Breakfast with Helen Thomas, still full of great commentary and acid quips

[DFW]

We (my VA family and I) just got back home to the Langley/McLean area from breakfast in Washington with our old friend, Helen Thomas.

My nephew is just back from the Middle East, where he spent a semester, based in Jordan. He and Helen both said that their favorite cities in the region were Jerusalem and Beirut. My nephew is majoring in Arabic studies with an eye toward the foreign service. He would like to be stationed anywhere but Saudi Arabia. He was living in Amman, Jordan, but got to travel extensively in the region, including Israel, the West Bank and Turkey.

Helen was her usual feisty self, with the one most memorable comment being when she was at the White House and the talk got around to the missing $9 billion in Iraq. The White House spokesman at the time (I forget if it was Ari Fleischer or one of his successors), ducking the uncomfortable question, as usual, said that they hadn't yet had an auditor study the situation. Helen's comment, "Do you have a paper and pencil?"

Her comments on the current crop of Republican candidates might violate some kind of decency regulations, so I won't print them verbatim.

She is 91. Still sharp as ever! She has forgotten more living history than any of us will ever know.

With my sister-in-law and Arabic-speaking nephew and me:


and just the two of us:


I always love my stops in DC!! Back overseas tomorrow. The grind begins anew (WHAT heart attack?)

[malaise]

1. Lovely

Thanks for the update

[gateley]

2. Thanks for the report! I love being able to "visit" with her through

you!

She's looking good -- you all are! :hi:

DO tell her she is missed.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. how fortunate you are

to know one of the greatest journalists of our time.

[PassingFair]

4. Whoa! Looks like a lot of BRAINS in one room!

Tell Helen that Detroit LOVES her!

[DFW]

14. Except for me, you're right

Helen, my sister-in-law and my nephew are all world-class intellects. They generously tolerate my lowly presence in small doses!

[glowing]

5. Its always nice to hear personal stories about people who make news and/or are in the news.

The reality of a person and who they are, rather than the narrative that they are given, is always refreshing and the human side of real people shines through. You are one lucky man knowing such a historical woman in our history. Women like Helen are amazing. Daring to be who they want and do what they love before it was common place. Its really inspiring and uplifting to know about her biography... Its even better hearing anecdotal highlights of your visits with her. Thank you for sharing her with us.

[DFW]

16. Two of my "amazing" women friends are over 80

Helen, a Christian Arab, is 91, and Ruth Westheimer, a Jewish refugee from
Germany is 83. Helen was born in the USA, and has never held a gun in anger.
Ruth was a guerrilla fighter in the Israeli war of independence.

Quite a pair, and never a dull moment with either of them!!

[Dreamer Tatum]

6. Did she have any comments about people of the Jewish persuasion?

I bet so.

[DFW]

9. You lose your bet

About half of her Washington friends are Jewish, and so she doesn't really care about her
friends' ethnic backgrounds. My father was also of Jewish background, and he was Helen's
close friend for about 50 years. She cherished him as a close colleague for as long as I
was able to understand speech.

You can't ever have met her if you even need to ask a question like that.

[Bluebear]

17. He can't have met her because it's not the class of person he runs with

[DFW]

19. Helen has no bar

She'll talk to anyone.

Well, maybe not Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann, but ALMOST anyone.

[Dreamer Tatum]

28. My question was rhetorical.

She's a documented Jew hater, as we all know.

[Quantess]

32. That's a bit extreme.

"Hate" is a very strong word.
In that manner, one might argue that Michael Vick "hates" pit bulls. ;)

[Dreamer Tatum]

35. Vick repented. When will Helen? nt

[sabrina 1]

45. Actually she's not, unless you take the word of Ari Fleishcher.

I wonder why Ari (they better watch what they say) Fleischer might have wanted to conduct a vendetta against the only Journalist in DC who had the guts to question the lies told by his boss?

Since Ari is a liar, I prefer to trust those who have a track record of not lying to the American. Helen being one of them. And if she says Ari is lying, the lie you just repeated, I will take her word over his any day.

