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Helen Thomas: You Cannot Criticize Israel in the US and Survive
Plus: Helen Thomas Cries When She Learns Of President Obama’s Comments About Her
Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has acknowledged she touched a nerve with remarks about Israel that led to her retirement. But she says the comments were "exactly what I thought," even though she realized soon afterward that it was the end of her job.
Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas has acknowledged she touched a nerve with remarks about Israel that led to her retirement, but she says the comments were "exactly what I thought." "I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country
and survive," Thomas told Ohio station WMRN-AM in a sometimes emotional
35-minute interview that aired Tuesday. It was recorded a week earlier
by WMRN reporter Scott Spears at Thomas' Washington, D.C., condominium.
Thomas, 90, stepped down from her job as a columnist for Hearst News Service in June after a rabbi and independent filmmaker videotaped her outside the White House calling on Israelis to get "out of Palestine." She gave up her front row seat in the White House press room, where she had aimed often pointed questions at 10 presidents, going back to Eisenhower.
She has kept a low profile since then.
"(It was) very hard for the first two weeks. After that, I came out of my coma," said Thomas, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon.
Rabbi David Nesenoff, who runs the website rabbilive.com, said he approached Thomas after he'd been at the White House for Jewish Heritage Day on May 27. He asked whether she had any comments on Israel.
"Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," she replied.
"Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. It's not Germany, it's not Poland," she continued. Asked where they should go, she answered, "They should go home."
"Where's home?" Nesenoff asked.
"Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else," Thomas replied.
"I told him exactly what I thought," she told Spears, who said during the interview that some accounts left off her reference to America. Thomas did not disagree.
"I was not talking about Auschwitz or anything else," she said.
"They distorted my remarks, which they obviously have to do for their own propaganda purposes, otherwise people might wonder why they continue to take Palestinian land," said Thomas. There was no explanation of whom "they" referred to.
When she soon began getting calls about her remark, "I said this is the end of my job."
She issued an apology, she told the radio interviewer, because people were upset and she thought she had hurt people. "At the same time, I had the same feelings about Israel's aggression and brutality," Thomas said.
Asked whether she's anti-Semitic, she responded "Baloney!" She said she wants to be remembered for "integrity and my honesty and my belief in good journalism" and would like to work again.
Spears said Thomas granted him the interview because the two had developed a friendship during previous interviews she had done with the station in Marion, some 70 kilometres north of Columbus, Ohio.
Their discussion also touched on current politics, particularly on women.
Thomas described Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as "a hawk." ''I thought women in politics would have more compassion, be more liberal," Thomas said.
As for Sarah Palin, Thomas said she believed the former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate was ambitious enough to run for president.
"That would be a tragedy, a national tragedy," she said, describing Palin as "very conservative, reactionary, unbelievable."
Asked about tea party-backed Republican Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, Thomas responded with one word: "Frightening."
* * * * *
More from Mediaite:
Helen Thomas Cries When She Learns Of President Obama’s Comments About Her
While printed accounts of the 35-minute radio interview have focused on her inflammatory remarks, subsequent apology, and her opinions of flashpoint politicians Christine O’Donnell and Sarah Palin, they ignore a portion of the interview that packs an emotional wallop. Apparently learning of them for the first time, Helen reacts tearfully to a quote from President Obama.
Host Scott Spears informs Helen that the President called her remarks “offensive and out of line,” and a taken aback Helen asks “Through a spokesman?”
Spears responds that the President made the comment himself in a Today show interview. Here’s Helen’s gut-wrenching reaction:
Apparently, Helen was heretofore only aware of comments by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the day of Helen’s retirement, which is where she gets the “reprehensible” reference from. Learning of the rebuke from the President himself obviously affected her deeply.
Here’s the President’s quote from that Today Show interview:
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191 Comments so far
Show AllHelen, thank you for you many years of dedicated service. I think that the following interview you did speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Oz8M_FnV4
Job well done!
Can someone explain why the photo accompanying the article is of Pope Benidict?
It may be that one cannot survive telling the truth about anything now. (Like Orwell said: During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
Very good Orwell quote.
