Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Elie Wiesel: Madman or Commissar?

By Mickey Z.

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Posted 07/06 | Add a Comment

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  1. Thanks Mick...For many of us of course, ‘Night’ was required reading in high school, and while I don’t doubt it’s inherent value or question the sincerity of its account, it’s repugnant Mr. Wiesel has used his suffering to prop up the unholy America-Israel alliance and actively promote an essentially Jewish monopoly on suffering. Incidentally I think the book by Italian chemist Primo Levi (who also survived Auschwitz) is a comparatively better eyewitness account of the Jewish holocaust - dispassionate and morally ambiguous, it is ultimately more affecting and ‘universal.’ Levi, who committed suicide some years back, forever and irrevocably damaged by his experiences, was nonetheless deeply against establishing what he called a ‘sacred history of unique suffering’ and the subsequent actions justified by promoting such an inherently perverse idea. As well he got in all sorts of trouble by his observation that the Palestinians currently function as the Jews of the Israelis.

    Posted by RzG from  on  07/07  at  02:50 AM

  2. Mumia and Leonard Peltier are both guilty of murder you idiot.

    Posted by hotdog from  on  07/07  at  09:31 AM

  3. No, HOTDOG....YOU are the IDIOT.

    Posted by Jennifer Hanson from  on  07/07  at  04:38 PM

  4. Mumia and Peltier are only “innocent” because they are black - ergo they must be innocent. Everybody knows black people are incapable of sin or crime, it’s a scientific fact, you see. If a black man is in prison he must be a political prisoner.

    Evil Weasel was a paid Nazi informant who survived because he worked both ends of the game. He’s nuttier than ever today and twice the liar he was back then. Nevertheless, the loony liberal left is likely every crazier than this kosher bat.

    Posted by Harry Tuttle from Pluto  on  07/07  at  06:59 PM

  5. Just like the other some 75% of blacks who comprise the 2 million Americans rotting in prison (at 4% of the world’s population, the land of the free houses 25% of its prisoners), although they comprise 13% of the country’s population, and use drugs proportionately equally to whites.

    Posted by Tracy McLellan from  on  07/07  at  09:29 PM

  6. Good show Mickey.  Give the pompous bastard, and all those Elies out there with weighted credentials and medals and ribbons, yet who are sooo full of it, HELL.

    Posted by Paul Fassa from  on  07/07  at  09:38 PM

  7. >>Mumia and Peltier are only “innocent” because they are black - ergo they must be innocent<<

    Harry, since you’re apparently an authority on this subject, I have one question: When actually did Leonard Peltier become black???

    Posted by RzG from  on  07/07  at  10:54 PM

  8. Jeff Blankfort- certainly one of the most knowledgable and formidable journalists around on the Israel/Palestine issue-- forwarded me his opinion about Mick’s article, it’s worth sharing:

    “What most Americans don’t know is what a phony this weasel is. But they do in Israel. It seems little Eli came to Israel after the war and became an Israeli and worse, joined the fascist youth group Betar, and wrote for its paper. Then he had the bright idea of going to the US and declare he was a stateless person and the ultimate victim, and the rest is history, except they know in Israel what a fraud he is. The Zionists hate him because he denies he’s an Israeli and the left hates him for obvious reasons. One of the world’s biggest scum bags.”

    Maybe I should have edited out the last sentence but I suspect Jeff won’t mind.

    By the way, there is a documentary film from a couple years ago called Arms For The Poor which was produced, I think, by the Mary Knoll Catholic peace group. It’s a very good film but makes NO MENTION of Israel whatsoever, which is odd since they do touch on a number of hotspots around the world which are fueled by US arms (and with Israel being such a major recipient...). Wiesel appears in the final clip along with other Nobel prize winners, including the Dali Lama. Obviously, they were all denouncing the arms trade as a greedy bloody mess. Apparently Elie was just there for the PR though…

    Best, Rhino Rick

    Posted by Rhino Rick from Tokyo, Japan  on  07/08  at  05:14 AM

  9. Well, Mickey, I can’t say it better than Paul Fassa did - but thanks again for the courage to give us the unvarnished truth!

