Helen Thomas Strips

Reported:-

Helen Thomas to Playboy: White House in pockets of the Israeli lobbies

It's here.

Contributing Editor David Hochman got the idea to call Thomas to see if she wanted to talk...They also broke bread at her favorite Palestinian restaurant. “I was curious whether I’d find the ranting woman from the YouTube video,” Hochman says. “She turned out to be a person in full possession of her faculties and impressively articulate. Mostly she was the Thomas the public has known forever: feisty, passionate and not afraid to speak up.” Does Hochman, who is Jewish, believe Thomas is an anti-Semite? “I’ll let the reader decide. But I did think it was amusing when she presented a plate of ham sandwiches and then said, ‘Oh, I hope I haven’t served the wrong thing.’ ”

PLAYBOY: Take us back to the White House courtyard on May 27 when Rabbi David Nesenoff pointed his camera at you and asked for your comments on Israel.

THOMAS: He pulled that thing out like a jackknife...I said, “They should get the hell out of Palestine.”

PLAYBOY: Did you realize how controversial those words were as you spoke them?

THOMAS: I knew I’d hit the third rail. You cannot say anything about Israel in this country. But I’ve lived with this cause for many years. Everybody knows my feelings that the Palestinians have been shortchanged in every way. Sure, the Israelis have a right to exist—but where they were born, not to come and take someone else’s home...—I was going for broke. I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up...I understand they formed Jews for Helen Thomas at one point...I also heard from Jimmy Carter. He called a few weeks later...It was very nice of him to call, but I don’t want to get him into trouble.

...there’s no understanding of the Palestinians at all. I mean, they’re living there and these people want to come and take their homes and land and water and kill their children and kill them...Our government bribes the Israelis by saying, “Please come to the [negotiating] table and we’ll give you this and we’ll give you that.” Obama’s last offer to the Israelis was $22 billion in new fighter planes [Editor’s note: The offer was actually just under $3 billion], a veto at the UN for anything pro-Arab or pro-Palestinian and a three-month freeze on the colonization and settlers. I mean, what is this? They gave away the store...Stop all this aid to Israel when they’re killing people!

PLAYBOY: It was your follow-up comment, when you said the Jews should go back to Poland, Germany and America, that really infuriated people.

THOMAS: ...What I meant was they should stay where they are because they’re not being persecuted—not since World War II, not since 1945. If they were, we sure would hear about it. Instead, they initiated the Jackson-Vanik law, which said the U.S. would not trade with Russia unless it allowed unlimited Jewish emigration. But it was not immigration to the United States, which would have been fine with me. It was to go to Palestine and uproot these people, throw them out of their homes, which they have done through several wars. That’s not fair...What is this? How can anybody accept it? I mean, Jewish-only roads? Would anyone tolerate something like that in America? White-only roads?

PLAYBOY: You mean Israeli-only roads, not Jewish only, right? [Editor’s note: Israel closes certain roads to Palestinians, but roads are open to all Israeli citizens and to other nationals, regardless of religious background.]

THOMAS: Israeli-only roads, okay. But it’s more than semantics because the Palestinians are deprived of owning these roads. This is their land. I’m sorry, but we’re talking about foreigners who came and said, “God gave this land to us.”...
PLAYBOY: Do you acknowledge that some Palestinian behavior over the years, including hijacking and the use of suicide bombers, has been wrong and has added to the problem?

THOMAS: In an ideal world passive resistance and world disarmament would be great. Unfortunately we don’t live in that world. Of course I don’t condone any violence against anyone. But who wouldn’t fight for their country?...The Palestinian violence is to protect what little remains of Palestine. The suicide bombers act out of despair and desperation...Remember, Menachem Begin invented terrorism as his MO—and bragged about it in his first book...

PLAYBOY: Do you have a personal antipathy toward Jews themselves?

THOMAS: No. I think they’re wonderful people. They had to have the most depth. They were leaders in civil rights. They’ve always had the heart for others but not for Arabs, for some reason. I’m not anti-Jewish; I’m anti-Zionist. I am anti Israel taking what doesn’t belong to it. ...who are these people? Why do they think they’re so deserving? The slaughter of Jews stopped with World War II...they carry on the victimization. American people do not know that the Israeli lobbyists have intimidated them into believing every Jew is a persecuted victim forever—while they are victimizing Palestinians.

