Boycott boondoggle (Leftist Bigots Alert!)

S.F. Bay Guardian ^ | August 6, 2003 | Camille T. Taiara

[swilhelm73]

On Aug. 1, after eight months of strife, the worker-owners of the Rainbow Grocery cooperative began voting on an issue that has become symbolic of a bitter divide in San Francisco's progressive community: whether or not to boycott Israeli goods. The vote is taking place through Aug. 15.

In the meantime many onlookers are keeping close watch on the struggle as an important measure of just how much support the pro-Palestinian movement can expect from the left in San Francisco.

The split began late last November, when a shopper looking for gelt, chocolate coins traditionally associated with the celebration of Hanukkah, discovered that the store's bulk- and packaged-food departments had been boycotting Israeli goods for the past year. She and her husband sent out a mass e-mail, and within a matter of days, the store was bombarded with messages of outrage and accusations of anti-Semitism.

The quasi-boycott garnered immediate criticism in the San Francisco Chronicle and catalyzed opposing sectors of the greater San Francisco community – most notably the local Jewish Community Relations Council and the Justice in Palestine Coalition.

Rainbow went into damage-control mode. On Dec. 22 the cooperative ordered the two renegade departments to desist from boycotting Israeli products unless the store as a whole approved such measures.

In a phone interview with the Bay Guardian, Yitzhak Santis, director of Middle East Affairs at the JCRC's San Francisco branch, characterized the boycott effort as being based on "an ideology of hypocrisy and double standards" and accused the co-op of ignoring the mainstream Jewish community's concerns. Rainbow, he rightly pointed out, does not have any such boycott in effect for products from other countries with disturbing records of human rights abuses – like China, Egypt, or Lebanon.

Boycott supporters say such charges are no more than a hollow tactic to divert attention from the issue at hand. "Israel is in the process of dispossessing the Palestinian people of their land and turning them into the largest refugee population in the world," Emily Katz Kishawi of the JPC said.

Now the moment of truth has come. Will the worker-owners of Rainbow – a local business long revered as a symbol of progressive business practices – choose to take a formal stance in opposition to Israel's U.S.-aided military occupation of Palestinian territories, or will it back down for good?

Rainbow employees have been advised to stay mum about the store's internal affairs. Board member Elizabeth Donoghue would not provide the Bay Guardian with even ballpark figures on how many public comments the store has received on the issue, a specific date on which the votes will be tallied, or any details on past Rainbow boycotts.

What's more, it seems the co-op changed the rules for approving boycotts since the scandal broke last winter. According to official Rainbow statements quoted in the Chronicle in December, a boycott required simple majority approval. Today, it requires a two-thirds majority, Donoghue verified.

"Rainbow is seen as a tipping point," Katz Kishawi said. "If they adopt certain practices, others will follow suit.... The coming two weeks are critical for this campaign."

[bybybill]

I guess there must bde something wrong with me but to me, this is really funny. PC vs PC. I love it

[PaulJ]

PC vs PC. I love it

That's the thing about PC. Because it's based on emotion, rather than logic, it can't help but eventually crumble.I will admit though, it is fun to watch. (In situations like this, I always hear Ralph Kramden: "hum-a-na,hum-a-na,hum-a-na...")

[Lantern1776]

Support the Isrealis....
Buy an Uzi

[AF68]

My brother is a so-called member of the gay "progressive", pot-smoking, anti-semitic, anti-Christian community in San Francisco. He and his friends are the most intolerant people I know or have ever met.

He is always talking about Nazi Sharon, fascist Bush and John KKK Ashcroft. I told him that people who always talk about Nazis and fascists usually are one themselves.

I asked him how could Sharon be a Nazi when Naziism, fascism and Marxism all are left-wing political philosophies. You should have seen him; I thought he was going to have an apoplectic seizure. The truth hurts.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Please PING everyone you can.
American Preservative, please PING the San Francisco ping list!

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I live in SF. I don't shop there and haven't since I heard of the other boycott. I shop at Whole Foods, more upscale and would NEVER do this, I phoned up Whole Foods and they said they would NEVER do this as it would alienate their clientele.

[fporretto]

How is it possible that peaceniks can so unabashedly support the agenda of a hatred-suffused people who murder defenseless civilians, including children, to make a political point? Who take no responsibility for the squalor and corruption that dominates them? Who teach their children to hate Jews because they are Jews? How long will it be before the contradictions in their positions cause them to shatter like dropped spun glass?

I know, I know: Mumia abu-Jamal. If you're a member of a "certified victim group," the Left will back you no matter what you do. It's just unimaginable that any mind could empty itself that completely of all objectivity and moral scruple.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

[swilhelm73]

Interestingly, historically this is how self-admitted fascists and communists acted.

Consider that Mussolini supposedly hated Hitler and railed long and often about him...and then they came to an understanding.

The Soviets and NAZIs railed against each other incessentantly while Hitler was claiming there was much to learn from Marxism and the Soviets believed Hitler was taking Germany down the road to communism himself.

Then after all the public accusations...they allied! And communists the world over preached that conflict with Germany was just capitalist warmongering.

Of course, as we all know then the Germans backstabbed their allies and invaded them a while later. Stalin was su surprised at the sneak attack he refused to believe it was happening for a week.