[Nye Bevan]

49. This isn't really a "he said, she said" kind of thing.

On December 2, 2010, in a speech for the eighth annual "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans" conference at the Byblos Banquet Center on Chase, Thomas said: "Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by Zionists. No question, in my opinion."<54> Thomas defended her comments on December 7, telling Scott Spears of Marion, Ohio AM radio station WMRN, "I just think that people should be enlightened as to who is in charge of the opinion in this country."<77>

The next day, the Anti-Defamation League called for journalism schools and organizations to rescind any honors given to Thomas. The organization said that Thomas had "clearly, unequivocally revealed herself as a vulgar anti-Semite" in the speech.<78> Hours later, Wayne State University in Detroit discontinued the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in Media Award, which it had been granting for more than ten years, citing what it called her antisemitic remarks. The school issued a statement saying: "As a public university, Wayne State encourages free speech and open dialogue, and respects diverse viewpoints. However, the university strongly condemns the anti-Semitic remarks made by Helen Thomas...". Speaking for the school, Matthew Seeger said: "The controversy has brought a negative light to the award, which was never the intent of the award."<54> Thomas herself reacted with scolding remarks saying that "the leaders of Wayne State University have made a mockery of the First Amendment and disgraced their understanding of its inherent freedom of speech and the press." She also stated that "the university also has betrayed academic freedom—a sad day for its students."<79> The university's Arab American Student Union held a protest on campus December 10. In a news release the Palestine Cultural Office of Michigan made a call for concerned individuals to contact the university. Also, members of the Congress of Arab American Organizations held a meeting with university officials on December 7 in an attempt to make them repeal their decision, but a later response from the university said it would not reverse its position.<80> Asked by The Detroit Free Press how she'd respond to people who say she's anti-Semitic, Thomas responded: 'I'd say I'm a Semite. What are you talking about?'".<81>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Thomas

[immoderate]

79. I'd agree with her. And I'm Jewish.

There's a difference between anti-Semitic (which somehow means anti-Jewish) and anti-Zionist, which requires supporting a foreign theocracy.

Zionists have disproportionate power here because of the patronage of the fundy Christians, and their wacko Biblical prophesies, which IMO combines racism with superstition.


--imm

[uppityperson]

82. indeed. Thankyou.

K&R for Helen.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

74. Deleted message

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

[uppityperson]

81. You are something. "She's a documented Jew hater, as we all know."

Really something.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. K&R for a great journalist and thanks to you for posting.

[notGaryOldman]

10. x2!

[defendandprotect]

8. Thanks for news of Helen --

:hi:

[HelenWheels]

11. Love her and miss her. nt

[Gregorian]

12. I'm so glad you post these with us.

Time moves quickly. Memories fade. We have to use vigilance in order to see reality clearly. Some things in life should last forever.

[Little Star]

13. I've always loved Helen. She looks good too. k&r

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. My dear DFW!

Ah, how good to have this wonderful update!

You all look fantastic, and of course it's great to see Helen. SO much history lies inside her mind...

:hi:

[sabrina 1]

18. Thank you for the update on Helen.

We miss her and it's good to know she is doing so well.

Great photos, and good luck to your nephew in his career.

:kick: for one of American's great journalists.

[Nye Bevan]

20. Does she still believe that "Congress, Hollywood, and Wall Street are owned by Zionists"?

And that Jews should go back to Germany and Poland?

[DFW]

21. I shoud have known to expect posts like this

She believes, as always, that Israelis should get out of the occupied territories (not Israel).

And no, we didn't dwell on Zionist ownership of anything. Hyperbolic statements meant to provoke
back at provokers are not her obsession, or ours. If she were anti-Jewish, she would have to get
rid of half of her friends, and if she were anti-people-of-Jewish ancestry, she would be telling
me and my family not to call again instead of "let me know when you're in town again." Actually,
we usually speak over the phone once a month when I'm overseas, too.

