The quote comes from a diary I wrote back in February,
Holocaust Denial, Anti-Semitism, and other Daily Kos HATE Meta.
Ever since the 2006 Lebanon war, anti-Semitism became a significant topic, particularly in the I/P debates. People on one side of the debate cried "anti-Semitism," and people on the other side (in my personal opinion far more) inserted prophylactic demands "don't call me an anti-Semite but ...." It got so heated that I decided to write a diary, ultimately several of them, to distinguish between criticism of Israel, even criticism with which I vehemently disagreed, and actual anti-Semitism. This particular diary was a response to claims that people were too quick to make the anti-Semitism accusation, and that there really wasn't any on Daily Kos. Rather, the theory went, there was just legitimate criticism of Israel, and Israel's supporters were trying to shut it down with false accusations.
Okay, let's go straight to the money quote, shall we?
If Jews love the US so much- how come their #'s in the US military are dismal? Instead of selling ones soul to be diamond brokers, investment bankers
Did I write that? Nope. Actually, that was one of the hateful quotes I was criticizing. It is, of course, also worth noting that it was troll-rating into oblivion, 0 to 15. The whole quote was:
JEWS TOO GOOD FOR US MILITARY (0+ / 15-) If Jews love the US so much- how come their #'s in the US military are dismal? Instead of selling ones soul to be diamond brokers, investment bankers, doctors, and entertainment smucks (on borrowed grants/loans for tuition) perhaps the US should be like Israel and require some military service. Now this goes for every spoiled Northeast brat as well. Daily Kos bitching would be a little more germane if the bitches could fire an M-16 or take an order ot two. Everyone is a chief in Kos with no good answers.
by PEARSAYS on Mon Jul 17, 2006 at 08:26:30 PM PST
and my response was:
Was there some kind of contest to see how many stereotypes could fit in one paragraph?
Now it is important to note that I post under my own name, not a pseudonym. I think it is probably also worth noting that I am a litigator, and licensed to practice law in three states and many federal jurisdictions, including Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Not only is the O'Reilly broadcast defamatory, but I actually have the skills and wherewithal to do something about it. Whether I will or not is a different story, and one worth thinking about it.
This whole folderol has me wondering, rather guiltily, whether O'Reilly's whole attack meme against us comes from my diaries decrying anti-Semitism on Daily Kos. Don't get me wrong- I'm not apologizing. In a tiny and mostly troll-blasted minority, it actually exists here. And there are a couple of posters who have somehow retained posting privileges. Further, the diaries I wrote were warning this would come to pass. But the really weird thing is, if O'Reilly's producers were relying on Holocaust Denial, Anti-Semitism, and other Daily Kos HATE Meta, Black Men Got Lynched Because They ..., or Dog Whistles: An Anti-Semitism Primer, or my cartoon:
they would have seen that I was NOT anti-Semitic, but in fact the opposite.
I have, as you might have expected, already requested a retraction. I'm not holding my breath. The next demand will go out on letterhead.
So what do you think? Do I blog about this and then let it slide? Do I cough up the filing fee to bring an action? Even worse, what do I do if O'Reilly invites me on, since my own writings demonstrate the existence of a few anti-Semites on Daily Kos (his own theme), but I am quite clearly a defender of the site and not a supporter of his lies? Given a chance, I would clearly state that these are aberrations, trolled into oblivion whenever they pop up.
What would you do?
Bumper Stickers & MORE
