@Elliot Mason Elliot , you ask, do I know what the word ZIONISM means ? I doubt if consulting the Oxford Dictionary will settle any dispute here. Try asking what Catholicism or Marxism means. My views on Zionism were strongly influenced by left-wing or traditional liberal Jewish intellectuals- like Isaac Asimov , like Howard Zinn. In brief , this DEMOCRATIC socialist can not accept the idea that any particular area of the planet is reserved for any particular ethnic group. I think the state of Israel as presently constituted is a mockery even of BOURGEOIS democracy. That does not make me a fan of Islamic terrorism. What I do LIKE about Israel, in contrast to most of the Islamic countries, is its connection to the traditional values ( not always honored just as in " OUR democracy " ) of Western Civilization. Last time I checked Israel was not staging mass beheadings . For years now I have noticed that so called liberals in the Democratic Party and so called FAR LEFT ( includes sectarian Marxist parties ) have shown contempt for the FREE SPEECH , FREE THOUGHT tradition of Western Civilization. For example the conservative young man Ben Shapiro ( from a Jewish background ) was stopped from speaking on a number of college campuses. What passes for IDENTITY POLITICS now in the USA is intolerant and punitive. Of course , unless FREE THOUGHT and FREE SPEECH are respected ALL political agenda will end up in tyranny- like Stalin's Russia, like Hitler's Germany. The " liberal " Democrats see Donald Trump as Hitler . I see these illiberal liberal Democrats as future STALINISTS without any " socialist " agenda. I consider myself a DEMOCRATIC socialist still shaped by Catholic social philosophy. In all my posts I use my real name. On FACEBOOK -last time I checked - I have 5000 ( the maximum ) FRIENDS . On my blog I am approaching half-million views. Going back to 1997 ( and earlier writing ) I have nearly 10,000 posts.( No, I am not a FOR SALE writer but I am hardly a CHUMP writer. Several hundred published letters to newspapers going back 1967; First letter ( ? ) published in the Providence Journal protesting the Vietnam War : " Dying for a Colossal Lie " . I like the title of a book on George Orwell: " Fugitive From the Camp of Victory " . So I am definitely, by philistine standards, a LOSER but not a CHUMP . Best wishes !
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ReplyDelete@Elliot Mason Elliot , you ask, do I know what the word ZIONISM means ? I doubt if consulting the Oxford Dictionary will settle any dispute here. Try asking what Catholicism or Marxism means. My views on Zionism were strongly influenced by left-wing or traditional liberal Jewish intellectuals- like Isaac Asimov , like Howard Zinn. In brief , this DEMOCRATIC socialist can not accept the idea that any particular area of the planet is reserved for any particular ethnic group. I think the state of Israel as presently constituted is a mockery even of BOURGEOIS democracy. That does not make me a fan of Islamic terrorism.
What I do LIKE about Israel, in contrast to most of the Islamic countries, is its connection to the traditional values ( not always honored just as in " OUR democracy " ) of Western Civilization. Last time I checked Israel was not staging mass beheadings .
For years now I have noticed that so called liberals in the Democratic Party and so called FAR LEFT ( includes sectarian Marxist parties ) have shown contempt for the FREE SPEECH , FREE THOUGHT tradition of Western Civilization.
For example the conservative young man Ben Shapiro ( from a Jewish background ) was stopped from speaking on a number of college campuses. What passes for IDENTITY POLITICS now in the USA is intolerant and punitive.
Of course , unless FREE THOUGHT and FREE SPEECH are respected ALL political agenda will end up in tyranny- like Stalin's Russia, like Hitler's Germany.
The " liberal " Democrats see Donald Trump as Hitler . I see these illiberal liberal Democrats as future STALINISTS without any " socialist " agenda.
I consider myself a DEMOCRATIC socialist still shaped by Catholic social philosophy. In all my posts I use my real name. On FACEBOOK -last time I checked - I have 5000 ( the maximum ) FRIENDS . On my blog I am approaching half-million views. Going back to 1997 ( and earlier writing ) I have nearly 10,000 posts.( No, I am not a FOR SALE writer but I am hardly a CHUMP writer. Several hundred published letters to newspapers going back 1967; First letter ( ? ) published in the Providence Journal protesting the Vietnam War : " Dying for a Colossal Lie " . I like the title of a book on George Orwell: " Fugitive From the Camp of Victory " . So I am definitely, by philistine standards, a LOSER but not a CHUMP .
Best wishes !