The notion of fascism and communism as opposites originated as Soviet propaganda during and after WWII. And this is yet another element of Soviet propaganda teh left still seeks to force upon the populace at large.

The long and the short of it, fascism and communism are both leftist, and fairly similar philosophies, but leftists with even slightly different views get violently dogmatic with a little power...

[I_Love_My_Husband]

http://www.sfjcf.org/israel/crisis/stories/rainbowgrocery-aug2003.asp

From the Jewish Community Relations Council

Rainbow Grocery: Vote on Whether to Deshelve Israeli Products Aug. 1

We have learned that Rainbow Grocery will be holding a vote on August 1 on whether the store should engage in an "official" boycott of products from Israel.

Anti-Israel activists at Rainbow apparently circulated a petition for signatures with the aim of putting it before all members of the cooperative as a vote.

In case you don't recall, as an employee-owned cooperative, employees can gather signatures to qualify issues for a vote by all member/owners, much like a ballot proposition.

Our offers of providing to Rainbow's staff some background materials giving a differing perspective than that of the anti-Israel activists were met with a very cool reception, and not accepted.

Once again we have to ask that you be part of a community effort to contact Rainbow so they understand there is a large segment of the community that would find an anti-Israel boycott to be unacceptable.

To contact Rainbow:

Phone: (415) 863-0620
FAX: (415) 863-8955

Points to mention:

Of all countries — why Israel? Israel is the only country in the Middle East that protects the rights of women and minorities, as well as gays and lesbians. Only in Israel can Arab women run for office. Also, only Israel guarantees religious freedom for all of its residents, etc.

Politics don't belong in a grocery store

Rainbow includes a commitment to making "an inclusive environment that is welcoming to everyone." If so, how can they show no interest in contrary opinions? So please call, fax or email Rainbow Grocery today and let them know that we won't stand for their discriminatory double standard against Israeli products.

Please let us know what Rainbow's response is by emailing me at ysantis@jcrc.org.

Thank you.

Yitzhak Santis, Director
Middle East Affairs
JCRC

[Timesink]

Someone should get a list of some major upcoming conventions in SF, pick the biggest one, and then call the SF Chamber of Commerce claiming to be a representative of that group, letting them know that if these bigots agree to the anti-Semitic boycott, "we're moving our convention to another city." Just screw with their minds and let the liberal infighting grow ever-larger.

[Timesink]

Of all countries — why Israel? Israel is the only country in the Middle East that protects the rights of women and minorities, as well as gays and lesbians. Only in Israel can Arab women run for office. Also, only Israel guarantees religious freedom for all of its residents, etc.

Poor Mr. Santis. He's trying to fight emotion-based leftist hate with facts and logic. That rarely works.

[King Prout]

the obvious question: are you *sure* he's your brother? is it possible the faerie swapped your true brother out for a changeling?

[Petronski]

The notion of fascism and communism as opposites originated as Soviet propaganda during and after WWII.

Not so. In Germany and in France in the 1920s and earlier, the communists sat on the left of the speaker of the legislature, while the fascists/nazis sat on the right. This is the origin of the division between communism and fascism/nazism, and as well is the origin of the terms right and left.

[swilhelm73]

Actually, no.

The left and right, in the modern sense, originates from the French Revolution. Monarchists, businessmen, and the church's followers sat to the right, and the radicals and various other scum and villany who wanted to changes French society wholesale and immediately were on the left. Just as modern communists would be part of the left of the French Revolutionary era, so too would modern fascists.

Fascism, as a phenomenon starts with Mussolini's split from the socialist international over Italian entry into WWI. As a political movement of note to the world it appears in 1922 with his march into Rome.

The Soviets were very interested in fomenting red revolt in Germany, and believed for quite a while that Hitler's rise to be what communism would look like in a modern industrial country. Some communists, most notably Trotsky disagreed, but by this point Trotsky was in exile.

Again, if communism and fascism were complete opposites this confusion becomes really difficult to understand - how could the communist leadership so misestimate what they were seeing?

This, however, becomes rather easy to understand if one considers that communism and fascism are similar philosophies. The communist leadership was, obviously, wrong...but not off by as much as conventional wisdom would postulate.

[Petronski]

You need to make up your mind. After all, you first said:

The notion of fascism and communism as opposites originated as Soviet propaganda during and after WWII.

Then you said:

The left and right, in the modern sense, originates from the French Revolution.

[swilhelm73]

I don't see where I'm not being consistent.

The fact that the idea of left - radical, atheist, and violent - and right - conservative, respectful of tradition, and Christian - originated from the French Revolution is pretty obvious, if you still think its from the 20s, do a little net searching.

Further the fact that fascism is just another flavor of far leftism is also obvious with a little analysis. Just because some leftists insist on holding on to old Soviet propaganda doesn't mean anyone else should.

The notion of fascism as being far right is alien to the idea of the right as it has always been construed. And were it not for the holocaust is seems likely this notion would have died long ago.

[AirborneMedic]

Lets boycott LIBERAL owned companies.

[L.N. Smithee]

I have been boycotting Rainbow Grocery for years. I was there on business and needed to speak to the manager, and as I was waiting at a checkout line, I saw buttons being sold on the counter reading "U.S. OUT OF MY UTERUS."

I have never darkened brightened the door with my presence since.