PLAYBOY: Let’s get to something else you said more recently. In a speech in Detroit last December, you told an Arab group, “We are owned by the propagandists against the Arabs. There’s no question about that. Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion. They put their money where their mouth is. We’re being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.” Do you stand by that statement?

THOMAS: Yes, I do. I know it was horrendous, but I know it’s true. Tell me it’s not true and I’ll be happy to be contradicted. I’m just saying they’re using their power, and they have power in every direction.

PLAYBOY: That stereotype of Jewish control has been around for more than a century. Do you actually think there’s a secret Jewish conspiracy at work in this country?

THOMAS: Not a secret. It’s very open. What do you mean secret?...Everybody is in the pocket of the Israeli lobbies, which are funded by wealthy supporters, including those from Hollywood. Same thing with the financial markets. There’s total control.

...Why do we have to keep paying the price and why do they keep oppressing the Palestinians? Do the Jews ever look at themselves? Why are they always right? Because they have been oppressed throughout history, I know. And they have this persecution. That’s true, but they shouldn’t use that to dominate...You know damn well the power they have. It isn’t the two percent. It’s real power when you own the White House, when you own these other places in terms of your political persuasion. Of course they have power. You don’t deny that. You’re Jewish, aren’t you?

PLAYBOY: Yes.

THOMAS: That’s what I thought. Well, you know damn well they have power...I want to tell the truth. I want everyone to accept the truth. It’s horrible to say some of my best friends are Jews, but they are and they have been.

PLAYBOY: Don’t take this the wrong way, but the question many people have is, Has Helen Thomas lost her mind? You’re 90, after all. Do you still have all your faculties?

THOMAS: I resent that question! I thoroughly resent it. Why are you interviewing me if I’m crazy? It wouldn’t be worth it to you, would it?

PLAYBOY: It’s not an unreasonable question.

THOMAS: I resent it. You should apologize.

PLAYBOY: But it’s the question everyone wants answered—and you’re the one who always tells journalists to ask the hard questions.

THOMAS: They want to know if I’m crazy? You have to be crazy to criticize Israel?...

Don't you just like your enemies to be so clear?

____________

Found this:

Do not blame me for any gurgitation events.

(k/t: DL)

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Save This For Next Halloween

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She's Ba-a-a-ck

Reported:

After a seven-month retirement, Helen Thomas has a new journalism gig: columnist for the Falls Church News-Press in Virginia, as the ARLnow blog in Arlington, Va., reports.


The 90-year-old retired from Hearst newspapers in June after a media uproar over controversial comments she made about Israel. That move sent shock waves through the press corps and left White House reporters scrambling to see who'd get Thomas' front-row seat in the briefing room.

So why'd the News-Press give her another chance?

Nicholas Benton, the founder, owner and editor of the News-Press, said in an editorial welcoming her back to journalism: "She is progressive, and following my more than eight hours of direct, one-on-one talks with her since the events of last June, I remain firmly convinced that she is neither bigoted, nor racist, nor anti-Semitic."

She'll write weekly on political affairs.

From the editorial:

On June 8, Ms. Thomas declared herself retired following a torrent of angry criticism reacting to a spontaneous verbal comment she made that was taped the day before. Ms. Thomas' comments were intemperate and inappropriate, as she conceded afterward. They reflected her personal anger arising from the news that Israeli commandos had boarded a ship on a humanitarian mission to Gaza and had killed over a dozen volunteers.

Ms. Thomas' views on a variety of subjects often differ from prevailing White House or other policies and positions. One of nine children born to Lebanese-Syrian immigrant parents, she has held to opinions different from many on U.S. policy toward the Middle East since the 1940s.

But her personal views have not tainted her highly-professional work for 50 years as a White House correspondent, except perhaps to inform the kinds of questions that she's never shied away from asking.

I have known Ms. Thomas since the founding of the News-Press in 1991. She visited our offices twice to meet readers and admirers. We share an appreciation for Eleanor Roosevelt and her work on behalf of the International Declaration of the Rights of Man.

She is progressive, and following my more than eight hours of direct, one-on-one talks with her since the events of last June, I remain firmly convinced that she is neither bigoted, nor racist, nor anti-Semitic.  Her remarks in June were in response to a question about Israel, not Jews, and were intended to mean that in these times, Jewish people are free to live wherever they wish, because the era of anti-Jewish persecution is ended. That was not adequately expressed because of the impromptu nature of the incident.

