Charles Krauthammer: Leaving Gaza

Townhall ^ | February 25, 2005 | Charles Krauthammer

[churchillbuff]

Question. You ever said or did anything stupid, hurtful, or that you were ashamed of?

Many times. Has Krauthammer said he's ashamed of his stupid, hateful anti-Christian tirade? He ought to be. Has he apologized to Mel Gibson for calling him, in essence, an anti-semite? He certainly hasn't done so in print. He put the hatefulness in a column - in print. If, as you suggest, he's sorry for doing so, then he ought to express that regret in print too. He hasn't done so -- so, unlike you, I'm not inclined to forget his expression of bigotry, as there's no evidence that he's ashamed of expressing it.

[Peach]

You're still at it, I see. Trying to expose Krauthammer as anti-Christian is really disgusting on your part.

You've been reminded time and again that it was Krauthammer who defended Christians over and over on FNC during the Christmas season when he claimed that those trying to take the "Christ" out of Christmas were wrong to do so.

Your anti-semitism is showing, imo.

[churchillbuff]

Trying to expose Krauthammer as anti-Christian is really disgusting"""

Krauthammer's hateful column speaks for itself. Why do you think they've removed it from townhall.com?

[Peach]

Why do you think Krauthammer was the only major columnist who defended Christianity during the Christmas holidays? Because he's anti-Christian?

I don't think so. And your constant harping on him and ONE column out of thousands is as anti-semitic as his supposed anti-Christianity.

[hinckley buzzard]

"When Brit has him on his panel I think he makes the rest of them look like second string, not that they aren't good but his observations and thoughts are usually the best on the show."

Yes, Krauthammer is an exceedingly lucid thinker. He didn't get through medical school on his gift of gab, which is all that most TV "pundits" have going for them.

[McGavin999]

The fence has been the best solution from the very beginning. With it in place, the Palestinians will have to come to terms with the fact that they can not exist economically without Israel and their best chance for a future is to be at peace with their neighbor.

There will no longer be any excuse for refugee camps and the people will be expected to go out and earn a living and build their homes on their own land.

[Marguerite]

I'm not interested in some movie I haven't seen, but in political analysis, in which Krauthammer is unbeatable.

[Marguerite]

There will no longer be any excuse for refugee camps

The "refugee camps" don't even exist anymore, the palies call them so, in order to continue receiving refugees' subsidies from UNWRA (our money)

[churchillbuff]

political analysis, in which Krauthammer is unbeatable."""

Krauthammer used his "political analysis" column to attack my religion, Christianity, as a hate religion. That was despicable and I'm not going to let people forget that.

[chukcha]

Well, Christianity today, and especially in America, is different from traditional Christianity.

I read your original post #18. Here are some comments:

1. Persecution of European Jewry did not start with Hitler. Murder of Jews during Crusades, blood libel, expulsion from many countries, forceful conversions and inquisition started long before "Rousseau, Darwin, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud".

2. Over the years Christian churches, Catholic included, spreaded religious antisemitism. Vatican II statement was ment to put officially an end to such incitement.

3. Mel Gibson rejects Vatican II decision.

4. Out of four gospels he chose Mathew 27:25 "His blood be on us, and on our children" - the cornerstone of blood libel - to put in his movie. Under pressure from many religious groups - non-Jewish - subtitles for the scene were omitted.

5. There were other anti-Jewish ideas in the movie, besides this one.

6. Traditionally, the play "Passion" is associated with anti-Jewish violence, because in Europe many pogroms had followed its performance.

It is very important to note, that Christian Evangelicals - people that READ Bible, not just listen to someone's interpretation - are the strongest supporters of Israel and the best friends Jews had for centuries. Mel Gibson is not one of them.

[dighton]

Bit of bad luck, having your thread hijacked by Neville.

Got Flit?

[aculeus]

How about a word from the UK journalism's answer to the whoopie cushion, Robert Fisk.

Just how The New York Times--which boasts William Safire and Charles Krauthammer, those giants of pro-Israeli bias ...

They all look alike, those right-wing Yank newspapers.

[churchillbuff]

hikjacked""

No, I just make it a point, when there's a post calling Krauthammer a genius, of reminding people of his notorious anti-Christianity column. He's never apologized for it. He's never apologized to Mel Gibson, or to Christians in general (of whom I am one) for implying that the Christian passion story - ie the Gospels -- is responsible for the Holocaust. His implication was that any portrayal of the Christian gospels, on film, can't include the passion story - or must be censored. Are we living in Soviet Russia, Mr. Krauthammer, where Christians couldn't openly proclaim their beliefs? Mel Gibson must have wondered, after Krauthammer's savage attack on him.

