Chas Freeman Affair:

The lying liars are out in force

So he has been ejected (self-propelled, so the story goes) out of Obama's administration but the danse macabre is just beginning to swirl from the usual suspects:

Of course, none of this information will dissuade Chas Freeman's defenders, who really know that it was the Israel Lobby and its shills who ultimately won the "scalp" of this upstanding civil servant, in the words of Joe Klein (who subtly titles his post on the matter, "Assassination.") These writers already have a narrative about how things work in Washington, and they won't let inconvenient little things like facts get in the way of propounding upon it. "Chuck Schumer is taking credit, which will be no surprise to readers aware of his career-long interest Chinese democracy promotion," snarks Ezra Klein. "Chinese human rights activists everywhere are high-fiving," wrote Matthew Yglesias (actually, at least 87 were). “This is clearly a win for advocates of Chinese human rights and liberalism and empiricism, and not other issues; Chuck Schumer is obviously playing for votes in Chinatown," said Spencer Ackerman. The purpose of this argumentative tic is to impugn the motives of those who opposed Freeman by portraying us all as a bunch of Israel-obsessed McCarthyites, and that the real reason we opposed him was not some newfound aversion to people who defend the slaughter of 2,400 unarmed democracy protestors, but because he had a few not nice things to say about Bibi. I was unaware that these men posessed mind-reading capabilities. (That one could oppose Freeman for his views about Israel and China -- not to mention his dubious financial dealings with the Saudis -- never figured into these writers's semiotic analyses).

Jeffrey Goldberg makes 5 observation about Chas Freeman

And from amy Isseroff:

There was no chance that Freeman as intelligence analyst would ever see the slightest possibility that Israel was in the right about any issue, or that Israeli intelligence might be correct on any point where it conflicted with views of his friends. Just as it would be absurd to appoint the head of AIPAC to vet US intelligence, so it was equally absurd and bizarre to nominate the President of the MEPC and a member of the board of the Iranian-American Council to that post.

The supporters of Freeman never fought for him on the issues, but rather on the one irrelevant bogey man issue of "Israel Lobby." Whether or not Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, intended it, the struggle over the nomination of Freeman became an outpost in the battle in a war against Israel and supporters of Israel. It was intentionally billed as such by those who oppose Israel under the guise of "tough love." The issue is billed as support for settlements or "hard line" Israeli negotiating positions vis-a-vis the Palestinians, but that facade is transparent to anyone who wants to look. Some of the rhetoric has now degenerated into frank attacks on "Jews."

Comment Trail:

All threads from TNR, in which the Freeman Affair is like a house on fire. I took the liberty to re-formulate some of the posts' titles to be more illustrative of my own feisty inclination in taking part in them:

Freeman's elementary mistakes

Freeman's son comes to his rescue

Chinese Intellectuals against Freeman

Why Freeman matters, or something like that

Chas Freeman's Crow Song

Iranian Press TV, according to wikipedia: " is an English language international television news channel which is funded by the Iranian government, based in Tehran and broadcast in English"

Some of its infamous "journalists" we can count George Galloway, Yvonne Ridley, Tariq Ramadan, Lauren Booth.

It published an article by the British science historian Nicholas Kollerstrom, a Holocaust denier who once wrote:

'Let us hope the schoolchildren visitors are properly taught about the elegant swimming pool at Auschwitz, built by the inmates, who would sunbathe there on Saturday and Sunday afternoons while watching the water polo matches,' he said of the Nazi genocide. 'Let's hope they are shown postcards written from Auschwitz, where the postman would collect the mail twice weekly.'

Even the British newspaper The Guardian noted that "Press TV's website once included an article asserting that the Holocaust was 'scientifically impossible".

On this media outlet of dubious ethics and even more dubious agenda, we recently saw a familiar name, Chas Freeman:

"I was obviously disappointed that I didn't have support from the White House. But as I understand the way this administration works I shouldn't have been surprised," Chas Freeman said in an interview with an Iranian international news network headquartered in Teheran. Freeman also said, "I don't see how Israel can continue to survive in the long term as a state in the Middle East if it is not prepared to deal with respect and consideration with its Arab neighbors specially the Palestinians." Predictions that Israel cannot survive are common on Iranian TV.

And he still wonders why he did not have the support of the White House.

Freeman is well known for his support for and faith in the Mearsheimer&Walt new era "Protocols of Elders of Zion", aka "The Israel Lobby". It is strange that he can easily embrace this theory of an all-powerful lobby playing puppet master to the poor deluded American administration, even as he has no problem appearing on a TV channel which is known to have embraced Holocaust denial. Someone should ask him about his choice of ventilation forum and what it says about his own position and inclinations. Everything suspected of him during his short nomination has been proved correct, and more than correct.

Chas Freeman: the lesson

This is an important footnote to the aftermath of the Chas Freeman affair by Noah Pollak, staring the multiple bigots in the eye without blinking:

The attempt to write one religious or ethnic group out of the debate by assigning them membership in conspiracies and imputing to them dual loyalties is indeed un-American, and there should be nothing controversial about saying so.

