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DEFINITION OFFERED

Outstanding Australian idiot Antony Loewenstein:

A growing number of media organisations want us all to define groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah as simply terrorist organisations. They are not. Indeed, I wouldn’t define either as terror groups – though both have engaged in terrorist acts – but rather socio-political entities.

UPDATE. When socio-political entities collide:

Palestinian gunmen yesterday killed three children of a senior Fatah intelligence officer, pumping dozens of bullets into their car as it passed through a street full of schoolchildren.

UPDATE II. Alexander Downer in 2004:

Hamas, Hezbollah and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad are listed under Australian legislation as terrorist groups, making it an offence to associate with or be a member of them … So to proactively pursue a policy of not describing these groups as terrorist groups is to deny the legal reality under Australian law.

(Via Tabitha N.)

Posted by Tim B. on 12/11/2006 at 06:19 PM
  1. I wouldn’t define either as terror groups – though both have engaged in terrorist acts – but rather socio-political entities.

    A term which would apply equally well to any group of two or more people engaged in any activity, anywhere. But, hey, easier to ignore what Hezbollah and Hamas do and want if you define them in such a meaningless way.

    Posted by Rob Crawford on 2006 12 11 at 06:28 PM • permalink

  2. I wouldn’t define Ant as an idiot, but rather a vacuo-mental entity.

    Posted by AlburyShifton on 2006 12 11 at 06:28 PM • permalink

  3. That’s just a simple misprint.

    What he meant was sociopathic entities.

    Posted by rinardman on 2006 12 11 at 06:30 PM • permalink

  4. By that definition, the Israeli Defense Force is a hunting club.

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 12 11 at 06:30 PM • permalink

  5. He’s not too far off, if you change the s-p entities to s-m entities.

    Posted by Cat on 2006 12 11 at 06:30 PM • permalink

  6. People like Ant spread their ideoligical poison and act as lord haw haws in our society.
    His huge ego and cognitive egocentrism project his own idiotic neo liberal views onto some of the worlds worst terrorist organisations.
    We need to educate ourselves about how Radical Muslims see the world so that we understand the threat instead of excusing it and blaming ourselevs evry time we are attacked.
    we laso need to educate ourselves to feel pride in our own civiliasation and support totally those who go out and risk their lives to defend it.
    In the meantime we are also at war with demopaths like Loewenstein who shamefully calls himself a Jew.

    Posted by davo on 2006 12 11 at 06:39 PM • permalink

  7. The man has serious idio-moron shithead entity issues.

    Posted by rick mcginnis on 2006 12 11 at 06:39 PM • permalink

  8. A growing number of media organisations want us all to define groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah as simply terrorist organisations.

    I think it’s rather more important that various governments, having access to a wealth of intelligence information, define these groups as terrorist organizations. Of course, Antoine’s intelligence network may be better. I mean, he’s got those relatives in Israel and all, but I thought they were all pissed off at him.

    Posted by paco on 2006 12 11 at 06:46 PM • permalink

  9. The best thing about these socio-political entities is that when they go all socio-political they scatter lots of tiny socio-political entities about.

    Posted by Henry boy on 2006 12 11 at 06:51 PM • permalink

  10. Yes, socio-political identities that execute those that dissent without trial, use civilians as cover for guerrilla warfare, target civilians almost exclusively with random rocket attacks, sucide bombings and sniping and preach genocide against their enemy.  If any ‘socio political’ entities ever deserved to be carpet bombed out of existence it would Hamas, Hezbollah and their supporters (including Ant).

    Posted by bondo on 2006 12 11 at 06:52 PM • permalink

  11. Let’s be fair and reasonable, the Nazi Party was only a socio-political entity as well. Likewise the USSR under Stalin. So what is new?

    Posted by Rafe on 2006 12 11 at 06:56 PM • permalink

  12. Well I guess that means Antony doesn’t read my blog.

    I guess this means I now have a pathological distaste (to put it mildly) for him. 

    What a poisoned and poisonous man.

    And all I want was to wish Tim and readers a happy Christmas.

    Posted by saint on 2006 12 11 at 06:57 PM • permalink

  13. So Jack the Ripper wasn’t a murderer, but rather a person who committed murder?

    Ant, you are an idiot.

