This is my last comment for the year as we are off to spend Hogmanay as the guests of an Ambassador in Paris. Out of deference to my family, who have had the brunt of it these last few days, I am definitely not taking the laptop, so I will no longer be able to take part in the popular new bloodsport of proving your loyalty to the SNP by being nasty to Craig Murray.
My parting thought is that, as every year of my entire life, it has been a disastrous one for the Palestinians. Yet more land occupied, settlements built, homes destroyed, olive trees uprooted, shipping vessels sunk and yet another murderous onslaught on Gaza.
I warmly recommend this rare public appearance by Col. Larry Wilkerson, ex-Chief of Staff to Colin Powell and a fellow recipient of the Sam Adams Award for Integrity. His brief musings here on Israel and Syria come from a deep store of knowledge and a razor-sharp intellect.
Do have a wonderful celebration. The future will be good. We are closer to a transformational change in society than you may realise.
The Palestinian national unity government has decided to join the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, a senior official says.
The Palestinian government will submit a request to join the organization in 2015 ahead of Interpol’s annual meeting in November, said Ahmad al-Rabie, a senior official in the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Interior, on Saturday.
Rabie added that Palestine had submitted a request to join Interpol in 2011, but was only accepted as an observer.
Joining Interpol will be beneficial for the Palestinian police as they will receive training courses, expertise, and information from the organization, Rabie noted.
The development came a day after Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour officially submitted documents for Palestine’s membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/01/04/391491/Palestine-to-join-Interpol-in-2015
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Oh Dear Bibi must have been livid at the Palestinians for joining the (ICC) on hearing this, Bibi will be furious, to say the least.
“It’s not a quotation, RD, it’s entirely original composition,” – so it’s not by Hitchens as claimed by Herbie i.e. “TonyM then confirms that the quotation is from Hitchens.”
Perhaps you might wish to elucidate on the other sources for your information so they can be similarly assessed for their truthfulness? It is quite clear that the HItch used Deborah Lipstadt as a source for many matters relating to Auschwitz perhaps we can see if you rely on sources which are equally as reliable.
The fact that Hitchens can acknowledge that some things that Irving said were truthful while at the same time rejecting the garbage from that source in my view shows a certain intellectual integrity don’t you think? Perhaps we could have an equally honest assessment of the evidence from yourself and Herbie?
A senior Palestinian official has condemned Israel’s freeze on Palestinian tax revenues as a “new war crime.”
“This decision is a new Israeli war crime, but we won’t back off in the face of those pressures,” Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said on Saturday.
He added, “Israel is once again responding to our legal steps with further illegal collective punishments.”
An Israeli official confirmed that Tel Aviv has blocked the transfer of taxes it collects on behalf of Palestinians in retaliation for their application to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and file war crimes charges against Israel.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/01/03/391464/Palestine-tax-freeze-new-war-crime-
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Re my previous comment.
Bibi, fights back.
RoS We should have known it was not a road in the UK (the Tory poster) because there were no potholes.
Hitchens has never written anything that was principled to the fact, his writings bare to please his own world view.
we don’t need lesson from fascists here Radolf, you belong into the Ukraine with your Svoboda friends who shoot civilian airliners down and kill their own kind rather than talk, an apologist for war.
Republicofscotland 4 Jan, 2015 – 2:00 pm – wtf?!
Good posts RoS you are indeed an asset here – well done and thank-you
How long is this discussion on what happened over 60 years ago in Germany going to continue? It would be more appropriate to discuss the use of the Holocaust that is made by this country’s politicians.
Cameron was speaking about his visit to Auschwitz at a recent gathering of British Jews he hosted at No 10 for Hanukkah. He spoke at length in the style of Blair whom he apparently admires. He included a reference to terrorism and brought modern day terrorism at Peshawar
into the speech. It sounded rehearsed.
I posted the JC link a few days back.
He was actually speaking to his party’s Jewish donors and was obviously securing funding for the election.
“The fact that Hitchens can acknowledge that some things that Irving said were truthful”
What Hitchens was saying in the quotation is uncontroversial because ALL historians and experts in the field agree on it, including Irving.
That’s the base from which he begins. That’s wht I’ve pointed out.
It’s only controversial amongst twisted morons like yourself who’d argue black was white if it suited.
There are plenty of things Hitchens has written that are very controversial, so much so that he’s been accused of anti-semitism many times. He has often been at the Atzmon level of controversy. That was much ignored when he came to speak up for neoconism as the 1990s wore on.
