A. Loewenstein Online Newsletter

Michael Moore on intolerant America and death threats

Posted: 08 Sep 2011

An extract from his new book reveals an atmosphere of mass hysteria, post 9/11 patriotism and blind hatred in the land of the free:

‘I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I’m wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it … No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out [of him]. Is this wrong? I stopped wearing my ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ band, and I’ve lost all sense of right and wrong now. I used to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I’d kill Michael Moore’, and then I’d see the little band: What Would Jesus Do? And then I’d realise, ‘Oh, you wouldn’t kill Michael Moore. Or at least you wouldn’t choke him to death.’ And you know, well, I’m not sure.”

Glenn Beck, live on the Glenn Beck show, 17 May 2005

Wishes for my early demise seemed to be everywhere. They were certainly on the mind of CNN‘s Bill Hemmer one sunny July morning in 2004. Holding a microphone in front of my face on the floor of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, live on CNN, he asked me what I thought about how the American people were feeling about Michael Moore: “I’ve heard people say they wish Michael Moore were dead.” Hemmer said it like he was simply stating the obvious, like, “of course they want to kill you!” He just assumed his audience already understood this truism, as surely as they accept that the sun rises in the east and corn comes on a cob.

To be fair to Hemmer, I was not unaware that my movies had made a lot of people mad. It was not unusual for fans to randomly come up and hug me and say, “I’m so happy you’re still here!” They didn’t mean in the building.

Why was I still alive? For more than a year there had been threats, intimidation, harassment and even assaults in broad daylight. It was the first year of the Iraq war, and I was told by a top security expert (who is often used by the federal government for assassination prevention) that “there is no one in America other than President Bush who is in more danger than you”.

When “liberal Zionists” slam BDS, you know moral compass is lost

Posted: 08 Sep 2011

What a sad sight. After months and months of the Australian Murdoch press, major political parties and the Zionist establishment shamefully suggesting that activists who back BDS against Israel are akin to Nazis, a supposedly “liberal Zionist” group, The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS), releases a statement today and makes exactly the same comparison.

If evidence was needed of the moral bankruptcy of liberal Zionism – desperately holding onto the racist dream of a Jewish state – and the collapse of understanding the difference between right and wrong and wishing to be still accepted by the Jewish mainstream, this is it.

No wonder liberal Zionists globally are (largely) so uncomfortable with BDS; it forces them to face the truth of having backed Israel for many years and believed the delusion of a two-state solution while apartheid bubbled away in the occupied territories.

Here’s the AJDS in its all dirty glory:

The AJDS deplores some of the recent Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) protests such as those targetting the Israeli-owned Max Brenner store in Melbourne and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra’s prom concert in London. The tactic of angry confrontation used by the protesters is antithetical to anyone concerned about finding a just solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

The protests are run by people from doctrinaire ultra-left organisations whose disruptive, angry and aggressive tactics give no dignity to the cause of justice for the people of Palestine. Their tactics also serve to interfere in good-faith efforts between people from the Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian communities to conduct their causes in a civil and respectful manner, given the difficulty of trying to build positive relationships.

Despite protestations to the contrary, the tactic of blockades and chanting is all too resonant with anti-Jewish activities in Europe during the 1930s. It can only be concluded from their actions that they deliberately wish to cause distress to Jews (in their parlance, Zionists).

They see this as a form of political retribution that is due because of the pain experienced by colonized or exiled Palestinians. We believe this to be a totally wrong tactic because Jews as much as Palestinians are key to change and conflict resolution. A supporter of Palestinian rights might better seek to engage Jews without stereotyping their affiliation or politics, rather than alienating them.

In addition, the use by local BDS protesters of slogans such as, “from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” – captured on video – also demonstrates that they have attached themselves to the most radical and uncompromising position possible, one that rejects UN resolutions adopted over the years. This is despite the fact that the BDS movement claims not to advocate a particular case for future political relations.

It is interesting that Australians for Palestine – which takes an uncompromising view on BDS – does not support these tactics and has said that “Actions aimed at disrupting businesses, aggravating customers or challenging police authority are detrimental to our aims”.

Why can’t a nice Blackwater man just go back to kill innocents?

Posted: 07 Sep 2011

Oh the horrors:

A federal judge denied a request by a former contractor, convicted of killing an Afghan civilian, for permission to return to Afghanistan for employment, according to a ruling made public Wednesday.

Calling the request “ill-timed” and “the epitome of arrogance,” U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar flatly refused to give Virginia Beach resident Chris Drotleff permission to leave the country, much less for travel to Afghanistan.

Drotleff and another former contractor were convicted in the shooting death of an unarmed Afghan civilian two years ago while working for a subsidiary of the private security contractor Blackwater, now known as Xe, which has facilities in Moyock, N.C.

A jury acquitted them of murder and related charges in the shooting deaths of two Afghans and the wounding of a third. But the jury found they acted unlawfully in one of the deaths and convicted them of involuntary manslaughter. Doumar sentenced them to prison but they remain free on bond pending appeal.

Last month, Drotleff through his attorney asked Doumar for permission to travel to Kandahar to work for a government contractor laying concrete and fiber-optic cable. Drotleff told the court he needed the high-paying work to support his family.

Federal prosecutors opposed the request, telling the court it would be impossible for Drotleff to be suitably supervised by probation officers while over there.