Thursday, December 2, 2010
I guess she's taken back her apology: Defiant Helen Thomas defends remarks that led to exit
Striking a defiant tone, journalist Helen Thomas, 90, said today she absolutely stands by her controversial comments about Israel made earlier this year that led to her resignation. But she stoked additional controversy with new remarks, claiming that "Zionists" control U.S. foreign policy and other American institutions. The local Jewish community strongly condemned her remarks.
Thomas, who grew up in Detroit the daughter of Lebanese immigrants, was in Dearborn today for an Arab Detroit workshop on anti-Arab bias. The Free Press asked her about her comments, which critics have said were anti-Israel.
"I paid the price for that," said Thomas, a longtime White House correspondent. "But it was worth it, to speak the truth."
"The Zionists have to understand that's their country, too. Palestinians were there long before any European Zionists."
Thomas claimed that "You can not say anything (critical) about Israel in this country."
In a speech that drew a standing ovation, Thomas talked about "the whole question of money involved in politics."
"We are owned by 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 there mouth is...We're being pushed into a wrong direction in every way."...
You can say it's no big deal, she's just an old lady, a bit tetched in the head at this point, but the fact is this is nothing new. She's been dragging the worst part of her Arab ancestry -- the Jew-hate part -- around with her for a long time.
Update: Ed Driscoll has much more, here.
Too much attention has gone to Helen Thomas, too little to her employers and the press corps that did not make an issue of her undisguised bias. Her run is effectively over, but her enablers continue on and on.
Thanks for posting. I actually think the MSM spent too much time talking about peripheral issues (like whether the remarks should have gotten her fired) rather than the vile anti-Semitism she expressed. Imagine if a white, Fox News reporter said something equally vile about African Americans (like they should go back to Africa). Do you really think any decent person would be defending him or her?
Why not apply the senile old bigot's prescription against her; strip her of her American citizenship and ship her over to Beirut, where her ancestors came from! If her idiotic bigotry can be applied against Jews, why not also against Bigots of Lebanese ancestry?
"You can say it's no big deal, she's just an old lady, a bit tetched in the head at this point, but the fact is this is nothing new."
Coals to Newcastle, perhaps, but what truly scares me about Helen Thomas, and her ilk in the media, is that they have their followers, their defenders.
Fom one such defender;
"The Washington Post poll taken two days after Helen Thomas's forced resignation - 92% of the respondents said that Helen should be given her seat (at the White House) back."
That was at Pashtun Resist, but I'll spare you a link.
helen antonius thomas should get back on her broomstick and fly back to hezbullah dominated lebanon.