It's high time this was noticed.

It's been a problem for years. But when I'd report to friends and family what I was reading nobody believed me or if they believed me they didn't take it seriously.

I got a call from my Senator's office assuring me that we are not living in the 1930's. Well what exactly is separating us from the 1930's except sensitivity to a rising tide of bigotry?

Finally some of us started saving discussion threads and making screen shots and trying at least to keep a record of what is shockingly reminiscent of 1930's Europe - not to mention blood-libels straight out of the Middle Ages - just cloaked in modern language, supposedly hip and "edgy" and "progressive".

As background: I started reading and posting on "democratic underground" in 2004. I was banned a couple years later for "talking back" to antisemites.

DKos and Huffpo - I tend to avoid now because there are limits as to how much Jew-bashing I can tolerate.

Also there's the sense that organized "electronic intifadas" and/or attacks from the neonazi right are deliberately stoking at least some of this stuff.

It's international in scope and some of the worst offenders include major media outlets - for example there's "The Guardian" in England which publishes antisemitic cartoons and articles by the score and tolerates bigoted comment threads; the BBC won't publish the Balen report which studied anti-Israel bias in that extremely powerful, state-subsidized global news outlet.

American political blogs are influenced by people from overseas who are using our blogs in an attempt to turn us against Israel and also, I think, Jews per se. Of course we have homegrown bigots as well and the internet magnifies their voices.

Unfortunately all too many people have little actual knowledge with which to confront wicked propaganda or the more subtle but nevertheless harmful media bias.

Indeed I think a lot of Israel critics couldn't find Israel on a map - if they could they'd have some perspective on the issue simply by recognizing the size and situation of Israel relative to the huge Arab League nations, Turkey and Iran! And as for a real knowledge of Jewish or Middle Eastern history - forget it! So simple ignorance is a problem.

Nevertheless the more extreme antiJewish commentary one typically sees on the so-called Left is actually more akin to stuff from the "Protocols" than from the Soviets - I guess at some point the worst of all worlds overlap - and that's what makes me think much of this is being driven by people who've actually read and believe "The Protocols" and other antisemitic texts.

It has a spiraling effect too - eventually it starts affecting real-world action: British "leftists" and boycott/divestment leaders have actually been caught linking to David Duke and we see outright Naziesque imagery on "progressive" sites here in the US. It makes me wonder how long it will take before something awful happens? As it is Jews need heavy security in much of the world.

Quite a few of feel politically homeless because of this - we can't really cherry pick - just because the Greens reflect my opinion on certain issues I simply cannot overlook the Cynthia McKinneys nor the threat I perceive from antisemitic campus demonstrations.

For example - many of us who were against the Iraq war for various reasons couldn't participate in the peace movement because it had been hijacked by antisemites who blamed Israel and/or American Jews for the war, some of whom also blamed Jews and Israel for 9/11 and certainly were unwilling or unable to look at the Intifada let alone the long history of violence against Jews in the Middle East - only at the response.

Instead of finding kindred spirits on the leftwing blogosphere, interested in peace, love, democratic and human rights and the environment - all that good stuff - imagine my shock when I found Jewish conspiracy theories, endless attacks on Israel, claims that Bush was "Sharon's butt-boy" (apologies for the language), entire fora dedicated to 9/11 "troof" and others - real snake-pits - dedicated to "Israel/Palestine" which consist mostly of mean-spirited and often ahistorical attacks on Israel and Israelis, with a few people trying to defend the same.

Things have only gotten worse - the anti-Israel, antisemitic verbiage has become open "kill the Jews" type violence in Europe and similar graffiti I've seen in my own neighborhood.

Weirdly, those of us on DU who tried to battle these antisemites found ourselves being banned in at least equal proportions to the bigots - some of the worst of whom are still posting.

Notably, attacks on Israel spilled over into attacks on American Jews - "neocon" became code for Jew, people with no real knowledge of the subject attack the University of Chicago as an "evil institution" because Strauss taught there. Meanwhile these geniuses apologize for totalitarian systems that target and suppress dissent abroad including the freedom and health of women and gays (not to mention religious and ethnic minorities including Jews).