    Posted by rbj1 on 2006 12 11 at 06:58 PM • permalink

  14. Oh. And read the entire speech. It’s pure bile.

    “As a journalist who writes extensively on the Israel/Palestine conflict – and recently released the best-selling book, My Israel Question –”

    “As a human being first and a Jew second, I have faced my fair share of slanderous attacks for simply stating the obvious; Israel in its current form is a danger to both the Middle East and the world. It is equally painful to admit that far too few Jews are willing to speak out against these atrocities, either out of cowardice or complicity. “

    “Former US President Jimmy Carter, currently touring the United States to promote his new book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, said this week that America must take a more “balanced view” of the conflict, yet acknowledged that the likelihood of such action was remote. Why? It would be “unimaginable” for a politician, he lamented, to blame Israel for the never-ending violence and still gain office.” 

    Jimmy Carter? Arafat speech writer? After the pasting he got for that error-riddled book even from long term friends?

    Read it all.

    Posted by saint on 2006 12 11 at 07:08 PM • permalink

  15. I see that one of his socio-political entities has been carrying out some community service activities;

    “GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian gunmen killed three young sons of a senior Palestinian intelligence officer Monday, pumping dozens of bullets into their car as it passed through a street crowded with schoolchildren in an apparent botched assassination attempt that could ignite widespread factional fighting.

      There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drive-by attack, which left the schoolbags and a small plastic bag with a sandwich covered in blood.”

    Fuckin’ cockroaches.

    Posted by Toosmoky on 2006 12 11 at 07:16 PM • permalink

  16. I wouldn’t define Antony as a writer – though he has written a book – but rather an idiot.

    Posted by Hanyu on 2006 12 11 at 07:16 PM • permalink

  17. A growing number of media organisations want us all to define groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah as simply terrorist organisations.

    Stats please.

    Posted by noir on 2006 12 11 at 07:17 PM • permalink

  18. More from Antony:

    “The UN agency in charge of de-mining southern Lebanon found fresh evidence in late November that Israel has planted a new crop of land mines during the July/August war with Hizbollah, in addition to the roughly four million cluster bombs spread during the war itself.

    My aim here is not to simply demonise Israel. A journalist’s role, or so students are told in journalism school, is to report objectively, fairly and with balance. Fine words, and often appropriate for any number of stories, such as road accidents or parliamentary clashes. When it comes to the Israel/Palestine conflict, however, certain facts cry out for recognition.”

    It gets worse…on Danby…

    Suffice to say, his campaigning has been an abject failure.

    The book moved into a 2nd reprint within a week of hitting the shops in early August. It is now in its 3rd reprint. The message has been widely disseminated by virtually all media outlets in the country and reviewed extensively. I have been invited around the nation to speak at writer’s festivals, public meetings, universities, media outlets, forums and lecture halls. There has also been some overseas interest.

    The response has been overwhelmingly positive (despite also receiving a healthy percentage of hate-mail, principally from Jews). I have now received over 1000 letters and emails from both Australia and overseas from people telling me their very personal take on the book, its message and the desperate need for a public debate on matters of Zionism, occupation and Judaism. Rather than ignore the book, as Danby and his ilk wished, it has been warmly embraced by any number of Jews, Muslims, aethiests and many others. During a recent trip to Adelaide, a group of Muslims said that I had given them a voice in the Australian media on Middle East affairs. I was flattered with this comment, but also saddened. Being a nice, Jewish boy from Melbourne who speaks for these people proves that dialogue can occur. But I wondered; where are the prominent Lebanese voices in our media?

    He’s been poisoning people in my home town? OK someone convince me he’s sociopath who needs to be committed real quick otherwise I’m declaring war on Antony.

    Posted by saint on 2006 12 11 at 07:20 PM • permalink

  19. Whew.  That’s like saying the Mafia isn’t a gang of criminals, it’s a socio-economic entity.  Say this for Ant:  he’s a master equivocator.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 12 11 at 07:22 PM • permalink

  20. Oh look, we all know Bush is the real terrorist.

    Posted by anthony_r on 2006 12 11 at 07:32 PM • permalink

  21. I’m surprised ANT is over here in Oz, I would have guessed he would have been guest of Honour at the Holocaust denial conference in Teherah.

