How is everyone doing?

[Behind the Aegis]

Considering the past week or so, I thought I would see how people were feeling about some of the things happening.

Express yourself, but kindly do not call out other posters.

[Misskittycat]

1. Very tense. See my response to your other post. BTW,

right now 12:45 PDT) on the Ed Schultz show on Air America, Norman Goldman is guest hosting, and he's doing quite a good job of correcting some historical inaccuracies.

[Meshuga]

2. Frustration

Some of the crap that came down in the past week is frustrating but I am proud of some of the non-Jews here in DU who are critical of Israel but at the same time are able to see through some of the ridiculously antisemitic posts and are able to denounce these posts.

I am also proud of the mods here in DU for doing a great job deleting and locking these threads.

It is scary how people can easily buy the bullshit from some of the articles that are posted here. Some are even from right wing sources! But the worse is that a lot of this garbage comes from the far-left. These articles have the intention to exploit the feelings of the uninformed by mixing the obvious (war, destruction, deaths of innocent civilians, etc.) with distorted versions of historical events to make it seem that Israel actions are based purely on hatred for Arabs and for expansion. These posts are only good for adding more fuel to the fire. They are counterproductive.

Even more scary is the unquestioned belief in the conspiracy theories and myths posted around DU and the passion for believing in these theories and myths by some.

[Obamarama]

3. Tense, angry, tired of arguing with know-nothing nebishes.

I swear, I never thought there would be a day when I'd log on to DU and actually go in SEARCH of kitty threads in The Lounge! I just need to stay the heck out of GD for a while before I have a stroke. Wouldn't that just be my luck...survive incoming Katyushas in Kiryat Shmona, only to return home, log onto DU, spike my blood pressure and go from a stroke.

Most of my family in Kiryat Shmona are departing on Thursday for France, where we have more family. They are going to Southern France on holiday starting in early August, so my Israeli relatives will take up residence in their apartment through the end of August. Hopefully things will have calmed down a little. The Diaspora is alive and well in 2006.

[Misskittycat]

4. I've been glad to have the kitty threads, too. I hope your family

gets out safely.

[Betsy Ross]

5. I am distraught.

I cringe with every report of a bomb landing in Lebanon or Israel. The destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon is gut wrenching. The angry reactions to Israel I hear on the radio hurt. I want Israel safe. I want to keep my faith in Israel.

I've given up tv and radio news. I can't watch Keith Olberman. I cut way back on DU; I don't even come to get the LBN.

I get no comfort from those who think Israel can do no wrong; I will not listen to those who would demonize Israel.

I seek peace within myself. I try to live peaceably with others. And I pray for the peace of Israel and all the world. I don't know what else to do.

[Misskittycat]

6. Agreed, I can't hardly bear to watch the news or come to DU. n/t

[Misskittycat]

11. Grammatical correction: "I can hardly bear...." I was obviously rather

upset when I wrote this sentence. I just noticed the mistake! Oy.

[villager]

20. that pretty much sums it up for me, too...

n/t

[AlienGirl]

7. Friggin' tired

I have people I care about on both sides of the war. I think some of Israel's actions may have gone too far, but I also think Hezbollah is an organized crime gang that absolutely must be disarmed, for the safety of everyone in the region. I have heard that most Lebanese civilians think of Hezbollah as their dangerous hick right-wingers, sort of like how most Americans view the KKK or the Michigan Militia. I am sad to see civilians getting killed. I am even sadder to see DUers taking the side of dangerous Islamic fundamentalists who are just as odious as their Christian fundamentalist counterparts. I am saddest of all to see talking points from the fringe-rightwing show up on DU as apparently unexceptional opinions.

I feel like the US political spectrum has shifted so far into Weirdsville that there is no rally I am entirely comfortable anymore: if I go to an anti-Iraq war rally I will have to deal with jerks with signs saying that Jews control the US; if I go to a support-Israel rally, I am confronted by streams of bullshit coming from the oil lobby about why the Iraq war is a good thing.

I am really tired.