I have been dealing with these "I-Hate-Helen" posts ever since that set-up in DC, and they are
very monotonic as well as monotonous. Sorry, she doesn't have anything against Jews, and if you
insist on convincing yourself otherwise, be my guest, but don't ask me or her friends to swallow it.

[Nye Bevan]

22. Did she ever retract those statements and apologize? (nt)

[sabrina 1]

24. Did those who smeared her ever apoloigize? did they apologize to the

American people for the loss of one of their favorite and still most respected journalists? Nearly everyone I know is still very angry about that. And that includes most veterans for whom Helen always fought. They did not forget her support for them.

[Nye Bevan]

30. So I guess that's a "no". (nt)

[immoderate]

83. Equating all Jews with Zionism is racist and stereotyping. Will you apologize?

I'm Jewish and anti-Zionist. Imagine if I were easily offended? :shrug:


--imm

[sabrina 1]

23. When you consider who was behind the attacks on Helen, Ari Fleischer eg

it says it all for me. No Democrat who has been familiar with Helen over the years, ever fell for the smear campaign against her. And it only angered many Americans, including Veterans groups btw, who came out in support of her as she always supported them over the years, that a small group of disgruntled rightwingers who always hated the Free Press here, led by the likes of Ari Fleischer, caused one of America's finest Female Reporters to lose her job. That was a loss for the US since there isn't much in the way of journalism here these days.


I truly find it ironic to see Dems siding with the likes of Ari Fleischer who belongs in jail for his role in the outing of an undercover agent, of all people against one the most respected American journalists ever.

Go Helen!

[DFW]

25. You said it better than I could.

Thanks, Sabrina.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." --Sir Winston Churchill

[MH1]

27. Thanks, well said

and just because you see something on DU doesn't necessarily mean it's a 'dem' who is saying it, so maybe it's not that ironic. :)

[sabrina 1]

47. Good point! n/t

[Nye Bevan]

29. I tend to agree with Skinner on Helen Thomas.

Helen Thomas did have a long and distinguished career.

But comments (by her or anyone else) about how "Zionists" control the government, the media, and financial industry -- and references to their money -- are UGLY. At the very least, they reference UGLY STEREOTYPES. We are better than this.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9680652&mesg_id=9683016

And what's this about a "smear"? She's the one who said those things. If anything, she smeared herself. Just like Mel Gibson.

[ellenrr]

33. to compare Helen Thomas to Mel Gibson is idiotic!

I don't know if she did say that quote.
But certainly the people in control of our government share the goals of the people who want Israel to be a Jewish-only state with no room for the Palestinian people.
that's not the only goal that drives the government, there is greed, and zest for power, and drive for empire, etc, but it is one goal.

[sabrina 1]

36. When someone who has a long record of integrity and professional

behavior says something that is wrong, then the way to handle it is to point out why they are wrong.

That is not what happened here. She was relentlessly smeared, I'm not going to repeat the vile things that were said about her, and in the end, her detractors were the ones whose vile smears were remembered.

Next time maybe don't have Ari Fleischer and his gang of rightwing Neocons leading the charge against someone who served this country so well for many many decades if you want to make a point.

Their smear campaign against her had zero to do in the end with anything she said and only back-fired on them.

We used to condemn that kind of thing from the very same people when Bush was president.

I am certain that any reasonable person could have pointed out where she was wrong without the disgusting, anti-women attacks that were made on her.

[Nye Bevan]

37. Not really "anti-women". I condemn Mel Gibson equally (nt)

[sabrina 1]

38. Sorry but those who went after Helen, mostly from my observations

Freeper types, took the opportunity to slam her based on her female attributes. It was pretty vile actually and turned off a lot of decent people.

I would not want to be found in such company, frankly, especially since their attacks on her were simply repeats of their attacks throughout the Bush administration when she was alone in doing her job as a journalist.