[churchillbuff]

hikjacked""

No, I just make it a point, when there's a post calling Krauthammer a genius, of reminding people of his notorious anti-Christianity column. He's never apologized for it. He's never apologized to Mel Gibson, or to Christians in general (of whom I am one) for implying that the Christian passion story - ie the Gospels -- is responsible for the Holocaust. His implication was that any portrayal of the Christian gospels, on film, can't include the passion story - or must be censored. Are we living in Soviet Russia, Mr. Krauthammer, where Christians couldn't openly proclaim their beliefs? Mel Gibson must have wondered, after Krauthammer's savage attack on him.

[churchillbuff]

You seem to agree with what Krauthammer implies: that the Passion narrative of the Gospels is anti-Jewish. Krauthammer seems to imply it must be banned, no films of the Christian gospels - - - Hollywood can only put out anti-Christian movies, not movies about Christ's death and resurrection.

You also seem to have bought into Krauthammer's slander that implies that Christianity is at the root of anti-semitism. If that's so, why is there anti-semitism in the Muslim world, and why was there anti-semitism in the pre-christian world? Blaming Christianity is a slur and a smear. As a Christian -- and a believer in religious tolerance -- i'm not going to let people forget this bigoted outburst by Krauthammer.

[Torie]

Krauthammer diagrees with you on more than just his reaction to the content of The Passion. He disagrees with you about almost everything. So do I. Cheers.

[Peach]

LOL.

It gets tiresome to see some freeper (not you) push the Krauthammer anti-Christian crap. He did more to stand up for Christianity during the holiday months than any other colunmnist of note.

[Peach]

Neville sounds more like an anti-semite than Krauthammer ever sounded anti-Christian. And yes, he's trying to hijack this thread.

[Polybius]

The idea is this: Israel must (unilaterally, if necessary) rationalize its defensive lines -- in order to (1) protect its citizens, (2) permanently defuse the Palestinian terror threat and thus (3) open the door to a final peace. Evacuating Gaza and completing the fence are complementary parts of that strategy. Both Gaza and the northern West Bank are separated from Israel by fences. Not a single suicide bomber has ever infiltrated through them. As a result, northern Israel enjoys calm. But in Gaza, which is also surrounded by a fence, the bloodshed has continued. Why? Because 8,200 Jews are living on the wrong side of the fence. Defending them involves enormous Israeli military deployments, great danger and no real return. Everyone knows that ultimately this island of Jews in a sea of a million Arabs will have to go.

I fully agree with this strategic view and I debated it at length with yonif on this thread in May 2004.

[chukcha]

You seem to agree with what Krauthammer...

I form my own opinions.

I do not remember specific Krauthammer piece, but if he did not like "Passion", then I am in agreement with him. The fact that we, Krauthammer and myself, did not like the movie and its producer, does not mean that we are anti-Christian. That would be a l-o-n-g stretch.

Anybody even slightly familiar with history knows that a lot of violence was committed for religious purposes, as well as, there were many religious wars. Christianity is no exception.

You raised a question - "why was there anti-semitism in the pre-christian world?"

Antisemitism at that time never reached the level we saw later in Christian Europe. It was based on a number of factors - one of them was Jewish belief in one and invisible God. That was the concept that was difficult to grasp, when everyone's else gods were multiple, had specific functions, and could be visualized. Jews were different even then, and that was a cause for ridicule.

Since all Jews were literate, they participated heavily in finance and trade. This also caused tension from people who felt that they are not producing anything, but are wealthy and parasitic. This combined with Christian narrative that Jews killed Jesus became a basisi for European anti-Semitism.

Muslims have different reasons for hatred of Jews. First, Mohamed wanted to be accepted by Jews as their last prophet. He even instructed Muslims to pray facing Jerusalem. When he was rejected, he took it very personally. However, Jews were much more tolerated in Muslim world than in Christian world up until recently. The current Muslim antisemitism comes from existence of Israel in what they perceive as "Muslim land". According to Islam, once the land becomes Muslim it has to stay Muslim. They are still upset about their defeat in Spain in 15th century, and now they have to contend with country of Jews, who they believed were punished by Allah.