    Posted by davo on 2006 12 11 at 07:45 PM • permalink

  22. A growing number of media organisations want us all to define groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah as simply terrorist organisations.

    Looks like a duck…

    Walks like a duck…

    Quacks like a duck…

    ... therefore it must be what, Anthony?

    Posted by Apparatchik on 2006 12 11 at 07:52 PM • permalink

  23. ...There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drive-by attack, which left the schoolbags and a small plastic bag with a sandwich covered in blood.”

    Fuckin’ cockroaches.

    Please, Toosmokey. Have you ever really looked at a cockroach? While they may be kind of icky, they’re also very beautiful. They’re light, yet very fast. They’re not very smart, yet they can survive - nay, thrive - in the most hostile of environments.

    Please don’t insult cockroaches by comparing them to the excuse for a human that is the “Palestinian” terrorist. Even a cockroach has enough dignity not to wear a bomb into a crowded cafe or pizza parlour.

    Posted by Nicholas on 2006 12 11 at 07:55 PM • permalink

  24. Even a cockroach has enough dignity not to wear a bomb into a crowded cafe or pizza parlour.

    Nah. They just haven’t developed a bomb small enough yet.

    Posted by triticale on 2006 12 11 at 08:04 PM • permalink

  25. According to Tony, this

    is a metallic earth-removing device

    Posted by pommygranate on 2006 12 11 at 08:07 PM • permalink

  26. In the war against socio-politicalists, you’re either with us or against us.

    Posted by blogagog on 2006 12 11 at 08:11 PM • permalink

  27. Why should anyone assume that drive-by shooting was merely a botched assassination attempt?  Pali terrorists love to kill Jewish children.  Why should they not extend the same passion to the children of their Pali political enemies?

    Cockroaches act like cockroaches.

    Pali terrorists act like Pali terrorists.

    Step on both of them.

    As for Jimmy Carter, lots of people seem to get very upset about the idea of armed Jews defending themselves against genocide.  It makes them nervous, even drives them hysterical.  I can only wonder why.

    Posted by Michael Lonie on 2006 12 11 at 08:16 PM • permalink

  28. Try this on for size Anthony.

    A growing number of media organisations want us all to define groups such as the New York Knicks and the LA Lakers simply basketball teams. They are not. Indeed, I wouldn’t define either as basketball teams – though both have engaged in games of basketball – but rather socio-political entities.

    I actually prefer this modification.

    A growing number of media organisations want us all to define Antony Loewenstein as a journalist. He is not. Indeed, I wouldn’t define him as a journalist – though he has engaged in writing – but rather, a troll.

    Posted by Jono on 2006 12 11 at 08:25 PM • permalink

  29. Where is Lancet when we want to know the number of civilian deaths caused by Hamas and Hezbollah?

    Posted by allan on 2006 12 11 at 08:29 PM • permalink

  30. “Socio-political”, isn’t too awful, is it?  It’s just that “entities” isn’t descriptive enough.  How about a compromise term, as in socio-political terrorists?

    Posted by Cat on 2006 12 11 at 08:33 PM • permalink

  31. Lowenstein displays the profile of the psychotic who believs that a rearrangement of words cac change reality. Aside from his laughable attempt to redefine terrorist organizations in banal terms, he redefines his own character from being a bloodthirsty anti-Semite supporter of child killers, beheaders, women oppressors to that of a “nice Jewish boy”. He is far from nice, nor the kind of “Jewish” that any Jew can tolerate, nor is he even a “boy”.

    Posted by stats on 2006 12 11 at 08:39 PM • permalink

  32. The Hairyball-dumb-dumb-illusionary party sounds a better political name.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2006 12 11 at 08:42 PM • permalink

  33. To the likes of Antony and his ilk,if Jews were to strap bombs around themselves, like Hamas and Hesbollah and blow themselves up in the streets of London, Would their new fashionable call of dissentful demonstrators become “We are all Jews now”.
    All those leftists who sympathise over the Holocaust yet spew hatred at the IDF only like jews when they Show no resistance to their own extermination and quietly go to their deaths.
    No doubt if the Jews who were murdered in Auschwitz had been portrayed as displaying fierce resistance resulting in the death of many thousands of concentration camp “personel” then one wonders if the leftists’ sympathy might have been with the concentration camp personel or at least a little less for the Murdered Jews.

