Author: Jim Rissman

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In his Capital Times column Thursday, John Nichols offered Democrats advice, good advice, but not Advance U.S. — Not Israel’s — Interests, so the streak continues. He has yet to use “Israel” or “Palestine” this year in my “local progressive newspaper.”

Rules are rules, it doesn’t count, but he did use “Palestinian” on October 12, a fleeting reference to Abu Nidal. Last year, when he finally used “Israel” on December 30, he had used “Palestinian” on September 29 in an eulogy for Edward Said. The bad, the good, that leaves the ugly, look for Yassir Arafat on October 5, 2005.

John recycled the eulogy, Said Spoke Truth To Power, from The Nation, for which Edward occasionally wrote:

In A New Current in Palestine (02/04/2002), he asks “So where are Israeli and American liberals, so quick to condemn violence while saying little about the disgraceful and criminal occupation itself?”

In Bombs and Bulldozers (09/08/97), he insists that “Western liberals must remember that Oslo was not a tabula rosa; it came after twenty-six years of Israeli military occupation and, before that, nineteen years of Palestinian dispossession.”

And Oslo I to Oslo II: The Mirage of Peace finds him “particularly disheartened by the role played in all this by liberal Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Silence is not a response, and neither is some fairly tepid endorsement of a Palestinian state, with Israeli settlements and the army more or less still there, still in charge. The peace process must be demystified and spoken about plainly.”

“Mirage” appeared on about the same day as the Capital Times editorial “To heal and transform,” presumably written by John Nichols (9/26/95). Oslo II represents “a monumental stride in the direction of producing regional tranquility and global justice.” While “militants condemn the agreement as too much or too little,” it “certainly meets the definition of tikkun.” That is, it “can and must” lead to “mending, repairing and ultimately transforming the world.” Tikkun, “a lovely Hebrew word.”

John could have written “Said Spoke Truth To Power And Me.” He could have added an acknowledgment that it was, in particular, he and other “progressives” who “frustrated” Edward and a promise to try to mend his ways, but he didn’t. Since then, he has only reaffirmed his silence, 104 Capital Times columns down, six to go.

note:

The question Edward Said asks in “A New Current,” can liberals be roused into supporting nonviolent Palestinian resistance, couldn’t be more germane, Ran HaCohen indicates today in The Third Intifada.

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Tuesday John Nichols wrote about Tommy Thompson’s return to Wisconsin from the Bush cabinet, it’s not worth providing a link, that was his 103rd Capital Times column of the year and the 103rd time he’s failed to mention “Israel” (or “The Zionist Entity”).

It was nice to see that Commondreams posted Ray McGovern’s article on the major terrorism conference held in the wake of the publication of the study by a panel of the U.S. Defense Science Board. Bush’s exploitation of the “war on terrorism” and the amount of resources squandered therein are big concerns of John. One wonders, but not too much, if John read the article and recognized himself, if Commondreams is aware that one of its biggest contributors should have recognized himself.

The conference “proved to be highly instructive for what was not addressed.” Only “a rude question from the audience” raised the DSB study’s point that “Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom,’ but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights…”

In response to another questioner’s pressing, a RAND expert “acknowledged that the United States has a ‘bad reputation,’ but insisted that this is ‘unavoidable’ because, for example, U.S. support for Israel is ‘immutable.'” In other words, Lawrence of Arabia was wrong, everything is written.

Does it require courage to “state simply the conclusions that fall out of one’s analysis?” To paraphrase William Arrowsmith, is the intellectual climate at RAND and the New York Times as uncongenial to “telling it like it is” as the Mojave Desert to a clutch of Druid priests?”

Never mind, here’s the real question–does John Nichols have the courage of his immutability enough to make it through seven more columns without mentioning “Israel?” Remember, last year he copped out on December 30.

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As Associate Editor of The Capital Times, John does accomodate local activists on occasion, he did so Tuesday. If you think I’m being unfair to him or in honor of his streak, support the Rafah Playground project.

Alternet has posted a relevant speech by Russ Feingold over which John can gush safely.

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For Thursday’s Capital Times , John Nichols reworked his latest Nation On-Line Beat entry, which topped Common Dreams’ list Wednesday. The subject was the thwarting of a church’s attempt to celebrate inclusiveness. I’m attempting to celebrate how religiously exclusive John (and by proxy, far too many “progressives”) is when it comes to Palestine, that’s 102 Cap Times columns down, eight to go and he’ll have made it through the year without having used the word “Israel.”

In a letter to the editor in response to a Cap Times editorial in October, 1995, I wondered how the same people who had celebrated the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa were gushing over “the peace process,” i.e., the “formalization and intensification of apartheid in Israel/Palestine…The plan being implemented is to isolate Palestinian population centers. Each enclave is being surrounded by settlements, Israeli army fortresses and crucially, ‘bypass’ roads costing a billion dollars…”

“Born in 1991,” the checkpoints “were greatly reinforced” after the Oslo Accords were signed, Yitzhak Laor writes in the wake of the violin incident.