People will believe the big lie. Adolf Hitler
A lie told often enough becomes the truth. Vladimir Lenin
There's a sucker born every minute. P. T. Barnu,
As they used to say in the Soviet Union:
"No good deed goes unpunished."
Actually, the quotes are interesting but two of the attributions are perhaps incorrect.
You can check online about the quote attributed to Lenin. One place to start is: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/quotes.htm which purports to be, "The only authentic, sourced list of quotes by Lenin on the Internet."
And of course, the alleged P. T. Barnum quote has never been validated.
As for the first one? I don't know.
bluepil...
Hey... Orwell is dead and 'universal deceit' RULES!
So... you tell me - who is the winner here?
Com'on folks... who the fuck EVER tells the truth in DC?
That's the first rule of suicide prevention...NEVER tell the truth 'bout nuttin!
Scheeeze....
If there was a media outlet in this country worth a damn, it would jump at the opportunity to hire Ms Thomas. We need her voice...perhaps now more than ever.
Helen Thomas should go work for Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! should ask her.
The BBC is great. I once heard one of their reporters interviewing Tony Blair (in his first term as PM). When Blair tried to avoid answering a question, the reporter pointed that out. When Blair ran off at the mouth, the guy interrupted him. I long for the day when I hear that kind of interview in this country.
Not so great Sheepherder, since Greg Dyke retired, it is simply following the "status Quo" if you get my drift.
The BBC refused to run an appeal for the Gaza victims following the attack by Israel.
I haven't been in the UK for a few years, is Jeremy Paxman still on Newsnight? He used to be great. I remember him with Tony Blair as Tony was dodging questions: "For the seventh time Prime Minsister, will you answer the question?" He did not let him off the hook. Of course Tony Baloney did not answer the question, but at least Paxman exposed his BS.
Watch the Fred Dicker and Carl Paladino interview clip. A Must see for journalism students. Just don't back down! Fred should go on a teaching tour. Despite his politics!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJnDWbkZRlw
sheep...
Try Daffy Ducks interview of lil Bush circa 2002... it was KILLER!
They're reworking it into a series on FOX! Reportedly, Terry Schiavo will be playing lil Bush... and FOX will be played by a Hitler clone of Dr Mengele.
It's gonna be boffo...kin hardly wait for the fall season.
For some real gut splitting laughter amid savage truth telling, see the videos by this guy:
FKN newz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGPHJLCJc-o
The above video is titled 911 the FKN FACTS
He is what BBC should be. As a matter of fact he takes BBC to the wood shed often and even spoofs their logo in his presentations.
The Vampire sucking the blood out of the Statue of Liberty sledge-hammered home a chord.
Someone, anyone, MANY PEOPLE should ask her, AND Democracy Now!
As i recall, DN's coverage of the incident was pretty much a blip on the screen and Helen's plight wasn't exactly treated sympathetically - i remember remarking on it to myself at the time. Perhaps someone else remembers it differently .....
No, I don't think DN will invite Helen ....
i used to watch, even tape, DN all the time. Now i take a quick look at the "today's show" page and most of the time don't bother watching it. Once in a while she has a good guest on, but mostly, IMO, it's "old" stuff. After awhile, you pretty much know what it will cover and what it won't .....
I love Amy Goodman but the zionist kosher nostra and wTC 7 are two subjects she will not touch.
Bless you for recognizing that even the holier than thou "left", John Stewart, Amy Goodman, Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, Al Franken (when @ Air America)are systematic protectors of the rabid Israeli flock. One cannot be a Progressive and a pro-Zionist. It simply doesn't wash.
Quite right.
To compare Amy Goodman with the likes of mainstream democrat Jon Stewart and Al Franken, Maher or Maddow tells me that you are not exactly someone who is very astute. They aren't even in the same universe! Oh, they are american citizens and in the media. Very different media, i might add.
And Amy Goodman, if you ever bothered to listen to her speak or hear Democracy Now is always covering these issues.
The very fact that you would call Goodman and Bill Maher the "left" - as though they were equivalent. No further comment warranted here.... Seriously.