    Posted by davo on 2006 12 11 at 08:46 PM • permalink

  34. I really don’t know what is wrong with Antony. Perhaps it’s because he was an only child.

    Posted by flying pigs over mecca on 2006 12 11 at 08:51 PM • permalink

  35. So what constitutes a terrorist organisation? Or are there only ‘socio-political entities’ now?

    Posted by Ian Deans on 2006 12 11 at 09:04 PM • permalink

  36. Journalism in particular is failing us all over the world. 

    Do they all get their skills from “Journalism for Dummies”?

    Posted by ann j on 2006 12 11 at 09:06 PM • permalink

  37. That’s like saying the Mafia isn’t a gang of criminals, it’s a socio-economic entity.

    Been done.  Back when the feds were hot on his tail, NY Capo Vito Genovese actually founded an organization called the Italian-American Antidefamation League whose main purpose was to protest prosecution of Vito Genovese as a racist act…

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 12 11 at 09:09 PM • permalink

  38. I’ve gotta agree with Rafe. Although socio-politcal does makes them sound like Baader-Meinhoff with a health plan and child minding facilities. 
    “the roughly four million cluster bombs”
    That’s what, 2000 sorties by the IAF just dropping CBU?  And none of them worked?  Seems a tad true, but false.

    Posted by lotocoti on 2006 12 11 at 09:11 PM • permalink

  39. As a human being first

    Really? When I put on my special sunglasses I see something else entirely.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2006 12 11 at 09:21 PM • permalink

  40. A growing mumber of people define Ant as a cock jockey. The 99.9% of the population who have never heard of him, still think he’s an arse sperlunker.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 12 11 at 09:34 PM • permalink

  41. KEYSER TRAD PRESS RELEASE

    Right, thanks for all coming today, we have a few points on different matters that the Mufti of Australia would like to put forth, so we’ll get started straight away.

    Firstly, as you are all aware, the Mufti, and indeed all of us associated with him, have been under intense pressure from the media recently to right a perceived wrong. Some less favourable commenters have even mentioned resignations etc.

    The Mufti would like to categorically state that he is wise enough to read the writing on the wall. Therefore he will yield to the pressure of a growing number of media organisations ...........and so he now declares that from this point forth, Hamas and Hizbollah are to be treated as socio-political entities instead of just as political organisations.

    Next point. Recently the Prime Minister of Australia, has come under pressure for not adopting a more ‘European’ approach to national policy. The Mufti vigorously endorses this analysis. After all, Dar-Al-Islam is vigorously adopting Europe as we speak.

    Yet, to set a further example in support of this criticism, muslim youth organisations here in Australia will be encouraged to engage in more ‘European’ pursuits in future and will focus more on torching cars than other criminal matters.

    Thank you, are there any questions?

    Yes, Peter Scooply from the ‘The Rag’, Does the Mufti endorse Sharia Law for Australia?

    No.

    Antony Lowenstein, famous best selling author of ‘My Israel Question’, and all round good guy, hi, aaaah another one for the Mufti, aaaah has he read my book?

    No, but thanks for holding up that copy for all to see. Your book of course is written in English and like road signs and Australian laws, is therefore impenetrable to the Mufti. However about a week ago over a few waters I gave him the gist of it. Boy was that a short night.

    All I can say publicly is that the Mufti is in general agreement and is tolerant towards your existense….but….look this is off the record, but you have heard of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?” Good, well of course that will stand right up until the point Allah’s intentions are realised and Israel no longer exists. Then the Mufti’s relationship with you will be reviewed. Just thought I’d let you know so that you aren’t surprised when it comes. No hard feelings eh?

    Thank you all for coming and please enjoy the baklava and date juice that has been provided.  Also, for those interested, pamphlets on conversion to the Religion of Peace are available on the table. I can’t recommend those enough.

    Posted by Penguin on 2006 12 11 at 09:35 PM • permalink

  42. Andrea: ...and you’re all out of bubblegum?

    Posted by Patrick Chester on 2006 12 11 at 09:35 PM • permalink

  43. #41 Penguin

    Good, well of course that will stand right up until the point Allah’s intentions are realised and Israel no longer exists. Then the Mufti’s relationship with you will be reviewed. Just thought I’d let you know so that you aren’t surprised when it comes. No hard feelings eh?

