Re: Hand-wringers and hypocrites

[Marvin Gandall <marvgandall@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Zarembka writes:

> --On Wednesday, August 09, 2006 10:55 AM -0400 Marvin Gandall
> <marvgandall@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Yet, since 9/11 and the second intifada, where suicide bombings and
> > beheadings have become the calling cards of Arab diplomacy, and with
> > Hamas
> > and Hezbollah emerging as elected entities that, paradoxically, reject
> > the
> > first principles of liberal democracy, I feel a great deal of moral
> > anguish.
>
> Marvin,
>
> Your forwarding of Mr. Rosenbaum's message to the list is probably
> suggestive about your own thought process in the current climate.  In any
> case, please notice how 9/11 drives Mr. Rosenbaum and thus how important
> it
> is for him that Arabs precipitated 9/11 for his message to have any
> impact.
> If the premise were false, ...  For example, I could cite evidence that
> some of the named Arab hijackers were not on the planes, including
> evidence
> from quite mainstream sources ignored by the Commission.
>
> What's the reference to beheadings?  And where did Hezbollah emerge as an
> elected entity?  Just factual queries here.
=========================
Paul, I'm not certain what you interpret to be my thoughts on the matter -
support for Thane Rosenbaum's comments quoted above (they're not mine), or
rejection of them. Clearly the latter; I thought my sentiments about the
article would be plain enough from the subject heading. I don't know of any
beheadings having occured outside those Islamist groups which identify with
al Qaeda. Hamas and Hezbollah have entered the electoral arena with some
success.

I think the article indicates that what primarily drives Mr. Rosenbaum is
his emotional blind spot about Israel, which would still be there even if
9/11 hadn't happened.