Israelgate - why was it deleted?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was it about? Could OP repost and not have it deleted? I'm guessing since she expected you to remove it, it must have been defending Israel in some form.

OP of the thread....will you repost if Jeff leaves it up? I'm reading a lot of anti-Israel posts here and I'd like to read the opposite view as posited by posters here. (Personally, I think Israel - well, Netanyahu - is too aggressive on the settlements, but Israel is on the right side (no pun intended) on other issues. I'd welcome a discussion in which we weigh the good and bad aspects of Israeli policy.)

Thanks.

The thread was anti-Israel so you wouldn't have liked it. It was about the fact that Flynn was conspiring with Russia to protect Israel and, therefore, that was not a Russia scandal but and Israeli one. Hence, "Israelgate".

The call data shows this - not sure why you are downplaying it? Are you denying that kushner didn’t lean on Flynn to whip up unsc votes thereby actively trying to undercut a current admin’s policy?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats in the weight loss. How did you do it? (I know,,,,I'm veering topic.) Was it Weight Watchers? An inquiring mind tied to an overweight body wants to know!

Diet and exercise. No program other than one I invented. We already had a rowing machine and an exercise bike that had been long neglected. We added a treadmill and I have been spending 20 minutes on the rower, 20 minutes on the bike, and 20 minutes on the treadmill every morning. Cutting way back on the amount of food I eat and paying attention to what type of food. I stick to a lot of fruit and some (probably should eat more) vegetables. No processed food. Then, I take the dog for a 2-mile walk every evening. This is roughly 100 minutes a day of exercise and not a lot of calories going in.

I highly recommend an Apple Watch for anyone interested in diet and exercise. The watch is great at tracking and encouraging movement and exercise. The MyFitnessPro app is very good for tracking food intake. The watch has probably been the single biggest factor in keeping me on track.

Woo hoo! That's fantastic. Well done and very inspiring, especially around this time of year when all the pumpkin pies are calling out to be eaten.

[Anonymous]

I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Because the OP wrote, “I’m sure Jeff will delete.” I like to meet expectations.

We don’t always agree, Mr. Steele, but I laughed at this comment. Touché!

+1

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

DP here. Wouldn't you say the same about threads discussing Muslim countries? There's a lot of fair criticism to be had when discussing things such as sharia law, treatment of women, etc. in those countries. Yet if it's even brought up, we're called "racists." Why is that subject untouchable, but Israel is fair game for the haters?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

I have to give respect to Jeff here. I’m not the biggest fan in his moderating but this was an excellent response and has caused me to rethink my view of him

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

What if I want to discuss the correlation between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment? If that's allowed, please unblock my original IP. If not, I can assume the discussion runs counter to your position and will not be tolerated.

P.S. Do I sound angry for being silenced, as a Jew not allowed to express my opinion about anti-Semitism? You betcha.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

DP here. Wouldn't you say the same about threads discussing Muslim countries? There's a lot of fair criticism to be had when discussing things such as sharia law, treatment of women, etc. in those countries. Yet if it's even brought up, we're called "racists." Why is that subject untouchable, but Israel is fair game for the haters?

You may be a different poster, but you are engaging in very common false equivalence. The thread in question is not about Judaism or how women are treated by the various strains of Judaism. The thread was about Israel and US foreign policy. Why would you compare a thread about foreign policy to a thread about religion? That makes no sense. I myself have started threads critical of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the home of the two holiest sites in Islam and the country considers itself a leader of the Islamic world. Yet no sane person would consider criticism of the Saudi war on Yemen to be anti-Islamic.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you let the anti-Israel thread back up, with anti-Semitic stereotypes embedded within quotes. I also see you have removed the posts in which people are saying there is an overlap between people who hate Israel and people who are anti-Semites. Examples were given, like anti-Israel protests where the organizers yell "get out Jews!"

Your position, as you've previously stated, is that being against Israel is not necessarily a sign of anti-Semitism - and it isn't, necessarily. But in other instances, it is. If you don't allow those of us who give examples of that overlap, you are hiding the part of anti-Zionism that is ugly. I would ask you to either allow a fair debate or delete a thread whose sole purpose is to criticize Israel, while subtly perpetuating anti-Semitism - without challenge.

Unless I missed something, the OP linked to an article but did not quote from it. Another poster quoted what some might consider an anti-Semitic passage of that article. So, anti-Semitic quotes are from someone trying to highlight -- not spread -- anti-Semitism. The topic of the thread is Flynn and Kushner's action on behalf of Israel vis-a-vis the Russians. Whether there is an overlap between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel or pro-American stances is not really part of that discussion, but rather appears to be an attempt to avoid addressing the issue by hijacking the discussion.

One of the continual problems of having a discussion that involves Israel is that posters immediately start making charges of anti-Semitism and any discussion about the original topic becomes impossible. This thread appears to be a case in point. If you would like to discuss whether Kushner and Flynn acted on behalf of Israel and whether such actions would point to a scandal more important that the Russian controversy, please do so. But, please don't hijack the the thread.

What if I want to discuss the correlation between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment? If that's allowed, please unblock my original IP. If not, I can assume the discussion runs counter to your position and will not be tolerated.

P.S. Do I sound angry for being silenced, as a Jew not allowed to express my opinion about anti-Semitism? You betcha.

If you want to discuss the correlation between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel start your own thread. If you want your IP unblocked, start following our rules. In the meantime, enjoy Panera.

[Anonymous]

Jeff, why are you against discussing the validity of the Balfour declaration and if it was a good idea or not?

[Anonymous]

I tend to agree with Jeff on most of his editorial decision but I have noticed a hair trigger on any thread that is critical of Israel. One can be critical of Israeli policies (such as settlements in the West Bank) and very supportive of jews and their right to a homeland.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I tend to agree with Jeff on most of his editorial decision but I have noticed a hair trigger on any thread that is critical of Israel. One can be critical of Israeli policies (such as settlements in the West Bank) and very supportive of jews and their right to a homeland.

I am being accused of both having a hair trigger on any thread critical of Israel and being overly tolerant of anti-Semitism. That's a bit strange.

Yes, it is possible to be supportive of Jews, indeed even supportive of Israel, and to also be strongly critical of certain Israeli policies. It is also true that criticism of Israel often comes from posters who demonstrate obvious anti-Semitism.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, why are you against discussing the validity of the Balfour declaration and if it was a good idea or not?

Dude, I have a Master's degree in Arab Studies. I can read and speak (very poorly) Arabic. I have dreams in which I debate the Balfour declaration. You don't realize how frequently your posts are anti-Semitic and then when I delete them you accuse me of being an Israeli stooge. That is really laughable, but they go well with the posts from the posters accusing me of wanting to push the Jews into the sea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are on a liberal site run by a fat liberal, Jeff, so what do you expect. Liberals like fat Jeff suppress any view that don't agree with their own.

DP--^^are you in 5th grade? If you're an adult you need to be throat-punched.