    To paraphrase Douglas Adams, Antony is a mindless jerk who’ll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.

    Posted by flying pigs over mecca on 2006 12 11 at 09:40 PM • permalink

  44. Antony is a socio-political embarrassment. So if I decide to kill you Antony, for the pure fun of it, then I am just a socio-political individual?

    He is a real fuckwit.

    Posted by The Best Infidel on 2006 12 11 at 09:42 PM • permalink

  45. Well, I, for one, am getting sick and tired of these Islamofascisits who go around trying to socio-politicize innocent people.

    Posted by paco on 2006 12 11 at 09:44 PM • permalink

  46. And “Islamofascists”, too. PIMF!!

    Posted by paco on 2006 12 11 at 09:45 PM • permalink

  47. Indeed, I wouldn’t define either as terror groups – though both have engaged in terrorist acts – but rather socio-political entities.

    I’ll have to keep this quote in mind if Ant ever uses the term “hate group.”

    Posted by Dave S. on 2006 12 11 at 09:47 PM • permalink

  48. If we ignore AL will he go away? Worked with Mark Latham.

    Posted by stackja1945 on 2006 12 11 at 09:55 PM • permalink

  49. Dickhead

    Posted by Margos Maid on 2006 12 11 at 10:02 PM • permalink

  50. #3

    Are you sure? They could also be “explosio-political entities”.

    Posted by fidens on 2006 12 11 at 10:06 PM • permalink

  51. #18

    The book moved into a 2nd reprint within a week of hitting the shops in early August.

    Uh, 2nd edition. Not reprint.

    There was that ‘small matter’ of printing a map showing Lebanon on the border of Haifa which required another print run.

    As we all now know, he has sold to date, less than 6000 copies. The whole ‘bestselling’ thing is an outright lie, like so much of his writing.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 11 at 10:13 PM • permalink

  52. ..socio-political entities?

    More like socio-pathic entities.

    Posted by Mystery Meat on 2006 12 11 at 10:19 PM • permalink

  53. #22 Sounds like Michael LEunig.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2006 12 11 at 10:21 PM • permalink

  54. I’m surprised ANT is over here in Oz, I would have guessed he would have been guest of Honour at the Holocaust denial conference in Teherah.

    No that honour has been given to his mate from Adelaide

    Posted by burrah on 2006 12 11 at 10:28 PM • permalink

  55. Antknee is just begging for an ass whuppin with that kind of talk. Jesus, what a pompous buffoon.

    Posted by Latino on 2006 12 11 at 10:39 PM • permalink

  56. “I wouldn’t define either as terror groups”

    As if people cared how scumbags define things.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 11 at 10:43 PM • permalink

  57. Funny how that story about the Palli gunmen shooting up the car full of kids got one small paragraph in the Age‘s ‘In Brief’ section on page 9.  Fatah gangsters shoot up kids in pointless turf war?  No big deal.  IDF inadvertently kill ‘human shields’ (willing or conscripted) defending Israeli civilians?  Crime against humanity!

    Posted by cuckoo on 2006 12 11 at 10:48 PM • permalink

  58. Come on, Tim, I’m sure the two groups were just engaged in a little turf war over who would run the area’s daycares or children’s aid societies.

    Posted by andycanuck on 2006 12 11 at 11:22 PM • permalink

  59. For other fruity views on Jews - The Australian letters page.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 12 11 at 11:35 PM • permalink

  60. #33 Davo: the key difference between jews in WW2 and now is that in the holocaust the jews were victims, therefore loved by the left.
    Today they are forthrightly defending themselves, and therefore automatically evil in the worldview of scum like loewy.

    Posted by entropy on 2006 12 11 at 11:39 PM • permalink

  61. #59 Thanks for that.

    It’s a combination of Holocaust deniers and morons, including a couple of regulars, one of whom is convinced that Palestinians are Semites, therefore it is really the Jews who are the anti-Semites.

    In Loewenstein’s case it almost makes sense.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 12 at 12:58 AM • permalink

  62. #52 You just repeated comment #3!