Amira Hass reports and applauds, the Palestinian Authority is finally taking a practical step against apartheid road construction.

In “Palestinians await someone who offers them freedom,” Nadia Hijab mentions “Marwan Barghouti, whose capture and imprisonment by
Israel during the current uprising evokes comparisons with South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.”

Martin Fletcher, NBC News’ Tel Aviv bureau chief who was previously based in Johannesburg, had this to say in an interview last year:

“The thing is that, to a large extent, Israel today is worse than South Africa. Because if you compare the situation of the blacks under apartheid to the situation of the Palestinians under the Israeli military occupation, the Palestinians’ situation is much worse.

“The idea of apartheid was that the blacks would live separately from the whites, but as long as they were living apart, they could do what they wanted. They were free to travel, to go to the cinema, to go to work, or wherever else they wanted. Here the Palestinians are not free to move because the military dictatorship of this government doesn’t allow it…

“I loved South Africa, but one day I realized that I couldn’t remain there any longer…

“I wonder when the Israelis will look at the Palestinians’ situation and understand that it’s intolerable that a million people should live for so long stuck in their houses without being able to go anywhere.”

“Untolerable” for whom? Yes, 102 columns down, eight to go.

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Good news out of Madison, “progressive” bellwether John Nichols has rung out November with
“Accenture pact a boneheaded move.”

The streak lives, still no mention of “Israel” this year, 101 columns down, nine to go.

If John does stumble, it very well may be over the violin incident, Ha’aretz and The Guardian,
“Images from another place, another time” and “Israel shocked by image.”

He could focus on the Jewish angst/Israel losing its soul aspect of the story.

Incidentally, The Guardian quotes novelist Yoram Kaniuk, who happens to be the source of a joke which says all you really need to know about the histroy of the Israeli/Arab conflict. Here it is, as told to Sana Hasan (“Enemy in the Promised Land”).

Continue reading “Nichols Countdown—9”

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The 9/11 Commission Report, issued in July, recommends that the U.S. “should offer an example of moral leadership in the world, committed to treat people humanely, abide by the rule of law…” It notes that “it is a simple fact that American policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American actions in Iraq are dominant staples of popular commentary across the Arab and Muslim world” (Chapter 12.3 [.pdf]).

Now “a report by a Pentagon advisory panel…warns that no public relations plan or information operation can defend America from flawed policies” (NYT). The report states that “Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom,’ but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights…” (page 40). “U.S. policies on Israeli-Palestinian issues and Iraq in 2003-2004 have damaged America’s credibility and power to persuade” (page 18). (It’s the Policy, Stupid!)

While some appear to be facing “simple facts,” others remain in a state of denial. Consider the case of John Nichols, Associate Editor of The Capital Times and Washington correspondent for The Nation. Nichols is a “progressive” bellwether, probably the most posted writer at Common Dreams.

It was Bush’s “shameless exploitation of the war on terror” that got him re-elected, Nichols feels. Well, gee, terrorism can’t be exploited if there isn’t any. Ergo, if the exploitation bothers one so much, one should address the causes of terrorism.

Nichols writes at least two columns a week for The Capital Times. So far this year, in 100 tries, he has yet to talk about US policy towards Israel/Palestine. Indeed, he has yet to mention “Israel.” Hence, the countdown, 100 columns down, ten to go.

In 2003, John proved himself to be the playful sort, ultimately mentioning “Israel” on December 30. I was doing the countdown by e-mail, maybe it was a mistake to include him on the circulation list. This time, no meddling, let history takes its course.

It’s not surprising that people are thinking of ’60s protest music. Juan Cole draws attention to what happened at a Colorado high school talent show when a group tried to perform Dylan’s “Masters of War”. Pepe Escobar is also thinking Dylan. Meanwhile, I’ve been listening to a Phil Ochs’ CD, a couple of the lines from which are so timely they send a shiver up the spine.

From “The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo” :

In the red plaza square, The crowds come to stare, the heat is leaning
And the eyes of the dead are turning every head to the widows screaming
The soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids, their teeth are gleaming
The marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

And from Cops of the World:

Clean the johns with a rag, boys
Clean the johns with a rag
If you like you can use your flag, boys
If you like you can use your flag
We’ve got too much money we’re looking for toys
And guns will be guns and boys will be boys
But we’ll gladly pay for all we destroy
‘Cause we’re the Cops of the World, boys
We’re the Cops of the World

Indeed, the rebuilding contractors are chomping at the bits.

But where have all the liberals gone? Young girls picked them, every one? Nope, Madison mayor Dave Cieslewicz has the correct answer. Ochs’ most endearing song will have to be reworked under the title “Praise Me, Praise Me, Praise Me, I’m A Progressive .