On Circumcision, the Saint, and other animals

I remember this article by Hitchens, in which he writes sneeringly about the Jewish custom of circumcision with all the confidence of someone who knows and understands all (like the Spanish Inquisition, there is no doubt in his mind about his own righteousness and the stupid perfidious aim at which it is directed):

In more recent times, some pseudosecular arguments have been adduced for male circumcision. It has been argued that the process is more hygienic for the male and thus more healthy for females in helping them avoid, for example, cervical cancer. Medicine has exploded these claims or else revealed them as problems which can just as easily be solved by a “loosening” of the foreskin. Full excision, originally ordered by god as the blood price for the promised future massacre of the Canaanites, is now exposed for what it is — a mutilation of a powerless infant with the aim of ruining its future sex life.

For my sins, I took his information about the savage gratuitousness of the custom at face value. I was misled by his robust tone to think that he was really knowledgeable about how medical research had debunked the myth of hygiene and better health associated with circumcision.

And now I read this:

Sir Roger Moore, the British-born star of seven James Bond films, will donate the fee he earns from appearing at the fourth International Eilat Chamber Music Festival to a UNICEF program where Israeli expertise is used in training doctors to perform male circumcision as a way of reducing AIDS transmission in Africa.

[-]

Since 1991, Moore has been a UNICEF "goodwill ambassador" promoting women's and children's health. He was inspired to work for UNICEF by the late actress Audrey Hepburn, herself a "goodwill ambassador," after being deeply moved by India's poverty while filming a movie there.

In a phone interview with The Jerusalem Post, Moore said he had a growing interest in the importance of health and disease prevention, and said his visit was meant to promote HIV awareness and education.

"Prevention is the best cure of disease," he added.

He disclosed that he himself had been circumcised at the initiative of his parents when he was eight.

"It was the unkindest cut of all," he joked. "But really, it was for hygienic reasons. My two sons [now 42 and 35] have been circumcised as well. They have never complained."

In the spring of 2007, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and UNICEF recognized "compelling evidence" that adult male circumcision was an "additional important intervention" that could reduce the risk of HIV transmission. [-]

Together with experts from UN organizations, they say that male circumcision should always be considered part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package that includes HIV testing and counselling services, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, the promotion of safer sex practices, and the provision of condoms and diaphragms, with instruction as to their correct and consistent use.

I've always had a soft spot for Roger Moore. He didn't make such a memorable James Bond, but he was a great Saint.

Tangentially relevant:
In this video, Max Blumenthal is seen, trying to shame hapless New York Jews who rally for Israel, into admitting that Jewish circumcision is no different than female genitalia mutilation in Arab-Muslim societies.

In this video, stand-up comedian and journalist Aaron Freeman, an Chicago African-American who converted to Judaism, is regaling his audience with horror stories from his conversion process, including circumcision, at Betzavata theatre in Tel Aviv.

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Update: Mark Lyndon, in the comments, promotes a different position. He has a webpage, here, Physicians for Genital Integrity, devoted to activism against circumcision. And it seems they are mainly focused on male circumcision:
"We believe that male children are entitled to the same, equal protection as females receive under international law, U.S. national law, and the laws of other nations."

Comic Relief:

The New Centrist's celebrates his blog's first anniversary. Congratulations and many happy returns.

Being reminded that a year is a long time, I went back to check upon myself and see what I was writing about in June 2007. Hypocrisy seemed to be as much of an issue as it is today.

And then I ran across this skit, by stand-up comedian and journalist Aaron Freeman, an Chicago African-American who converted to Judaism. Here he is, regaling his audience with horror stories from his conversion process, at Betzavata theatre in Tel Aviv.

Today, June 2008, he is even funnier, with new nuances added over the last few months with Obama and the Joos, and what not.

Rabbi, Jew me ...

Aaron Freeman, here, meditates upon the meaning of becoming Jewish.

Comment Trail:

A matter of perspective? A footnote on Chas Freeman's affair @ PoliGazette

Harry Potter is a closet Zionist: @ The Spine

Another Chas footnote @ The Spine

Backfired boycott @ Boycotted British Academic

Obama's Jewish relative

(Does this make Obama an honorary Elder of Zion? That's a "she'ilta"* for Snoopythegoon to mull over...)

Marty Peretz, from The New Republic, is a truculent Obama supporter. He is also the most outspoken, unabashed admirer of Israel among the Center-Left that I'm familiar with.

He posted on his blog today, with some excitement, about the fact that Michelle Obama's cousin (once removed) is a certain Rabbi Capers Funnye.

"He is the chief rabbi of the Beth Shalom B'nei Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in southwest Chicago and "serves on on the Chicago Board of Rabbis."


An article in Haaretz fills out the details:

"He is well-known in Jewish circles for acting as a bridge between mainstream Jewry and the much smaller, and largely separate, world of black Jewish congregations... Funnye's famous relative gives an unexpected twist to the much-analyzed relationship between Barack Obama and Jews in this presidential campaign."

which probably accounts for Peretz's bubbling exuberance at this news.

Since the rabbi is a convert, he reminded me of another African-American convert from Chicago, a stand-up comic and a gifted author, Aaron Freeman.

Here is Aaron the convert, in front of an Israeli audience: "Rabbi, Jew me!"

And here he is in conversation with RABBI DOUG.

And what do you know, here is Aaron with Michelle's cousin himself.

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* A Talmudic query