OPINION & EDITORIAL
Chairman mistaken, delusional
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Also by Guest Columnist:
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- Vote Democrat, vote equal LGBT rights (December 6, 2007)
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- Immigration argument flawed (April 14, 2006)
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by Guest Columnist
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Ryan Masse, the Herald's Editorial Board Chair, recently published a piece with the amusing title "Barrett Mistaken, Delusional" (Oct. 12). Mistaken and delusional! If I were just delusional, I could live with that. At least my delusions might be correct. But if even my delusions are mistaken, I'm in deep trouble.
According to Masse, my opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are "at best delusional with no hint of reality and at worst anti-Semitic with enough vitriol to make Mel Gibson blush."
Do Masse's own delusions have even a hint of reality? Consider his own words: "Throughout its history, Israel has taken extreme caution to minimize civilian casualties in combat … " That would be news to the 750,000 ethnic-cleansing victims of 1948. Even pro-Zionist historians like Benny Morris, who strongly defends the horrific ethnic cleansing of 1948 by saying, "There are circumstances in history that justify ethnic cleansing," now admit that the Palestinian accounts of 1948 are correct: Whole villages were bayoneted, to the last woman and child, to terrify most of the Palestinian population into fleeing its homeland. That makes the story that Israel and the U.S. media told the world for 50 years — that the Palestinians left voluntarily — a Goebbels-style big lie.
Since 1948, has Israel "taken extreme caution to minimize civilian casualties in combat … "? Tell that to the survivors of the USS Liberty, an unarmed American surveillance ship that was subjected to unprovoked attack by Israeli warplanes and gunboats over a period of many hours on June 8, 1967. The Israelis repeatedly attacked the Liberty with rockets, napalm, canon, machine guns and torpedoes, returning to strafe the lifeboats in an apparent attempt to slaughter every last survivor of the initial attack.
An excellent account of the USS Liberty incident may be found in James Bamford's "Body of Secrets" (or just google "USS Liberty"). Bamford and his National Security Agency sources conclude that the Israelis decided to try to murder every last sailor on this unarmed American spy ship because they were afraid the Liberty would discover evidence of ongoing Israeli massacres of thousands of Egyptian prisoners of war. Others believe that the Israelis intended to sink the ship, slaughter all survivors, blame the attack on Egypt and draw the United States into the war on their side — a classic "false flag" attack.
Israel's treatment of unarmed American sailors on the USS Liberty, however, was positively humane compared to their ongoing treatment of the Palestinians. A 2004 field study by the British Medical Journal reported: "Two thirds of the 621 children (two thirds under 15 years) killed at checkpoints, in the street, on the way to school, in their homes, died from small arms fire, directed in over half of cases to the head, neck and chest — the sniper's wound. Clearly, soldiers are routinely authorized to shoot to kill children in situations of minimal or no threat … "
Listen to what former New York Times reporter Chris Hedges has to say about the systematic sniper murder of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers:
"Yesterday at this spot the Israelis shot eight young men, six of whom were under the age of eighteen. One was twelve. This afternoon they kill an eleven-year-old boy, Ali Murad, and seriously wound four more, three of whom are under eighteen. Children have been shot in other conflicts I have covered … but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport." (Chris Hedges, "A Gaza Diary" Harpers Magazine, October 2001).
" … Entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport." That's Chris Hedges, former New York Times reporter, describing what he personally witnessed in Occupied Palestine. "Throughout its history, Israel has taken extreme caution to minimize civilian casualties in combat … " That's Ryan Masse of The Badger Herald. Somebody here is mistaken or delusional … and I think it's Ryan Masse.