As one who has championed the cause of inclusion in my newspaper for 20 years, who founded the Diversity Affirmation Education Fund for the Falls Church School System, I am proud that a journalist of the stature and professionalism of Helen Thomas is relaunching her career in my newspaper. She more than deserves, and I am honored to help provide her, the proverbial "second chance."

I am not giving that editor a second chance.
Maybe write to him?  At: letters@fcnp.com

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The Helen Thomas Comic Strip

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Here, at EOZ.

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More Helen Thomas Follow-up

Here at Inside Higher Education and here, for James Taranto, who mentions Stacy McCain who, in turn, mentions the Americann Spectator's Aaron Goldstein.

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Helen's History Hangup

Helen Thomas, again (the first time here):

The Zionists have to understand that's their [the Pals.] country, too. Palestinians were there long before any European Zionists."

I could be facetious and point out that when the Arabs conquered and occupied the Land of Israel, in 638 CE, there really weren't very many European Jews around.

For example,

The most diverse witnesses, such as Strabo, Philo, Seneca, Cicero, and Josephus, all mention Jewish populations in the cities of the Mediterranean. Most Jewish population centers of this period were however still in the Orient (Iudaea and Syria) and in Egypt (Alexandria was by far the most important of the Jewish communities, the Jews in Philo's time were inhabiting two of the five quarters of the city).

But, to be exact:

Large numbers of Jews lived in Rome even during the Roman Republican period. They were largely Greek-speaking and poor...The Jews maintained in Rome several synagogues, whose spiritual leader was called αρχισυνάγωγος (archisunagogos)...After the successive Jewish revolts of 66 and 132 CE, many Judean Jews were brought to Rome as slaves (the norm in the ancient world was for prisoners of war and inhabitants of defeated cities to be sold as slaves)...

So, the antisemitic theme of "European Jews displacing native Arabs" is BS and Thomas, as an Arab, is pushing a hate agenda. We know that Jews continued to live in the Land of Israel up until the Arabs first showed up.

Here's one timeline:

138 C.E., Antoninus Pius allows Jews to return to Jerusalem.
332 C.E., 'Bordeaux Pilgrim' reports that Jews anoint the "lapis perfusus" rock near Hadrian's statues on Temple Mount.
333 C.E., Edict of Milan, Jews start to build Temple.
362 C.E., Julian plans to rebuild the Temple and even begins construction.
438 C.E., Eudokia (wife of Theodosius II) gives the Jews permission to pray on Temple Mount.
443 C.E., Eudokia permits Temple reconstruction.
584 C.E., Maurice sent Jewish builders from Constantinople to Jerusalem to repair Julian's structure on Temple Mount.
614 C.E., Persian-Jewish alliance conquers Jerusalem, and attempt to construct a temple on Temple Mount
638 C.E., Judeo-Arab alliance conquers Jerusalem. Jews build wooden Temple on Temple Mount

and here at page xiv, you can read of a Jewish resident of Palestine doing business in Carthage.

There are other sources but this is enough for my point: Thomas is a know-nothing.


Sunday Update

Yid's got the video. Here.

Further UPDATE

Wayne State U. cancels the Helen Thomas award.
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Helen 'Hate-Wind-Bag' Thomas Spouts Off

She hasn't visited the area, she hasn't seen my pictures attesting otherwise but Helen Thomas, disgraced journalist, keeps up the hate:

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has defended remarks against Israel that caused her resignation and told a Detroit-area audience U.S. interests are controlled by Zionist "propagandists against the Arabs."

The Detroit Free Press reports the 89-year-old said Thursday people cannot criticize Israel, "which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank." Thomas says no American would tolerate "white-only roads."

Helen, you old hag, 90% of all roads in Judea and Samaria are shared by Jews and Arabs, Muslims, Christians and Jews. Of the remaining 10&, or so, there are a few that have restrictions and not all the time. That's because Arabs shoot, throw stones and otherwise engage in terror against civilians.

And, you should, if there are any "apartheid roads" out here, they are supervised by the Palestinian Authority which doesn't allow Jews to travel along them.


P.S. Yid-with-a-Lid has the antisemitic part.
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One More Helen Thomas Caricature

And is Lady Gaga getting into the act?