Tucker

[madaboutharry]

8. I seriously do not think that I am going

to be logging onto this website much in the future. I have already deleted it from my favorites column and I do not think I will be making any more donations. I have never seen so much ignorance in one place these last two weeks. Many posts have gone well beyond legitimate debate and criticism. I have come to the conclusion that there are elements within the left that are very tolerant of anti-semitism. I have had it. I do want to publicly thank Behind the Aegis for the noble effort made in trying to counter much of what has been going on.

[Meshuga]

9. I know your frustration

Because I login sometimes and after reading some of the posts that "have gone well beyond legitimate debate and criticism" (and the support for such posts) I get very frustrated and sometimes I have the urge to close my Internet Explorer window and just say "fuck it! What a waste of my time and energy...".

But the moderators here are pretty good with locking and deleting the bullshit and they are pretty fair. I wouldn't blame DU for the crap that is posted here but I blame the people who disrespect DU by breaking its rules.

As an example, look at that "historical" piece (which was actually BS with no legit sources to back it up) written by a group called "Jews for Justice in the Middle East", a group I could not find any info about except for a PO box. The mods were able to see it was garbage and locked it. But some people were not happy it was locked and one person tried to bring it back to life by starting a new thread where he/she "innocently" said, "What happened to this article?" with a link to it. After the second thread was actually deleted, one person added a link to the article on his sig line (a clear violation of forum rules in many levels).

I get frustrated and all but I still think DU is one of the best (if not the best) moderated internet forums. Therefore it is still getting my support and donations. The attitude of the moderators in the past two weeks (which were very busy for them) is an example to what I am talking about.

So, if it gets too unbearable for you to come here, because some of the posters, I would probably take a break until things cool down a bit.

B'shalom!

MrWiggles

ps. I would also like to personally thank Behind the Aegis for all the effort made in trying to counter the crap that is being posted in DU lately. I would also like to thank gentiles like Cali, for example, who is critical of Israel but has been very outspoken against the antisemitic posts when many others deny their existence here in DU.

(on edit: spelling)

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Thanks!

I also thank madaboutharry for his comments, as well. However, just as you have recognized cali, there are a few more that have also taken up the mantle of fighting the just cause, despite the "slings and arrows." Though not exhaustive, SammyBlue, in_cog_ni_to, and oberliner have been fighting the "messes" (yes, I said 'messes' not 'masses'). Even a few, who are anti-Israel, as it were, have seen the anti-Semitism and are aghast. Of course, a special "kudos" to "The Magistrate, who has locked many a thread and deleted many a post because of the raw hate!

[DemFromMem]

13. I share your frustration

Where is the place on the web for pro-Israel liberals?

[DemFromMem]

12. stressed

We have family members that could potentially be called up in the reserves (including a 23 year old first cousin) so obviously we're hoping for good news. All of my wife's relatives live in the Tel Aviv area so we're hopeful that the supposedly longer range rockets are a lot of hot air.

My wife and I are still planning on going to Israel in September on a community trip.

[gulfcoastliberal]

14. Not well. If I could strangle some Duers this week I'd be sorely tempted.

Check out this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2431117

[Misskittycat]

15. I'm still thoroughly disgusted. What do we do about this?

I'm mostly concerned about the disinformation about the history of the region being spewed all day long on Breaking News and GD in particular.

I don't understand that if there are rules on I/P, why is there largely a free for all everywhere else on DU? Little new is being raised; the level of actual dialogue is atrocious.

Beyond the Aegis, I give you credit for trying so hard and so often.

[Misskittycat]

16. Just checked back in GD - new guidelines issued. Finally n/t

[Meshuga]

17. Yeah...

I saw that! Finally we have these rules to help stop the misinformation... It was getting ridiculous in GD.

[Misskittycat]

18. But when is it really going to start, if nothing is being

locked retroactively? Also, the Latest Breaking News forum will still be a swamp.

Query: how do the new rules for GD on this subject differ from the Latest Breaking News forum? Hasn't it become almost the functional equivalent?

[Misskittycat]

19. I just read through a vicious pro and anti-Castro thread. I feel

a little better. I don't have a dog in that fight. It's amazing; it's just as awful and pointless as the Israel/Lebanon/Palestinian threads.
Obviously, I'm sorry there's a flame war going on there, but....