[Marxism] Cindy Sheehan's quote: Why they aren't all taking the bait?

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One thing struck me as curious.  Yoshie is a little shocked, it seemed,
that the alleged contradictions in Cindy Sheehan's record has not gotten
her into trouble.

Let's tip our hats to the issue of how deep-going the contradictions
are: Not all that profound, in my opinion. I am certain Sheehan was
right about the interview on the road and think she was probably right
about the letter, and Yoshie is nowhere near having PROVEN a case on
either matter.

I am not sure that sufficent forces having a stake in making Palestine
the axis of justification for the war in Iraq.  That's what it would
mean for the media to crusade against Sheehan's anti-Israel positions,
correct?  Even the right-wing has to be careful about that.  Wouldn't an
all-out campaign against Sheehan on this send the message that her son
died "for Israel."

Even I would have to chalk it up as evidence on that side of the ledger.
(I keep track of this.)

I think Junaid Alam had a good point on this -- fundamentally, normal
people are simply not going to get all outraged or even care a great
deal at this point what the mother of a soldier who died in Iraq thinks
about Palestine, aside from thinking that she has the right to her
opinion .  A lot of people think  like I do at heart -- "blind" fool
that I am:  She has earned the right the hard way to say what she damn
pleases on the subject one way or the other.


The fact is that Sheehan is pretty invulnerable on this as she should
be.  A lot of working people and youth and others are going to give what
some critics on the right will surely call "blind support" -- that
terrible, terrible crime which must be avoided above all other evils --
on this no matter what opinion she takes and doesn't take on Palestine.


The right wing can yell and scream all they want, but Bush can't make it
illegal not to support Israel. The Palestine issue is not as well
understood yet as the Iraq war, that's for sure. But support for Israel
against the Palestinians is much, much LESS than is generally thought.
Cindy Sheehan is just the tip of the iceberg.  A campaign of persecution
against Sheehan would only tend to bring more of that to the surface.

What are the chances that the Jewish organizations will take the bait?
At this point, ZERO in my opinion. But what moral authority does a
campaign against Sheehan as a Jew-hater and enemy of Israel have without
them? None.  The administration has run into this limitation before.
The Jewish organizations may be willing to target ANSWER -- what does
that cost them besides computer paper?

But what is the percentage for them in going all out to nail an Irish
mother who is objecting to the fact that her son had to die in the Iraq
war? What's their stake in making sure that Bush doesn't talk to her?
What's their stake in sending that message that if you don't support
Bush's policy on Iraq, you must be an enemy of Israel.

I may lose this bet, but I am betting the Jewish organizations do not
show up on the road to protest Cindy Sheehan.

So when Anderson Cooper doesn't take the bait offered by the
contradictions in the record that Yoshie alleges should be his meat,  he
may just be using his head.


Yoshie has an outstanding record of fighting for justice and as a leader
of Solidarity. (God, we really aren't democratic centralist, are we?)
This doesn't justify "blind support" of course.  I've been in the game
for 44years.  I go out of my mind, once in a while, too. No big deal.
Fred Feldman


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