[Raine]

42. EXACTLY ... you are totally on point! nt

[ellenrr]

34. well put n/t

[aikoaiko]

72. I respect Helen for her work and think the reaction to her comments was too harsh

But unless Germany and Poland are towns in Israel, I don't think you can say she wasn't wishing Jews in the occupied territories would leave the Middle East.

[Quantess]

26. I think you meant "acrid" quips.

Unless you're inferring Helen Thomas told stories about acid trips.
:hi:

[ellenrr]

31. thanks. Glad she is still sharp at 91. I miss her too. One of the few or only

journalists in dc with integrity.
I'm Jewish and I don't think she is a jew-hater.
And sorry - but who is DFW - seems like it is somebody I should know who it is?

[Nye Bevan]

39. A pity she became Father Coughlin 2.0 (nt)

[Raine]

43. I miss her too

IMO she got a bum deal, she was another person who was thrown under the bus and run over. :argh:

[DFW]

53. I met a few DUers at the Denver convention

If you were there, we might have met. Or maybe you saw a Freedom Toast or the Political Idol show
in New York or Washington? Otherwise, I tend to not be on the radar. Due to a quirky set of circumstances,
I have a bunch of friends who have achieved prominence, but not me--if I had, I would probably not be posting
on an internet blog. DFW is just my home airport (stateside, anyway, and I'm rarely here).

[rosesaylavee]

40. Wonderful post! Thank you!

Always enjoy hearing how Helen is getting along...

And heart attack? If so, I hope you are on the mend. Don't work so hard!

[DFW]

52. NOW you tell me.....

The crazy thing is, my heart attack was not due to working to hard, but to a physician not
consulting with my cardiologist prior to telling me to go off my baby aspirin for ten days
before another procedure. One of my stents, free for seven years, clogged right back up.

Presto, instant heart attack! But it was a minor one, and an angioplasty cleared most it
right out. Religiously taking my meds should keep it clear. It's a small price to pay to
stay alive.

Helen is a little unsteady on her legs, but gets around OK. She has two wonderful women from
Sierra Leone who look after her. My daughter spent a summer in Sierra Leone with the UN War
Crimes Tribunal, and said that the people there, for the most part, were wonderful. Helen is
in good hands with them.

[rosesaylavee]

64. Ah!

So glad they caught it and fixed it up. Tho minor, still sounds like it was a scary thing for your and yours.

I do miss her being on the press corp but at 91, I think she deserves taking it easy now after so many years of service to this country!

Be well!

[Raine]

41. I LOVE Helen ... THANK YOU so much for posting this!

:thumbsup:

[spanone]

44. k&r...

[jannyk]

46. Still love her, tell her that would you? k&r

[DFW]

48. Be glad to!

I always remind her that she has admirers here, and she still remembers all those roses.

Hell, she remembers conversations she had with John F. Kenney while walking with him on St. Patrick's Day.
I guess she can remember DU's roses! LOL

[Scottybeamer70]

50. Thanks for the report and the pics.

Helen is truly one of the remarkable women of our time.
Many people miss her and love her. I'm not sure she
would even want to be in that white house news room
anymore. Must be a relief to be away from such hateful
and ignorant people.
Helen is a gem among gems!!

[MilesColtrane]

51. I'm was pretty ambivalent about her, until I read her remarks.

While I appreciate the fact that she was a White House reporter who did her job, her ranting about "Zionists" controlling power structures in this country is just old school anti-semitism and no amount of journalistic competence makes up for that.

[DFW]

54. She knows she went off the handle with that one

But her Jewish friends know it, too, and don't berate her for it to the grave. There will
be plenty of teabaggers dancing on that when the time comes, it will be crowded enough.

By the way, Arabs are Semitic people, too, so "old school anti-Semitism" isn't quite accurate.
She does not look in the mirror every day and shout hate slogans at herself.

[MilesColtrane]

56. I'm going with the nearly universal, common definition of antisemitism here.

I know about Helen Thomas' Lebanese heritage.