Sir, the point, I believe, is that claiming to be left, right, progressive or whatever requires a certain level of objectivity (or lack of it). When you tread in the 'progressive' meme, you are supposed to be able to address any and all issues with an equal amount of critical thinking. The examples mentioned above are diferrent people with differnet agendas but they all claim to be progressives. Some claim to be against war and others, like Franken, defend it. But there is a ridiculously blatant common thread. THEY WON'T TOUCH ISRAEL OR 911 in an openly critical fashion. They REFUSE to assume evidence of their own eyes and ears in regard to Israeli massacres. This is blatant. They may not all be zionists but they tow the line. So they are compromised in those areas out of fear or complicity. And consequently they CANNOT be considered true progressives.
You obviously don't regularly listen to Democracy Now or you couldn't possibly make that claim about Goodman. It is simply a fact. Although i am not speaking about the WTC issue here. No, she doesn't speak about that.
And just one more for the road. I am amused at being addressed as "sir". That is truly a first for me. I am not a male by any stretch. But i appreciate the laugh.
peace.
Sorry for the sir. I meant no disrespect.
I listen sporadically to Amy. The last show I watched was with the Chilean economist. Amy cares about world peace. But she's not superwoman and I believe she is genuinely afraid to cross the zionist goons.
I feel that you are being sincere, so i want to encourage you to do a bit of research on Democracy Now over the past ten years. You will find she has consistently dealt with israel/palestine very directly.
If you are going to discuss a serious journalist (and she is the only one mentioned in the original post), it is best to know his/her work.
And. No apologies necessary.
rita
Can you document your unsubstantiated allegation that she's not superwoman?
Most on the left are not believers in the Jew conspiracy theory to take over the world.
catman, thank you. There are some here who seem to either be young, or intentionally playing games. That is my hope anyway.
It's the same on progressive talk radio. No matter what's going on they refuse to go near the subject of Israel, although they're happy enough to talk about Arab/Muslim this and Arab/Muslim that. Do they think we don't notice?
there's progressive talk radio!?
Amy has dealt with the Israeli/Palestine issue, though not directly. But give her credit! Who else has had Norman Finklestein on their program?
Al Franken? Gimme a break! A classic (D) party hawk who works his jockeys into briefs trying to perduade people there's a huge difference between the (R) and (D) parties.
Bill Maher? A Ron Paulian/Ayn Rand-lite libertarian (and not funny at all; his monologues suck) who believes the government has no problem lying about why we had to go to war with Iraq but ridicules people who think they ever lied about anything else.
Rachel? Egged on and learning from Chuck D and Liz Winstead in the early days of Air America (before they were bought by the (D) party), she was getting there, and I enjoyed her show. Once she got her own slot (survived the shake-up as the station ran for cover from charges of being radical) she began to wimp back to the center. Then she was lulled into a Thom Hartmann neutrality, which earned her MSNBC time, which sealed her fate. I WANNA like her, but aaarrrggghhh!
If anyone here thinks the U.S. will ever change course re:Israeli policy, you're dreaming (or should share with the rest of us whatever is in the bong).
If anyone thinks the U.S. is NOT headed for a lengthy even-more-conservative-than-before period of corporate expansion, militarism, and class warfare against the poor and tattered remnants of the "middle class" you've been listening to way too much Keith and Rachel.
I'm not being cynical; it's just that things are really, really hopeless.
"no gods, no masters" --m. sanger
I find your characterization of Bill Maher off target and overstated. Can you reference any statements of his that show your opinion to be an accurate one? Time and again, as a regular listener, I have heard him state plainly that our govt lies on any number of issues. I have never heard him do anything but denigrate libertarians, including Ron Paul and his bigot of a son.
I do not listen to Maddow often enough to comment upon her trendings, but those times I have caught her show I have seen no evidence of anything like you suggest. Despite your protestations to the contrary I find nothing BUT cynicism in your post. Unhelpful covers it, I think.
I especially like her (Goodman's) new 'Mother Theresa' look... adds to her 'street cred'.
I only wish she would feature more lepers...they're so overlooked in our society.
