tried to silence you.

People should lay off of Helen Thomas. She was correct when she said that the Jews should get out of Palestine and go back to Europe. It would be far better for Israelis to pack up and go to an Israeli state in Europe, where Zionism began. I always thought Bavaria wouldn't be bad as a new Israeli state, but then I realized sacrificing great beer for a Jewish state might not be worth it. Still, some place in the former Third Reich would be more appropriate than Palestine.

Zionism, especially establishing a Jewish state in the holy land, was always folly. Since European Jewry was the force behind Zionism, it would have been far better to carve a state out of antisemitic Europe following WWII than taking land from the beleaguered Palestinians.

All this is besides the point now. The facts on the ground are that Israel exists and a Palestinian state should also exist in the West Bank and Gaza. Unfortunately, Israel and the Palestinians are involved in a "Dance of the Death". Nothing good can or will come of it.

By the way, in case anyone is thinking that I am antisemitic should also know that I am a Jewish atheist. Of course, many Jews probably do not consider me Jewish or, perhaps, would categorize me as a self-hating Jewish Anti-Semite. To those Jews of that persuasion; remember it is better to have more than fewer friends.

F I F A - W O R L D - C U P - S. A. - 2 0 1 0:
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....................... GOoooooAaaaaaaLL !!! U. S. A.!
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Credits to "jj" @ http://onwapo.com/
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Sally Quinn

First off, I do not know what Helen Thomas said, I am making my comments on what you wrote.

You wrote, "Helen still needs to admit that what she said was reprehensible and acknowledge the offense."

Her remarks may or may not be reprehensible to her, the remarks she made just may be what she believes.

You also wrote, "She needs to say, "I believe in Israel's right to exist" and "I pray for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem", or words to that effect."

Who are you or anyone else to tell someone else what it is that one "needs to say"?

As I have said, I do not know exactly what she said, but last time I checked we still had "freedom of speech" in this country whether it be "reprehensible" or not, is this true or have "they" dropped this from the "rights" spelled out in some old paperwork that is the foundational "paperwork" of this country?

You also wrote, "The person who called for Israel to get out of Palestine is not the Helen Thomas I knew. I want the old Helen back."

Who knows, maybe the "Helen Thomas you knew" never existed, I don't know one way or the other.

If Helen Thomas said whatever she said because she believed it, do you want her to "lie" so that she can be the "Helen Thomas that you knew" or would you rather that she said what she believed and be someone that you disagree with?

Whatever she said is only her opinion anyway and wouldn't you rather "know" what someone really thinks and be able to deal with it however you wish to deal with it rather than be "hoodwinked" by a "sweet-smelling lie" and this deception lead to whatever it may lead to.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

This Helen Thomas thing is ridiculous. Can one have an opinion that creation of modern state of Israel was wrong and not be subjected to the charge that one is anti-Semitic? We cannot go back to what happened 15 centuries ago. At that time Islam wasn't even there, it had 2+ centuries more to go, for its barbarity to show up. SO most of the Jews had left the middle-east area and migrated to various parts of Europe, where they were periodically persecuted and also flourished. Now comes mid twentieth century, after centuries of persecution of them in Europe, mind you now the Jews are as European as the next guy due to race mixing, conversion etc. Are you guys who go ballistic about Israel's right to exist, telling the world that the creation of Israel was not wrong at that point in time. Israel for Jews from Europe, was wrong then. Until you get over that blind spot there is no hope for peace in that wretched part of the world.

Now coming to the Palestinians rightly or wrongly you did get the short end of the stick. You can go about it for the next 10 centuries just wallowing in your sorrows, or you can pick up and try to better your conditions within the scope of what is feasible. Lets face it you are not the only ones who have been wronged in the history. You have seen how much regard your Arab brethren give you when you are in their countries as refugees. They treat you like filth, not withstanding the grandstanding the do in the international fora.

Rest of you Arabs, and Muslims, you do not have a bone in this fight so you guys just shut-up and get out of the way. It would help you if you just introspected about your societies. the most liberal among your paradises, a woman caught drinking in public is to be lashed. Throw that damn book of fables and leave the ramblings of the epileptic Bedouin and try toe get into 21st century.

Way to throw Helen Thomas under the bus--sanctimoniously disguised as concern from a friend. Quinn smears Thomas to make the point that she, Quinn, is a right-thinking person who recognizes Israel's right to exist and that her buddy Thomas is, on the other hand, anti-semitic.

With friends like this...yeesh. Perhaps it's you who've changed, Ms. Quinn, not Thomas.

It's all blown beyond any measures...

Her opinions suck, but who said you're not allowed to have sucky opinions?

Check this out... Funny as hell but hits bulls eye:

http://www.entertainmedaily.com/2010/06/helen-thomas-deserves-a-punch-in-the-face-but-rabbi-david-nesenoff-should-be-kicked-in-the-balls/

What do you guys think???