You know noting about Hitchens, other than that he’s someone you’re supposed to like.
None of that applies to the quotation. He’s just assessing the state of play so far as what all historians and experts in the field already agree. Having done that he then goes on to criticise Irving’s claims beyond what’s already agreed.
No amount of twisting by you or anyone else will change those facts.
Resident Dissident : “Sorry to disappoint you but I’m against illegal settlements – but not against the Israelis checking for weapons at security passports, which is perfectly legitimate given past history (how they go about the checks may be another matter)”
You made the reckless claim that you don’t identify with any of the sentiments on the JTA website. Not even I would make that blanket statement. The logic of your position means you agree with the Palestinians that those weapons searches are provocations but you’re not against Israel doing them.
To avoid any more accusations of hypocrisy, would you please confirm your support for Israel provoking the Palestinians.
Yes, Mary
Perhaps I’ll dig up some Hitchens if there’s any of that stuff left of the web.
The funny thing is you can find plenty who are criticising this aspect of Hitchens work and obviously they quote him, so it’s easier to find that than the original work.
Anyway, now that Res Diss has agreed that Hitchens is a man of absolute intellectual integrity perhaps he’d care to dismiss this horrible nonentity who’s dissing the great man’s work:
“The fact that Christopher Hitchens has a problem with the Jews has been an open secret for years. No one much likes to talk about it, and for various reasons his journalistic peers have remained silent on the subject. But it is nonetheless the case, and there is little sense in denying it……”
http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/777/features/christopher-hitchenss-jewish-problem/
The chronology is as follows:
TonyM makes a claim about Hoess.
Tech questions this claim, assuming it was from someone like Irving.
TonyM then shows that Hitchens said the same thing.
Tech then twists Hitchens words in an attempt to make them sound as if he is critical of the claim, when in fact he is saying that the claim is in fact agreed amonst ALL historians and experts in the field.
My only concern in this has been to show that Tech very deliberatly twisted what Hitchens was saying, trying to pretend that only Irving was saying it.
And that has been conclusively done.
I’m not interested in further distractions from another twister.
“RoS We should have known it was not a road in the UK (the Tory poster) because there were no potholes.”
Yes Mary, Ha ha ha, I think its a genetic think the Tories just can’t tell the truth.
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Republicofscotland 4 Jan, 2015 – 2:00 pm – wtf?!
“Good posts RoS you are indeed an asset here – well done and thank-you”
Thank you Mark, you contribute very interesting post as well.
My god, the pains to disprove the evidence on this blog.
Herbie: “What Hitchens was saying in the quotation is uncontroversial because ALL historians and experts in the field agree on it, including Irving.
That’s the base from which he begins. That’s wht I’ve pointed out.”
But it is not true, Herbie. Go and look up ‘gas chamber in Dachau’. See the many historians and experts agreeing that this is a gas chamber on ‘German soil’. See, also the many who dispute this.
Either Hitchens was wrong, or he was floating a discredited argument. Either way *using his quote is no evidence of anything*.
And stop lying. I did not assume the ‘quote was from someone like Irving’: I assumed, correctly, that it was a statement by and from TonyM. It’s not my problem that he can’t give any evidence to substantiate it.
Good grief.
Nevermind, Hitchens occasionally did some good, verified journalism, in fact.
“In Precinct 1B of Gahanna, in Franklin County, a computerized voting machine recorded a total of 4,258 votes for Bush and 260 votes for Kerry. In that precinct, however, there are only 800 registered voters, of whom 638 showed up. Once the “glitch” had been identified, the president had to be content with 3,893 fewer votes than the computer had awarded him.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2005/03/hitchens200503
RepublicOfBarelySuppressedUrgings
“David Irving was himself the party who brought suit. He was seeking to have Lipstadt punished for having called him a Holocaust denier. That is to say, he was seeking to limit free expression. And he lost his case.
That is very different from seeking to shut up people who are accused of Holocaust denial. Even if Holocaust denial, properly defined, is clearly false, people should be free to utter falsehoods. And since those who seek to limit discussion on these matters have defined Holocaust denial as broadly as they can get away with, they may even succeed in prohibiting statements that in fact are historically true.
Only if people are free to discuss historical matters can there be any hope of getting to historical truth. Free debate can be relied upon to discredit clear historical falsehoods.
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Lysais 11.51pm
Very well put, I couldn’t have explained it any better myself, when people are not free to discuss, historical matters due to fear of persecution, it only throws more light onto that subject as to why, an open and free discussion is punishable.”
