By the way, Snoopy, it would indeed be preferable to not produce the loonies in the first place, especially since some of them (Chomsky, Shahak, Finkelstein…) have had the influence to do us a lot of harm. But I think it’s an occupational hazard for any people that adheres to a tradition of free speech and lively intellectual inquiry.

We seem to agree with everything, incl. Debbie’s oversight, so the only remark I can make is that Meryl did not criticize Debbie (in this post, at least) – the guilt is all mine.

Let’s just say she’s not on my list of must-reads.

I cannot figure how his wife followed him along. She must be very much in love with him, or a dimwit, or both. How could they switch from one all-encompassing, life-defining belief system and way of life to another, and do it so fast?

On the other hand, sometimes people who are followers are just that…followers. They want any kind of firm, unthinking system of belief that makes them feel right and secure. My brother had a close friend who for years was a Communist and made a big deal of it. Then, all of a sudden, he switched to being a right-wing conservative. As proof that things were much better for the poor in India (this was the early 1970s) he showed me a letter from his girlfriend, waving it in the air as if it were proof positive. I was just a kid, but I stared at him with disbelief at his stupidity.

Then he moved on. He briefly returned to his Jewish roots…for about a month. Then I believe he tried Christianity for awhile. That apparently didn’t work. He finally ended up joining the Hari Krishna sect, living in a monastery in San Francisco. And there he stayed for years on end. For all I know he’s still there. He won’t do any harm, nor would he support anyone who does. But, still, you have to wonder.

Maybe we’re lucky. If Judaism keeps on losing loonies like these, the tribe will only be stronger for it.

My next point concerns Debbie Schlussel’s statement that “the Brits pulled out, if anything, because they were tired of Islamic/Arab violence (there was no Jewish violence against the Brits) against British soldiers.” I am glad, Meryl, that you pointed out her excesses. It’s not that you’re so right wing, but it’s just nice to see you someone saying to a right-winger, “hey, that’s going too far.”

This kind of overstatement does nothing to help Israel or those who support her. Quite the contrary, it only hurts our credibility. Sure, the anti-Zionists do the same ten times over, but we cannot afford to give them any ammunition. And the mistake Schlussel makes here is an egregious one. Everyone knows about the Irgun, about the King David Hotel, and so on.

This kind of writing also does not help the reputation of bloggers in general. Of course, the web is limitless, and enforcement of standards practically impossible. It is inevitable that there’d be dreck out there. But if you put dreck on web sites that purport to be serious, the web as a whole will get the same reputation as am radio.

Cheers.