What surprises me about Helen's remarks is not her antipathy toward Israel - that's long been apparent - but her ignorance of Mideast history. If she wants to purge Israel of Jews she ought to urge them to return not only to Poland, Germany and the US but also to Iraq, Iran, Egypt and perhap even her ancestral Lebanon.

"We have all been honored by the award because Helen Thomas set the standard for excellence in journalism."

I find it difficult to understand how Sally Quinn would win any sort of journalism award, given her below-average writing skills.

This essay is so poorly constructed that I cannot understand what Sally may have learned about writing in the 4+ decades since she told Ben Bradlee, during a job interview, that she'd never written anything at all. "Not a word," she cheekily claimed. (Yeah, my Vanity Fair issue arrived this week!)

Her sentences are awkward; her paragraphs follow no discernible pattern of development; and her expressions are cliche-ridden and stale.

And, of course, this piece about Helen Thomas, her long-time dear friend whom she viciously turns on in the second half of the essay, was really all about Sally -- as is everything she writes.

Sally tells us she was "heartsick" over her dear friend's pronouncements; then, in the next sentence, she implies that Helen was ga-ga. She goes on to excoriate an unnamed "someone" for not protecting Helen and forcing her to retire years ago and concludes with an analysis of Helen's apology, why it was inadequate, and what she should have said instead.

In light of her portrayal in the VF article, she ought to have stayed in the corner on this one. It's as if she set out deliberately to confirm and validate every unsavory anecdote about her personality and behavior.

Talk about being your own worst enemy.

Did Helen Thomas ever break a story? I understand she was among the first journalists on the White House beat, and I congratulate her for breaking the sex barrier, etc. But I can't, offhand, remember an important story filed under her byline, and I've lived in Washington a long time.
It's funny that Ms. Thomas calls, in her apology, for respect and tolerance, when her remarks showed little for the people she interviewed and of course none for Jews.
I wish her well in retirement.

Whenever a conservative does something bad, it reflects deep, underlying issues. Whenever a liberal does something bad, it is a fluke.

Right. Got it.

Don't you realize what you saw? We glimpsed a heart deeply poisoned by hate. It wasn't an accident, and it probably wasn't the only time, that she told the Jews to go back to Germany. And it wasn't a sick joke. She was deadly serious.

I don't get this, and I'm not trying to be cute or clever. In light of your wedding invite column debacle, the Post's editor took your column away from you. The idea, I thought, was to prevent you from writing about your friends and family. That's why they left you with On Faith.

And yet you continue to subvert the spirit of that punishment by writing about friends and family in your On Faith column. Last week, the Gores. Today, Helen. Why don't you get rid of the pretense and just say it: Sally's back, by hook and and by crook.

The Helen Thomas part of that dinner now needs to be dropped in the spirit of the faiths that drive this blog. Thomas showed her colors as a war monger and Palestinian sympathizer in her comments to the rabbi. She knew she was being filmed and what she really believes is that she wants the Jews to leave Israel. Even in her written statement, she did not say she wanted want a peace agreement, or a two-state solution which American diplomats have been striving to establish.
I really have no objections if she feels that way, and in this country she certainly has the right to say what she believes. But the honors that came with being the dean of the White House press corps, the memorial dinners in her name, and invitations to graduation ceremonies are another thing. She chose to make herself the outsider.

Sally,

Don't know how to tell you this, but your blog is doomed. People are getting tired of dueling religions, and it is time to give Helen Thomas a break. It would have been best for the press to end this quietly, but it did not.

Now, thank Non, it's almost over.
Perhaps, out of charity, we ought not, or, more accurately, YOU ought not to capitalize on it at this late date.

I suggest you make an attempt at elevating the OnFaith discourse level a bit if you want to save this blog. There actually are successful blogs that bring people together in genuine dialogue. Why not give it some thought?

Why are we still amazed at the stupidity and arrogance of bigots! They exist in all sizes and nationalities and the only thing they share in common is the hatred of Jews. So once again, an so called respected icon of Washington has roared and out of that mouth has poured stupidity and hatred. Alas...... the more it changes the more it stays the same.

Besides 'Character-Assasination' Dear 'HELLen' didn't commit a 'Capital Offense'.

She typically, when age has a discombobulation'th, in her latter-days, hath only now put'th the footsy in the mouthsy.

But then again; i {WE] do-respect slick 'Helen' for saying, "I'm a LIBERAL, so i will die a liberal" [similarly said quite'a while back].

The "4-ESTATE" has it's 'Die-Hards' too, ya know!

Note: It's all a classic-case of a "Freudian-Slip of Genuine Prophecy".

O' HELEN who's gonna be'a Melon//maybe a'jellin//No? Coochy-Pooch Momma Helon.

i [WE] Excuse Her! aka Forgive-Her & similarly situated, in age.