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Well, you would say that, wouldn’t you. You want to be able to post your Holocaust-denying comments on here even if it results in getting two whole threads deleted by Craig. For which you still haven’t apologised, by the way.
As for Lysias, well, he would also say that, wouldn’t he. After all, he claims to come from the land of “free speech”, Pastor Jones and Stormfront and all that….
After all we only seek the truth do we not.
“Hitchens has never written anything that was principled to the fact, his writings bare to please his own world view.
we don’t need lesson from fascists here Radolf, you belong into the Ukraine with your Svoboda friends who shoot civilian airliners down and kill their own kind rather than talk, an apologist for war.”
Teething rusks and warm milk for Nevermind!
Ver sad effort, Tech. I’m afraid your previous actions undermine this new defence.
You spent quite a lot of time twisting Hitchens words.
You’re accepting them now. You have no choice.
I’ve already said that you could earlier have contested Hitchens assessment of what was agreed by all historians and experts in the field.
No point in doing it now though, when you’re already condemned for twisting Hitchens words and attacking with wild allegations everyone else who pointed out what you were up to.
‘For those in peril on the sea….’
RIP the 8 men lost from the cement carrier Cemfjord found upturned NE of Wick. Seven were Polish and one a Filipino.
[craigmurray.org.uk – non-political comment removed]
“Well, you would say that, wouldn’t you. You want to be able to post your Holocaust-denying comments on here even if it results in getting two whole threads deleted by Craig. For which you still haven’t apologised, by the way.!
“As for Lysias, well, he would also say that, wouldn’t he. After all, he claims to come from the land of “free speech”, Pastor Jones and Stormfront and all that….”
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I like others want to be able to speak freely on ANY subject, without fear of recrimination or prosecution, do we not live in a democracy?
Do we not seek the truth through debate and discussion, why would certain subjects be made illegal in certain EU countries, what are the authorities afraid of.
Is this not how we teach our children to debate and discuss, to ASK questions, constantly, and not just to take answers that are put on a plate for us.
Just how are future generations going to expand, their knowledge, if they don’t question all that’s went before them.
In this day and age, and under certain circumstances the truth is seen as, a hindrance, a thing to be twisted and used as seen fit.
“TonyM then shows that Hitchens said the same thing”
No he didn’t – he even said the words were his original composition. Stop twisting what was said.
“He does not belong on this blog,”
It is not for you to say as it isn’t your own blog.
Your support is even worse than no support.
The subsequent twisting of Hitchens words and her wild allegations are my primary concern.
“The fact that Christopher Hitchens has a problem with the Jews has been an open secret for years.”
Not really much of a secret – open or otherwise that the Hitch had a problem with all organised religions – this is a feature common to atheists in general.
“Not really much of a secret – open or otherwise that the Hitch had a problem with all organised religions – this is a feature common to atheists in general.”
Hmmm. So you’re saying that Hitch was dissing Judaism as he might diss Christianity or Islam.
Is that what you’re saying?
RIP – An inflatable dinghy was washed up on Orkney believed to be from the Cemfjord Mary. Sea temperatures are around 8°C which gives you about 20 minutes before the limbs get so weak you cannot climb into a dinghy or life-raft without help. Terrible death – so sad.
http://www.populationpartyuk.uk/
Hmmm. So you’re saying that Hitch was dissing Judaism as he might diss Christianity or Islam.
Is that what you’re saying?
Pretty much – perhaps you should read his essay on Mother Theresa
Consulting the Yijing 2015
2015 – The Focal Points of Intention
1. US right-wing thrust to maintain econ. blockade of Cuba.
2. Israel in the US will undermine Iran Agreement.
3. Colonization of Palestinian land by Israel continuing.
4. Full scale economic war against Russia.
5. Heightened econ. tensions with China and North Korea.
6. US free trade agreements with Europe & Asia discarding China and Russia.
7. Strengthening powers police/GCHQ/SIS, school/college/Uni admin.
8. Middle and working class become further alienated.
9. More financial volativity.
10. US/UK/IS ISIS long term war.
11. Taliban increases strength, numbers chaos.
12. Ukraine bankruptcy.
13. National Front ++popularity.
14. Alignments – Saudi/Israel Iran/IraqTurkey/Russia Brazil/Venezuela
15. China anti-corruption clean-up riots
.
Yes, I’m well aware of his thrashing of Mother Teresa.
If you’re right then those who’ve accused him of anti-semitism are, what?
Are they misunderstanding him?
Belated thank you to Anon for comments on previous page.