Re: Thomas Friedman (NYT) & Israel

[Leopold N Friedman <apikoyros...>]

I agree that it is off the music topic, but having been
accused (in non-music-related postings) of not reading 
carefully, I must defend myself.  In some circles, not
reading carefully is a sin worse than violence (See, for
example, the academic world's tolerance of Edward Said's 
stone throwing).  Given more time, perhaps, I could have 
written a satirical song from this material.

My criticism in passing of Tom Friedman's view of settlements
was generalized so as not to require elaboration, I thought.  
My point, jokingly,  was about including references for context. 

Many people are fond of Tom Friedman. He has received prizes 
for his Middle East coverage, but there have also been many 
who've disagreed with his opinions these many years, and we 
all need to be reminded that his articles, though usually 
informative, aren't "torah min shomayim" (there's my liturgical
quote). I've winced every time he mentioned "settlements" as a 
main impediment to peace. 
 
I disagree that they are "shameful acts of colonial coercion" (Tom
Friedman's 
still current words). Should Jews be subject to vetos about where they
may 
live? By implication, no Jew has any right to live anywhere except on
someone
else's sufferance. As an American living in safety, Tom is still "asleep"
with 
regard to this.

Tom's apparent new realization that these settlements he wrote so much 
about are just irrelevant to the Arab hatred of Jews could constitute a 
"sudden awakening to the situation." Which word in that sentence can be 
disputed?  

Yours in careful reading,
Lee



On Sun, 27 May 2001 17:50:37 "Robert Cohen" <rlcm17 (at) hotmail(dot)com> 
writes:
> I don't mean to start a (clearly off-Jewish Music topic) thread on 
> this, and 
> won't at all mind if there are no further postings on it, but as Lee 
> 
> Friedman slipped a reference to Tom Friedman into his recent post, I 
> feel 
> impelled to add that, imhonsho, Friedman did not in *any* way 
> "suddenly" 
> awaken to the situation in Israel.  To assert so is, I suspect, to 
> reveal, 
> or convey, that one hasn't been carefully reading and following 
> Friedman's 
> articles (and, for that matter, TV and radio appearances) in re 
> Israel over 
> the last several years or more--which reflect a consistent, steady, 
> 
> grounded, and in my view, both ethical and perceptive understanding 
> of 
> what's (tragically) going on.
> 
> --Robert Cohen
> 
> 
> 
> >Only later did I find out that your reference was
> >to the correspondence regarding THOMAS Friedman's
> >(no relation) sudden awakening to the situation in Israel.
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
> 
> ---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org 
> ---------------------+
>