    Don’t make me get all socio-political on you.

    Posted by fidens on 2006 12 12 at 01:37 AM • permalink

  63. I read that it was some late 18th century German antisemites who fashioned the word semites to indentify Jews as a race and NOT a religion so that they could not escape their Jewishness by simply converting to Christianity.
    Hitler refused to acknowledge Arabs as semites and granted Aryan status to Al Husseini who shared his aims of extermination of world Jewry

    Posted by davo on 2006 12 12 at 03:47 AM • permalink

  64. I know I’m regarded as a bit gormless for this group, but I’d thought I’d stick around anyway and see what I can learn.

    First of all, so there’s no misunderstanding, I thought I’d state my position on terrorism. People who go round killing kids, blowing up buildings, indiscriminately killing civilians, covertly agitating for unconstitutional changes in government and the like are terrorists.

    The problem is that while it’s easy to define who terrorists are, but harder to see who they aren’t. The truth is that there are many legitimate governments who do these things as well, so to avoid defining these governments (or their leaders) as “terrorists” we have to start making allowances for the other good things that they do, or the reasons they had for doing this.

    I’m not the sort of guy who goes around saying things like “Bush is the real terrorist”, but I do wonder if one side is doing similar things to the other side, how you ultimately decide…

    Does it come down to religion? Skin colour? Geography? Or is “terrorist” just the new catch-all criticism that “communist” used to be; a term that condemns any enemy you choose merely through its use.

    yours enquiringly,
    ThePirateKing

    Posted by ThePirateKing on 2006 12 12 at 04:21 AM • permalink

  65. #3 Rinardman

    My thought exactly.

    Posted by kae on 2006 12 12 at 05:22 AM • permalink

  66. “The problem is that while it’s easy to define who terrorists are…”

    It’s not a problem for me, because I really don’t care what you call the guys in Hezbollah.

    What they’ve done is to carry out attacks on American embassies, and blow up American peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (there at the request of the government of Lebanon, btw), and that makes them the enemy of my blood.

    Whether you or anyone else chooses to call them terrorists or freedom fighters is irrelevant to me, as long as we kill them (something that should have been done many years ago).

    The important thing to do is to kill every last one of them (no mercy, no deals, no survivors), then y’all can argue about whether the charred corpses are those of dead Hezbollah terrorists or dead Hezbollah freedom fighters.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 12 at 05:48 AM • permalink

  67. PirateKing

    The problem is that while it’s easy to define who terrorists are, but harder to see who they aren’t.

    No it’s not. People who don’t “...go round killing kids, blowing up buildings, indiscriminately killing civilians, covertly agitating for unconstitutional changes in government and the like…” are not terrorists. It’s all there in your own post.

    Posted by AlburyShifton on 2006 12 12 at 05:49 AM • permalink

  68. #51
    I know. The whole speech was a pack of lies.

    I knew this conference was on, couldn’t believe the list of speakers and I knew certain people who have Antony on the Ants Pants list wanted to get ‘sponsorship’ to go (i.e. free entry of course) so I was curious to see what was spouted. I wonder if anyone had the balls to challenge him.

    Posted by saint on 2006 12 12 at 06:11 AM • permalink

  69. Pirateking

    Does it come down to religion? Skin colour? Geography?

    No, it comes down to if you are a gormless fuckwit who can’t tell the difference between someone who hacks off some-one’s head with a blunt knife and some-one who is democratically elected by a ballot of about 100 million odd people and is under constant scrutiny by the entire world.

    Or is “terrorist” just the new catch-all criticism that “communist” used to be; a term that condemns any enemy you choose merely through its use

    Gee, I don’t actually remember Yassr Arafat being called a ‘communist’ 30 years ago when he/followers was murdering people during aircraft hijacks, or after massacres during the Olympic Games.  When was that, exactly?

    Moral equivalence.  The universal passport for idiots.

    Posted by Stop Continental Drift! on 2006 12 12 at 06:14 AM • permalink

  70. I know I’m regarded as a bit gormless for this group, but I’d thought I’d stick around anyway and see what I can learn.

    Based on your post: Shitloads.

    Posted by Quentin George on 2006 12 12 at 06:43 AM • permalink

  71. pumping dozens of bullets into their car as it passed through a street full of schoolchildren

    Bullets are the ideas of sociopolitical entities.

