Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Shmuel Rosner. Two intelligent journalists and bloggers; in this post Rosner does most of the talking, but I'm hard-put to find anything to disagree with him about.
Someday I should reorganize the list of blogs I link to from this page so that it reflects the blogs I actually read, rather than the ones I inserted in the appropriate template long ago. Goldberg and Rosner definately should be on the list. Rosner, by the way, is part of the long decline of Haaretz. He is one of those rarities, a journalist who really knows his stuff. How many journalists are there out there who can routinely back up their interpretation of the story in front of them with the literature that explains it? Not many. So when Haaretz recently decided they no longer need Rosner (and we won't even mention the person they replaced him with) he went to the Jerusalem Post.
FROM CAROL HERMAN
ReplyDeleteJournalists, by and large, don't save the world. Especially, now, with the decline in paid subscriptions that's terrorizing the "industry" ... and putting papers, like the NY Times, in a mode to watch their cash flows deminish.
If you give this much thought, you'd realize that Wall Street, for instance, has been in a very mischievious mode, ROBBING everyone! And, getting rating agencies to LIE. Yet Paul Krugman fell asleep at the switch.
Is there termoil, ahead?
Funny, if you look back at the 20th Century, what you'd see, (and also should know), is that Israel was called Palestine. And, before 1919, was ruled by Turks.
So, the neighborhood changes.
While the arabs remain pretty much the same, EXCEPT that their religion has turned violent. Propelled by the saud's. Who still get "respected" by America's military (which is sad). And, by Dubya, who destroyed his family's legacy. Which has the added benefits of teaching, ahead. The skills of "what not to do" when you're handed the prizes you seek.
Yes, Ha'aretz, named for DIRT, lives up to this, with "qualifications." In their "grand days" ... they were the "boy chicks" who were in love with LABOR. And, who saw nothing wrong with ONE person designing a government format (after he "taught his opponents a lesson" when he ordered the killings of those on board the Altalena.) SHows ya. Even when something isn't in the news. It sticks out. A tale waiting to be taught.
What could you learn? There's NO INDIVIDUAL ON EARTH that ever came up with a working model for government. And, it goes to show, that America's approach ... which was done by COMMITTEE ... puts forward the idea that you can temper raw ambition; IF you divide powers, realistically. So that you get 3 branches of government. All actually powerful; but all finally needing the approval of the Supreme Court. (Which has no army. So it doesn't ever send troops to "battle" for idea-logical reasons.
The proof. Because Great Men rose up to the occasion. And, yes. Lincoln WAS successful at holding this Union together. (Though the insiders plotted to kill him.) It seems such plots get repeated.
So you can test a government's format when things don't fall apart on whims.
While up ahead? You've got Bibi close to a historic win; and yet. The crazies on the right, wanting to make sure Bibi felt their boots in his belly; turned Feiglin, the lunatic, into a 20th place winnah.
No one needs to read any Israeli paper now, to guess at what's ahead. If Bibi's team wins more than 20 seats? But less than 36 ... which is where Bibi stuck Feiglin, you can bet all hell will break loose. With demands to the idiots practicing law, up on Israel's Supreme Court. To "honor" the voters. Even though all the voters belong to the RIGHT. Some, crazier than others.
What if this doesn't come to pass? Well, the instance that's possible is if Bibi only wins 19 seats, or less.
Though, if you know anything about how Israel's religion has been set in stone (by Ben Gurion), who favored "collectives" ... was to allow rabbis to turn off more Jewish people from wanting a rabbi of their own. To making so much noise! As Feiglin does with whistles.
Can this be fixed?
How so? The Jews of Europe once produced fine stock. We got Spinoza. And, Martin Buber. And, also EINSTEIN. Plus so many other who thrived on American shores.
No. You don't have to ask "why is that?"
But you might consider that one of the defects is Hebrew. I remember when Dahlia Itzik, (the clown who can't speak English), got promoted by Arik Sharon; to the post of Ambassador to England. In spite of her limitations. And, then? When Foad Ben-Eliezer brought down Arik's first government, Itzik had not trouble "signing on."
True, few remember how Labor has been shedding it's qualifications.
But then you also have Livni. And, as devoted as her father was to her; and, as well connected. This woman doesn't speak English, either.
Einstein spoke English.
Why is it, in a world where English really counts, there's such thick-headed-ness presented by Israeli press?
Beats me.
I can remember reading about Sinclair Lewis, who, all by himself, reporting on the slaughter-houses back in the early 1900's, startled so many readers. That their own concerns GREW.
Well, that's how you measure talent.
No, I am not talent!
But I do know there's stuff out there you can read!
For instance, in America "the matzo company" was Manischewitz, now has a biography about itself, out there. Starts around 1840. And, births its way through all the changes. Written by Laura Minischewitz Alpern.
Oh, yes! Very interesting! Because we don't get to read about all the changes that took place! Where women, for instance, had been trained to "be wives." (Who would never talk back! Who had a specific marital role to play. And, who produced children. A good woman brought them into the world, healthy. And, then didn't lose any to childhood disease.)
How did marriages take place? Very religious men put these matters into the hands of their rabbis.
And, Manischewitz: The Matzo Family is intriguing reading.
Just one snippet: In 1919 one of the progeny. A female who was called Esther, by her family. But Judy at school. Became so involved with Zionism, that she went about her neighborhood collecting money for "palestine." Only to find people shrugging. Why send money there, it is written, when the best place to be on earth was Cincinnati. (I kid you not.)
The Rebbe Ber Manischewitz arrives in Cincinnati, with his wife, and young children, because the local community needed a "schochet."
Yes, back in Europe, before coming to America, the story starts. (I should have mentioned that one.)
But if you really want to absorb all the things that shifted and changed over the past 170 years, go read this story!
Because it's unfortunate what gets lost when myths replace histories.