PS - I could do with less Zsczhivo Szczseezek or whatever the nosepicker calls himself...enough with the boogies already!
PS - I could do with less Zsczhivo Szczseezek or whatever the nosepicker calls himself...enough with the boogies already!
kakh Zucker your PS has no place in talking about DN reporting of mideast.
By the way Amy Goodman IS (The granddaughter of an Orthodox rabbi, Goodman has relatives, including two granduncles, who died in The Holocaust.[29] Goodman describes herself as a secular Jew. She grew up in Bay Shore, New York.[30]wikipedia)
jonabark
Bullshit. She may not spout the hyperbolic hatred some of you are into, but she covers Israel in the clear and unflattering light of the best journalism available. She is fearless and unbiased on the topic and I can give a very long list of stories in evidence.
Who else has given voice to Chomsky, Finkelstein, Rachel Corrie's parents, Jewish refuseniks, Amira Hass, The aid flotillas, the Palestinians of Gaza. Go to her site; do a search using the word Israel and tell me what is missing.
Good factual retort to a couple of unhinged posters, thanks.
mahannah...
just visit wsws.org for a dose of the truth...if you really want it, that is.
Most of these pleas for 'da truth 'n nuttin but' here on CD are but cries in the dark for someone to tell them..."everythings gonna be OK".
Try wsws.org, if you can make the leap.
I agree.
Let's see how long Spears keeps his job.
q
We Will Remember You Helen because of your integrity.
The only other reporter that comes close for me to that standard is Bill Moyers.
Helen Thomas exposed the sore point: Israel began through an act of colonialism, the ethnic cleansing of 750 000 Palestinians and the destruction of hundreds of century-old Palestinian villages, the Nakba.
Martina...
Who the hell are you to be introducing facts to this 'feelgood' forum?
...cleansing 3/4 mill Palestinians - what a BUZZKILL!
Hey... the jews have built some nice houses there...AC and all...
In my opinion your use of the word "jews" which, by the by, should be capitalized, identifies the problem with some critics and with Ms. Thomas.
That Jews make up the largest percentage of Israels population by far is a moot point. That, when speaking about the policies of Israel, one uses Jew in place of Israeli, it becomes a provocative and misleading indicator. Jews worldwide, as one might expect, are rather sensitive to the rabid antisemitism that they have endured for thousands of years.Further, the decisions of the Israeli govt., heinous and callous though they may be, must be attributed to the State of Israel and not to "Jews" per se.
I trust you understand that this point, while seemingly trivial to non Jews, would be important to those of that faith world wide, many of whom also oppose the actions of the State of Israel towards the Palestinian refugees that they themselves created. I offer that, had Ms. Thomas referred to Israel and Israelis rather than to Jews, she might currently still occupy her first chair in the White House briefing room.
The problem here is, that the factions within Israel responsible for the plight of the Palestinians, the attacks on peace convoys are Jewish. They are not Arabs or Christians, but Jewish, and to try to suggest otherwise is simply dishonest. I would personally draw the distinction between Zionist Jews and for want of a better word "moderate" Jews.
By insisting that people do not attribute the blame to "Jews", but to the Israeli state as a whole, could be seen as delegating some sort of collective responsibility for the problem, when in fact the people responsible for this whole problem are "Jews" with extremist views.
If Jewish people want to stand apart from the actions of Zionist extremists, then they have to use their power where it matters most, by criticising the Jewish groups which hold most influence and power within the US. This is currently not happening to any noticeable degree, and therefore their silence is simply taken as support for Zionism.
I quite agree with you.
while we should NOT forget that just like in any culture or people, there are countless jews everywhere that are TRULY conscientious and appalled by what is happening or "what has become of jews"....
but in the end -- the State of Israel as it is forced upon others (palestinians) -- IS a "jewish" project. it can not be divorced from that reality, regardless of whether it is due to "zionism" or not.
in the same way -- does it really matter whether it was the spaniards that "discovered" america, or the vikings landed earlier in newfoundland, or the british crown "defeated" the French and spaniards and shaped the USA to be an "anglo" nation, or that subsequent immigrants from all over the world "built america?" .
it is ALL STILL founded on ROBBING the native indians of their land and their lives and their freedom and way of life - and then ROBBING africans of THEIR liberty and enslaving them..in order to build the foundations of a "free country".
and EVERYONE that has ever come to the USA or "america" since that time - is, one way or another ANSWERABLE to those whose land and lives were TAKEN from them.