[sabrina 1]

61. Bigotry towards people of Arab and Muslim descent in this

country is pretty rampant these days. Anti-semitism has meaning to them. Many live in fear for their lives thanks to the well funded campaign to spread hatred against them here in the US.

I have seen the comments made to and about Helen Thomas based on her ethnicity, ironically by some of those who claim to abhor bigotry. I have not seen the same people who jumped all over her for what she said, take a stand for her and other Arab and Muslim Americans. Bigotry is bad no matter who it is aimed at.

She is 91 years old, she made a mistake, she was wrong. I hope I live as long as she has and can look back at a life that for the most part was spent speaking for the voiceless and make only one bad mistake at the age of 90. Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. Harboring hatred and anger only harms those who do so.

I'm waiting for the day when bigots like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Roger Ailes, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, not to mention far too many of our Republican Representatives in Congress are held as accountable for their round-the-clock spewing of hatred and bigotry, as Helen Thomas has been for her words. But then, the above-mentioned bigots know that bigotry towards Muslims is acceptable in this country so they are free to keep stirring up the fear and hatred for people of Helen's heritage.

[Douglas Carpenter]

62. +1000

[rosesaylavee]

65. +1000

[Lugnut]

55. I'm so happy to hear that she's well.

Today's students of journalism would be wise to research the career of Ms Thomas then emulate her tenacity. She is a national treasure.

[Joe the Revelator]

57. She'll be, rightfully, remembered as an anti-Semite

Sad really. Not sadder than those who try to make excuses for her.

[sabrina 1]

58. She will be remembered as one of America's

great women journalists who made a mistake in her ninetieth year.

I wonder how many of us will get that far without making any mistakes?

And those who terrorized her for that mistake will not be remembered well.

[Nye Bevan]

67. "Those who terrorized her"? You mean, like the Anti-Defamation League?

The next day, the Anti-Defamation League called for journalism schools and organizations to rescind any honors given to Thomas. The organization said that Thomas had "clearly, unequivocally revealed herself as a vulgar anti-Semite" in the speech.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Thomas

[sabrina 1]

70. I mean the bigots and the Ari Fleischers and his army of rightwing

morons who hated her long before she made that mistake.

Did the Anti-defamation league ever condemn the bigoted attacks on people like Helen and others like her btw? I don't know, I don't recall anyone coming to HER defense all those years when that was the main insult leveled at her by the far right bigots who wanted to silence her from questioning their Hero, Bush on his lies about the Iraq War.

Like I said, bigotry is evil and there are no differences between one kind and another, and I am suspicious of the sincerity of those who do not condemn all of it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

75. It wasn't a MISTAKE. She's said it all more than once. And if it WAS a "mistake"

then where is her apology for that "mistake?"

SHE HATES JEWS. GET OVER IT. IT'S A FACT.

[sabrina 1]

77. No, it's not a fact,

But you seem to want to believe that so there's nothing that can be done about that. Wallowing in bitterness and hatred for someone who said something wrong, or did something wrong, and ignoring everything about them as a human being, is not my thing. For your own sake, it's too bad you are clinging so desperately to that position.

[Dreamer Tatum]

78. Not sure how to debate with LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU so I won't. nt

[sabrina 1]

80. I know what you mean, but I'm an optimist even when the writing is

on the wall! :hi:

[lonestarnot]

59. Yeah Helen! We love you!

K & R!

[Douglas Carpenter]

60. God Bless Helen a real national treasue!!

[ProfessionalLeftist]

63. Helen is a national treasure. Lucky you! n/t

[DFW]

73. Well, it wasn't really luck

My dad and Helen were colleagues when I was still in diapers, and I'm 59. I've know her for a VERY long time.

[DFW]

66. For the record, by the way

Helen is of Lebanese Christian background, not Muslim (not that it matters).

[Sportsguy]

68. I Miss Helen

Please tell her hi from me.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

71. "News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising."

"News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising."
~ Lord Northcliffe, British publisher 1865-1922

[Owl]

76. Indeed, Helen is a national treasure! Thanks for posting this!

And please say hi for me too.