A guy at the studio said he agreed with us...except regarding Israel.

[JanMichael]

By "at the studio" I mean after the Guy James Show. By "A guy" I mean someone in that studio.

He said that he agreed with me and Guy on just about everything except Israel...I'm still not sure wtf he was talking about. Do we have any real stance or position other than diplomacy? He did manage to curse the Palestinian defenders with a mocking, "Boo hoo, the poor Palestinians...". He also said that the best defenders of Israel now were Christian Fundys. To that I said politics makes VERY strange bedfellows because they really don't dig the Jewish people, they're trying to ignite (Props to Neil Bush) the Rapture in Israel's backyard, and that simply won't be a "good" thing for the people of that region. I also added that I thought it was a tragic situation for all involved and what, if any, solutions (I avoided saying 'Final") he had, he had nothing.

Neither did I.

Is this typical of normally Liberal American Jews now or was I dealing with an anomoly?

Wasn't the 2000 Jewish vote something like 80% for Gore?

Have things changed that much or not?

[Trajan]

1. The current debacle ....

Has twisted the old alliances .... nearly to the breaking point ....

Many 'liberal' supporters of Israel seem to have no problem with declaring all palestinian arabs as worse than swine ...

In a way: the inhumanity of some arabs has unleashed a corresponding inhumanity of their 'enemy' ....

I cannot see a resolution to this: ... short of the 'happy annihilation' of the arabs by one side, or the jews by the other ....

Does the old 'give peace a chance' canard still ring true in those liberal ears ? .....

I would hope so, but I greatly doubt it ... Blood vengeance is a drug ....

[rucky]

2. Your Answer....

http://www.palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=2003081419122329

Road Map: Reassuring Findings of a Poll

Thursday, August 14 2003 @ 07:12 PM GMT

"The Jewish American poll was commissioned by Americans for Peace Now and included 503 randomly selected respondents representing a cross-section of the American Jewish community .."

By James J. Zogby

WASHINGTON — As readers of this column no doubt know, I love to write about polling. Polling opens a window on opinion and gives us a picture of people’s thoughts on issues. Over time, polling can also help us understand how views change and what factors contribute to that change....

...As in our earlier poll of October 2002 we found that both communities shared somewhat similar views and would both support a two-state solution based on the formula that was being negotiated before the election of Ariel Sharon in January 2001.

These results should not be viewed as surprising given the characteristics of the two communities. While each side may include some hard-line elements and while, at least on the Jewish side, their hard-liners have formed a powerful lobby that has pressed US officials to oppose most Palestinian concerns, the views of the overwhelming majority of Arab-American and American Jews are moderate and supportive of a balanced solution that recognizes the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians....

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. Unconditional support for Israeli govt is policy of Dems and Repubs

It is one issue where both parties speak clearly in one voice.

Unconditional support for whatever they want to do, and unlimited funding to do it.

This includes the Policy of Starvation, the Torture Lottery, destruction of homes, denial of access to medical care, seizure, beating imprisonment and torture of children, all enjoy broad based bipartisan support of the voting classes of both parties, and affluent US taxpayers are more than happy to fund it.

This is also the one issue that more than any other, defines the United States in the opinion of people around the world.

The policy is not in the best interest of the safety and security of either ordinary Americans or ordinary Israelis.

[alcuno]

4. I live in a heavily liberal and Jewish area; neighboring Skokie, Illinois

I work with a woman who is Orthodox as well as others who are friends; these are people with family in Israel. They are not buying the "fundy-Christians are our friends" routine. My community was 80% for Gore and anti-war sentiment here runs very strong.

The Jewish people I know are well aware that the right-wing Christians believe that they are going to burn in hell. They're not going to vote for them.

[Darranar]

5. No, he's...

likely a conservative liberal. In other words, he is probably a Lieberman or a Kerry politically, meaning that he either:

a: (he's a Lieberman) Has liberal stances on domestic issues, but not radical; is, however, rather right-leaning when it comes to foreign policy.

b: (he's a Kerry) Waffled on the Iraq war, doesn't like Bush's foreign policy at all but is far from radically anti-war or radically anti-Bush foreign policy, has left-wing stances on domestic affairs and is solid on them.

In both cases, he is radically pro-israel.

I don't mean to label anyone here; this simply comes from a bit of personal experience as a Kerry politically and living in the jewish community. These are just vague outlines; not everyone fits into these categories.

There are plenty of liberal Jews like myself; organizations like Tikkun, APN, and the like represent us.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Darranar]

7. Agreed, Flying_Pig...

and I'm proud to be one of those many who DO NOT support Sharon/Likud.

[mmm]

9. You are the man

thank you for psoting this

[jonoboy]

8. I dare not talk

to my Jewish friends about Israel as unless I offer blind support I risk serious arguments. Only one is completely appalled by the current government there and has vowed to never visit while they are in office or the Palestinians are still not settled.

Its the blind faith in the country , right or wrong that I cannot hack. How can anything ever progress when Israelis cannot see their own faults.

[DuctapeFatwa]

10. You just need to hang with a better class of friends

All the Jews I know are peaceful people who like all ethnic groups and want Israel to be a peaceful, respectable and friendly country.

In the interest of full disclosure, none has ties to any defense or energy company.