For example there is stone-blindness to the evil of Chavez' imagery in speeches that he's made - as though his comments about "bloodsuckers" has had no precedence - as though his alliance with Iran's leadership isn't highly problematic for anybody interested in human rights let alone peace, freedom and progressive values.

Of course there are the conspiracy theories surrounding the supposedly omniscient "AIPAC", the old saw about "dual loyalty" and the equally hoary perception of Jews as manipulating everything in sight and seeking "world domination" - Israel is portrayed as a gigantic, expansive imperial power and Mearscheimer/Walt are disgustingly popular on the so-called Left.

Feh.

At this point I just pray that the center holds, that extremism doesn't trash our democracy or result in the empowerment of extremists abroad.

I don't know what has happened to principle let alone reality-based history and blog-posting.

But this article, which was linked to Martin Kramer's site, should be must-reading for all the Israel-trashers:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25399713-25132,00.html

Meanwhile it's interesting to note the Huffpo is also publishing anti-vaccine articles. This could well result in an increase in diseases we'd thought were a thing of the past.

It's appalling to me that the so-called Left is echoing people in Africa and Asia who refuse vaccines because they think "Zionists" are trying to give them AIDS or reduce their potency. For that reason polio is making a return. As a person whose step-sister's mother died of polio, whose cousin was crippled by it - I'm appalled.

And, during the election Hillary supporters were banned en masse from more than one theoretically progressive blog - and now the latest on DU features a purge of gays.

Go figure.

I think this is nuts. It certainly doesn't represent MY values. Nor do comments supporting Ahmadijenad, Hezbollah, Hamas, and condemning attempts to help people who are suffering under oppressive regimes - religious or otherwise.

Of course the Soviets also became an oppressive totalitarian system - are the best of intentions immune from being hijacked?

So - what to do?

We've been discussing the battles on the Right - but they're just as vicious and unsettling on the Left - and in both cases the center is being torn and principle abandoned for the sake both of ideology and expedience.

Hopefully this stuff really is "fringe".

Hopefully.

Sophia, Im impressed by the body of knowledge you expressed rather cogently in the above post.

The thing to do, is support the Republican Party and the US. The Democrats are beyond any hope....although the Blue Dogs arent so bad. I believe that the Democrat Party without Jewish voting support would rather quickly turn against Israel, and the Obama Administration seems to be heading down that road.

The US continues to be the worlds best hope for the future.

PS- I wonder if the American Jewish vote will swing to the GOP in the next few election cycles.

Escape, I wouldn't hold my breath about the Jewish vote. I don't think there's much that could change that situation, unfortunately. As yes, Sophia is correct in her observations and states them very eloquently (as usual). However, at some point, Sophia, you are starting to exhibit something akin to battered-wife syndrome. Much like the Jewish vote, the left is not going to change...it's only going to get worse. Unless Jews become dark-skinned underdogs, the left (and by left I mean Obama and pretty much all of the Democratic mainstream) will increasingly support the poor exploited murderous third-worlders.

At some point you have to disassociate with that crew. What's the great allure? Social justice. B.S. Because the left's definition of social justice is an entirely subjective subterfuge. So, go and leave them. You can still be pro-choice, tolerant, and, above all, supportive of TRUE human rights as a conservative. What have you got to lose...except some truly creepy cohorts.

The hysteria has been mounting, is mounnting, and will be mounting.

Exponentially.

Like Nazism, it will cause destruction to great swaths of the world, including Jews, of course, but then, this latter is precisely the point.

For those that would prefer not to be reminded of the effects of Nazi rhetoric (for whatever reason), here is an explanation of how extreme and unrelenting rhetoric prepares the foundation fans the flames of genodide.

This is what is what has been and will continue to be on display on the Internet; and, barring something unforeseen, this is what is intended for the Jews of Israel and those beyond.

Barry, in case you havent noticed the Left has been fanning the flames of genocide with their rhetoric with regard to the West, males, whites, Europeans, Christians, imperialist capitalists, "the rich" etc for at least a half a century.