    Posted by rhhardin on 2006 12 12 at 06:44 AM • permalink

  72. #64 The PirateKing -

    I’m not the sort of guy who goes around saying things like “Bush is the real terrorist”, but I do wonder if one side is doing similar things to the other side, how you ultimately decide…

    It’s December so it’s my month to decide these things.  I’ve decided they’re depraved child killing terrorists.  I’ve based that conclusion on the zodiac.  Are there any other questions?

    Posted by wronwright on 2006 12 12 at 06:54 AM • permalink

  73. #64 The PirateKing,

    I do wonder if one side is doing similar things to the other side, how you ultimately decide…

    Simple. It comes down to intent. In the Arab/Israeli conflict for example, both sides have killed children. Only one side however was actually trying to, and rejoiced when it happened. The other expressed regret. In war, bad things happen, people get killed and blood is spent. However, intent represents much of the difference between civilised societies and terrorists.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 12 at 08:18 AM • permalink

  74. Totally off topic. The solution to global warming: Nuke Tehran.

    Posted by saint on 2006 12 12 at 08:57 AM • permalink

  75. I suppose they could be a sort of Arab version of the Mafia, also sometimes considered a socio-political organization. One which kills people. Yeah, that sort of fits, don’cha think?

    Posted by benning on 2006 12 12 at 09:41 AM • permalink

  76. I’m not the sort of guy who goes around saying things like “Bush is the real terrorist”, but I do wonder if one side is doing similar things to the other side, how you ultimately decide…

    Trained, professional military forces protecting civilians under the rule of law are every bit as bad as the terrorists, operating without any constraints, trying to kill those same civilians.

    Nice moral equivalency, Pirate King.  You wrap things up in courteousy and such, but even organic fertilizer neatly packaged in plastic is basically crap.  So is your comment above.

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 12 12 at 10:10 AM • permalink

  77. Beautifully done, Penguin (#41)

    Have a look at that post, Pirate King (snigger) and learn how to divest yourself of your gormlessness.

    I love it when trolls like Pirate King (snigger) come over all, like, dude I’m trying to see your POV, man, but. like where’s the “truthiness”?

    I’m Ignorant, but he/she’s an idiot. Piss off.

    Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2006 12 12 at 10:12 AM • permalink

  78. I do wonder if one side is doing similar things to the other side, how you ultimately decide…

    If two sides are randomly doing “similar things” to each other out of the blue, then I guess it would be hard to decide.  But if, as we suspect, you’re talking about the situation in the Middle East (and that is what you’re really talking about, isn’t it, PirateKing?), then the fact that you think they’re doing “similar things” to each other, and the fact that you can’t tell who is the terrorist and who isn’t, says everything we need to know about you.

    You’ve been here before, haven’t you?  I thought you looked familiar.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 12 12 at 10:13 AM • permalink

  79. RebeccaH: AFAIK, the Pirate King came in to make remarks about how we were all in the throes of groupthink for some reason or another in the “Independent Nation” posting.

    For some reason I’m inspired to imitate one of the crowd from the “Life of Brian” movie. ;-)

    “YES! WE’RE ALL INDIVIDUALS!”

    Posted by Patrick Chester on 2006 12 12 at 05:20 PM • permalink

  80. Can’t we disown the idiot?

    Posted by kae on 2006 12 12 at 07:37 PM • permalink

  81. Interesting question on Ant’s new found ‘Jewishness’ posted on his site.

    I have been told that Anthony is an atheist and a socialist. He hates the Jewish community, does not speak Hebrew, does not observe Jewish holidays, traditions, or rituals, and only spent two weeks in Israel for the first time in his life after he had begun blogging his anti-Isreali screeds.

    How does that make him a “Jewish” journalist?

    Posted by Noelenet on 2006 12 13 at 01:35 AM • permalink

  82. #81

    I am most surprised that comment even got through. Loewenstein censors nearly all of them and must have slipped.

    It is also interesting that he linked to Irfan Yusuf’s review of a recent presentation. Irfan gave a glowing report of Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff. Loewenstein, predictably didn’t even mention him. How rude.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 13 at 03:26 AM • permalink

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