Masse's comments are especially offensive given that he wrote them just a few months after the Israeli rape of Lebanon, which is viewed as a war crime of the first magnitude by virtually the entire world community: "Israel's defence forces were yesterday condemned for systematically and deliberately targeting civilians in Lebanon, acts which the respected New York organization Human Rights Watch described as 'serious violations of international law' or war crimes." (London Independent, August 4th, 2006)
Ironically, for telling the truth about 9/11 and Palestine while defending Jews against attacks by actual anti-Semites, I am being attacked by two groups of extremists. Pro-Zionists (a tiny, extremist faction of the world community) lie and claim that I'm anti-Semitic, while the actual anti-Semites call me a Mossad agent and a professional apologist for the Jews. Radio host Daryl Bradford Smith has called for my arrest on the grounds that I am a Mossad agent, while author and cybercolumnist John Kaminski claims I'm covering up for the Jews.
So listen up, Ryan: If you want to hear what real anti-Semitism sounds like — and what a Muslim sounds like who's willing to stand up against anti-Jewish bigotry — listen to my recent radio interview of John Kaminski — a guest I did not select, and who made my first effort as a radio host a real trial by fire! The radio show is archived at http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Fetzer06.html; click on the Saturday, Oct. 14 show. Listening to this show may help clear up your mistaken delusion that anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism … thereby allowing you, in all probability, to merely replace a "mistaken delusion" with other, marginally-more-accurate delusions.
Kevin Barrett (khidria@merr.com) is a lecturer in the department of languages and cultures of Asia.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 3:47am):
No, Kevin Barrett, YOU are the one who's delusional. That crap you pass off as knowledge is what is a pack of lies. Your opinion here is extremely biased, otherwise we'd be reading a more balanced argument. Unfortunately, we don't.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 3:49am):
Alright, more barrett attacks!
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 3:51am):
BH, please don't print any more comments concerning Barrett....
The guy is a nutcase.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 6:13am):
You forgot to mention the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the recipes for for the dishes that use them thar bayonetted babies!
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 7:36am):
Professor Barrett, Masse's not going to listen. He's had his mind reprogrammed by David, King of Israel himself. Besides, the sooner Israel gets back on its feet, the sooner Jesus comes back. We should just sit back and wait.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 8:02am):
Does this guy get to guest column once a week? If that's the case, he's not a guest columnist, is he?
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 8:06am):
This confirms it. Kevin Barrett is extremely delusional. Please, UW, don't renew his contract. Get him out of here as soon as possible.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 8:47am):
Love your sources, Kevin. The NYT and the Independent et al are quite unbiased journalists, but I would hardly expect you to look for objective journalism.
Why do you keep failing to mention Israel is the ONLY country that would accept those who call themselves Palestineans when they failed in their attempts to overthrow Jordan and Egypt. I suppose you are too young to remember that. I wonder how Palestineans that live in the region, outside of Israel, are treated.
Israel has done some questionable things in the past, I don't think anyone will deny that. The problem is, when the likes of you only focus on one side of the story, you can be given no credibility (sort of like the New York Times). What makes it even easier is when you have theories that are so far out in left field, when you have something that may, even partially, be true, you will be ripped to shreds.
Need I say it, it is humorous to watch what you ego makes you do. Keep it up, Kevin, I hear they are looking for some good acts down on State Street.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 10:01am):
I'm not sure, but can't someone be anti-Israel without anti-Jewish? I've seen many campus groups christian and Muslim denied funding from ASM, while the Jewish Cultural Council is given funding. Is that biased? Many people bring up the suffering of the Jewish people during the Holocaust as justification for many of the things Israel does today. I am not denying the horror that was committed against the Jewish people through the years, but at some point it has to stop being used as a reason for Israels actions today. Millions of people have been systematically killed through out history just because of what God they believe in, color of their skin, or where they live. Why are the people of the Jewish faith the only ones that can play the genocide card?
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 11:32am):
Just as there were shameless apologists for the Nazi and Stalinist regimes, there continue to be shameless apologists for the Israeli "Zionists Uberalles" regime. This will probably continue for years to come since Israel is the most powerful nation in the world; the USA always submits like a lap dog to their "ends justify the means" desires. Eventually, however, China will be the world's ultimate power, and they won't be a lap dog. And they have even more nukes than Israel. Enjoy!