There is NO ABSENCE of being answerable to the native indians and the enslaved africans and anyone else that was enslaved to "build america" - from ANY OF US wherever we came from to "partake of america" - because ultimately -- if ANY of us can claim ANYthing for having lived or established something IN america -- THAT is ALWAYS a form of DEBT
to the NATIVE INDIANS and the enslaved africans and others enslaved or denied for the sake of "US"....even were we to claim that we "had nothing to do with THAT : past".
no -- that is a DEBT that can never be repaid.
and so - it is irrelevant whether a "country was born" due to this or that reason or people...or whether that country was "built" due to this or that reason.
ALL OF IT is founded upon THEFT of the lives and land and liberties of others before ..."IT".
same with Israel.
and imo, the LEAST that ANY people can do , regardless of how far they have "built" themselves "due to our hard work" ....regardless of how CONSCIENTIOUSLY they have done so...is, if they are going to be, imo, answerable to those whose land and lives were taken away for the sake of "clearing" the path for the subsequent "builders"....
the LEAST they can do is to do everything they can...including making the choices that INCLUDE SACRIFICING their own "progress"...in order to not ADD MORE HARM to the people from whom much has been ROBBED. this is obviously nearly impossible for societies to do...unless we were truly to become an enlightened SPECIES.
and yet - imo, one of the paths towards that is to put at the FOREFRONT of social consciousness and awareness and education, THAT INDEBTEDNESS to societies that have been robbed of their "being" for the sake of "others" -- such as ourselves -- rather than to just consign it to "history" or worse, to actively SUPPRESS it -as ISRAEL and the USA and many societies actually DO.
and INTRINSIC to that acknowledgement of "indebtedness" to one society , is for the other society to SHOW that its OWN achievements and advancements are meant AS MUCH for asking forgiveness from the other societies and asking for their FORBEARANCE to coexist as ONE people...in what was once THEIR land...and that ALL achievements of the later society have in mind what can be rehabilitated of the old society to the fullest capability of the society as a whole...with their common contributions and sharing of what they can learn from each other
as STEWARDS of the land...and reach a higher achievement and potential as a civilization:
that out of clashes and conflicts and evils and suffering -- people can at least understand and REALIZE what being a STEWARD of the planet really means: that it means
NOT ROBBING, NOT STEALING , NOT DEPRIVING.
but SHARING and COOPERATING and LEARNING from each other
and taking JOY in it all. for we are ALL, the elder societies and the younger ones....
merely - at best -- BORROWERS of land , and water, rivers and mountains, and air and food and wind and sun and earth and sea.
WE don't own anything. the Planet Mother Earth OWNS US.
Why, then, as the ruling class here in America is overwhelmingly Protestant, do you not speak in opposition to "those Protestant pirates" or some such. Your words are simply an excuse for antisemitic rants that are really a stumbling block to any progress in that region of the world.Further, by your rather twisted logic, as the Taliban,AlQaeda, Hamas et al are Muslims then you will of course blame all 1.4 billion followers of Islam for the actions of those few, will you not? After all, you do not want to single out only the Jews for your rather reeking logic, now do you?
I would only add that ,as Andy identifies himself as a British subject, antisemitism is rampant in that nation.
By the by, my point remains valid to those who rise above the crap a subject like this always brings forth.
The difficulties in distinguishing between Jewish and Zionist are Israeli- made. All Israeli citizens have equal rights (in theory).But only its Jewish citizens are nationals because the whole purpose of political Zionism is a state for the “Jewish nation”. In Israeli law there is no “Israeli” nationality. (Which makes the idea of Israel as a Jewish democracy such a farce)
When talking about the actions of the Israeli state may be we should use the term Zionist.