    Posted by Joanne from  on  07/08  at  02:41 PM

  10. We should all be grateful for this artfully written, penetrating piece.  Two points to add: 1) Gabriel’s Gandhi suggests someone other than the Gandhi who advocated violence under certain conditions...or at least “condoned” it.  It is a misreading of “Gandhi” to talk about how he would not have lived in certain conflict areas for very long.  Such a statement passes over the fact that continuing to live was not an issue with him, and that the elimination of any given individual did not address what was or was not accomplished by confrontational nonviolence. 2) I hope that activists of all stripes will see the value in praying that this piece be adopted as the definitive piece on Weasel EW. And that they will see the value in adopting definitive pieces on other subjects and personalities. To wit, that there is great value in having such a piece as this, but that there is equal value, at least, in doing what we can to avoid producing any further documentation (other than for scholarly purposes, perhaps) that is...simply redundant in the future.  Again, as I have underscored in comments attached to several articles in these quarters, much too much energy continues to be devoted to continually pointing out the faults of the obvious enemies and weaknesses.  By uncritically continuing to follow that pattern as readers and writers...we “find an excuse” for not dealing with the direct action that’s needed, we carve out an existence within the so-called progressive community...that gives us a “place”...but which keeps us in denial...about our responsibilities...what’s calling us all.  See how many pieces come down the pike on subjects that do not need further elaboration in the near future.  At what price?  Say goodbye to academia, please, O’Xman

    Posted by O'Xman from  on  07/08  at  10:58 PM

  11. I can fully appreciate what Richard is saying here but I have a serious problem with what he calls “adopting definitive pieces on other subjects and personalities.” The word ‘definitive’ is the one that jumps out and I have a immediate and visceral negative reaction too it. Seeing ‘the definitive history of...’ in a mainstream context I hope would set ‘little-bells-wringing,’ reguardless of the ultimate value of that material - but such an awareness of subjectivity should not be surrendered under any circumstance. I suspect even Mickey would agree with me on this point.
    Consequently the ‘back and forth’ and nuanced squabbling that Richard despises can be indefinately fueled by one source/one group pertaining to have THE ‘final word’ on any given subject or person. It also encourages, I would argue (especially a Good/Bad catalogue of sorts), a fairly stagnant view of humanity, and ultimately a fairly simplistic black/white take on history.

    And, lest anyone gets the wrong idea, this has ZERO to due with me in any way refuting or questioning Mickey’s ‘read’ on Mr. Wiesel, as one can see by my orginal comment to the article…

    Posted by RzG from  on  07/09  at  12:19 AM

  12. Thanks, RzG.

    As for Ox’s comments, they are consistent with his comments up and down the board, re: his deep frustration with all of us not living up to his underground expectations. I’ve e-mailed him privately with my thoughts and don’t see the value of airing things out here...yet.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from  on  07/09  at  06:52 AM

  13. With deep respect for Mickey and RzG, I submit that you are taking me entirely wrong here.  Of course, RzG, I do not advocate having ONE reading on a subject only...though I can certainly understand why you would interpret my words that way here.  The point is that IN THESE QUARTERS, as per my comments attached to the latest RzG article above on Iraq, I am questioning what WE are doing by writing about subjects incessantly...on which the scorecard is in, essentially.  What are WE doing...as activists...in going over the same ground here.  When I use the word “definitive” above it’s in that sense that I’d like to see talented writers devoting themselves to what"s not already been beaten to death> I simply ask --in the vein of the Douglas quote in RzG’s piece-- what are we doing to raise the concience of the nation here.  For someone to write about Bill Cosby’s recent remarks is one thing.  With all respect to Josh Frank though, I believe one must question what the value of addressing the Dean thing holds for “rousing the nation to action.” Mickey, of all people, should know that when Michael Parenti spoke at OneDance...his pedestrian political science speech was “rationalized” by his pointing out that he’s now in his seventies...and not heading for the barricades.  Well, I’m NOT asking Michael or anyone to have their heads bashed in, but I am asking what value certain appearances have...certain articles have...in light of these pressing times.  I’m asking people to look inside of themselves, as Ward Churchill has begged, to ask whether or not they are working on “progressive issues” which address/involve their own comfort on some level primarily...whether or not they’re setting necessary priorities in devoting their attention here and there.  We don’t need to keep reinventing the wheel in our writing.  We do not need to keep preaching to the choir, justifications for Media Reform Tours notwithstanding.  We already have the DEFINITIVE word on the mainstream media, on certain U.S. foreign policy aspects, etc.  For informed activists.  I’m asking what ELSE we can do, and opening up “my home” to the op to thrash that around.  We do not need unending issues of EXTRA! delineating how this or that talking head did wrong,do we?  The general public will not be roused or educated sufficiently if we stay in our present groove.  And I ask Mickey, in public, to not denigrate my underground activism, to not continue to act as if I am being condescending to others here, him included.  The issues I have raised have NOT been addressed adequately in private emails, and I ask one and all --not just Mickey-- to ask themselves why there is so little public discussion of the fact that many on the Left have routines that are not making a dent in the ongoing abominations...and which have no shot at doing so.  With deep respect and love for all of you, O’Xman.  ps Please don’t shy away from leftist confrontation;…

    Posted by O'Xman from  on  07/09  at  09:39 AM
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