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 11:34am):
"Why are the people of the Jewish faith the only ones that can play the genocide card?"
Gosh, don't any of you leftist anti-Zionists ever read history? The Palestinians tried to keep Jewish refugees from settling in Palestine after the Holocaust. That's right, pal. So if the Palestinians don't like the fact that Israel exists, then they can just pack up and move somewhere else. Until then, they'll just have to reap what they sow.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 11:58am):
Only 76% of the population of Israel is Jewish (CIA factbook); therefore, someone can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic. I don't think that Iraq should exist as currently drawn, but I have nothing against the Shia or Sunni.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 2:05pm):
Aren't the Palestinians semites too?
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 2:38pm):
"Only 76% of the population of Israel is Jewish (CIA factbook); therefore, someone can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic."
But they can be anti-Jewish. You see, there's this thing inside your head called a brain, and if you'd just turn it on...
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 3:14pm):
why is this still a topic? Find new issues and let this one die. If you think this is a topic that guarentees readers, as Tommy Boy says, "all you get is a guarenteed piece of shit. If you want me to take a crap in a box, I will...I have the time."
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 4:46pm):
Regardless of his political views, is it not clear now, based just on his BH columns, that Barret is completely unprepared to engage in intellectual or scholarly pursuits? Has anyone who is reading this ever had a class at the UW in which the prof or lecturer came off as amatuerish as this guy does?
This guy is maybe a step ahead of the crackpots who carry placards on Memorial Mall. Then again, maybe not. I hate the fact that the UW credentialed this guy with a degree.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 5:45pm):
Just as there were shameless apologists for the Nazi and Stalinist regimes, there continue to be shameless apologists for the Palestinian "Homicide Bomber Uberalles" regime. This will probably continue for years to come since Palestine is the most corrupt nation in the world; the EU always submits like a lap dog to their "ends justify the means" desires. Eventually, however, China will be the world's ultimate power, and they won't be a lap dog. And they have no problem providing nukes to people who want to bomb Israel. Enjoy!
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 6:24pm):
Barret's comments are perhaps shamefully obvious. There is no question that anyone with eyes can see that the Jewish state is one of the worst violators of human rights in the world. It is truly disgusting that the Zionist lobby is willing to exploit the concept of anti-Semitism (a prejudice which no longer exists in mainstream American society, incidentally) to justify Israel's oppression of the Palestinians.
One must choose sides on this issue: either one is on the side of the oppressor (the Israelis) or the oppressed (the Palestinians). To his credit, Barret is among the latter group.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 6:43pm):
The UW and the Badger Herald should BOTH be ashamed for giving Barrett a platform. He is nothing more than UW's own Ward Churchill. It's UW's turn to run the gauntlet of unwanted media attention.
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 7:09pm):
The Jews of Israel treat the Palestinians better than the Moslems of all other countries do. Did not Kuwait expell the Palestinians? Have not the Palestinians been relegated to concentration camps all over the Middle East?
PS. Weren't Jews expelled from many countries in the Middle East when Israel was founded?
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 7:12pm):
Maybe Sheik Catmeat Hilali could be a guest speaker?
Those atheists, people of the book (Christians and Jews), where will they end up? In Surfers Paradise? On the Gold Coast? Where will they end up? In hell and not part-time, for eternity. They are the worst in God's creation.
But when it comes to this disaster, who started it? In his literature, writer al-Rafee says, if I came across a rape crime, I would discipline the man and order that the woman be jailed for life. Why would you do this, Rafee? He said because if she had not left the meat uncovered, the cat wouldn't have snatched it.
http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/uncovered_meat_is_the_disaster/
Anonymous (October 29, 2006 @ 11:59pm):
haha Kevin Barret PWNS Ryan Masse everytime!!!!!11
