Of course none were Arab Israelis. So it was on to other misdirections: The sources were not credible. People who believed this were crazy. It was an "urban myth." Antisemitism was the motive of those who reported this.
It troubles me when I begin to agree too much with anyone else in the forums, but your observations regarding the "Israel First crowd" fit a pattern I have also seen. It's a pattern which I find disturbing, because, like others of its kind, it indicates the kind of close-mindedness that goeth before a fall.
For various reasons, I am a fan of Israel, but that does not mean I choose to ignore its warts. I think it's great when Israel does what it should, like defend itself and maintain some of the best intelligence and military units in the world.
But I also take umbrage when Israel does things it should not, like spy on the U.S., particularly where nuclear weapon targeting data and launch codes are concerned, as in the Pollard Spy Case. Speaking as an American, which is what I am first and foremost, and as a veteran, I think Pollard should rot in prison for the rest of his life for what he did. And Israel's role in that villainous scandal should never be forgotten.
I am also quite convinced that Israel does spy on the U.S., and vice versa. This is not unusual: America spies on everyone, friend and foe alike. That Israel does so, too, should not be controversial. However, there are boundaries that should not be crossed (as in the Pollard Case), and hopefully they are being respected.
There are many bogus sagas circulating about Israelis, the Jews, "ZOG", ad nauseum, that have no basis in fact and are intended to further some bigoted agenda or another. There are also true stories to be told, as well. All deserve scrutiny and, ideally, earn credit or discredit based on their merits, rather than preconceptions. I urge everyone, whether "pro-Israel" or "anti-Israel" to focus on facts rather than fiction -- or at least identify fiction when presented.
This is the challenge of objectivity that each of us faces when we hit the forums, and that is what I look for when I come here.
Imal
The reason for my post is just to assure you that there are Freepers out there (like myself) who are willing to look at the facts and come to independent and verifiable conclusions from those data specifics.
Sadly there are many Freepers who see any thread that tries to allege any wrong doing by the state of Israel as a wickedly evil, despicable, reprehensible and untrue assertion posted by a person who is not only disreputable but also probably affiliated with some anti-Semitic pro-Arab Neo-Nazi secret cabal that is out to discredit Israel! To them Israel can do no wrong…..and anyone who says otherwise is not only sadly mistaken but deserving of active flaming and cursing (eg nazi, anti-Semite, conspiracist ad infinitum).
Which is strange since I consider myself pro-Israel. However I refuse to obscure any wrongdoings by the state of Israel just because I support them! Associating yourself with another nation does not mean one should become blind to any wrongdoings by that nation.
actually that reminds me of a recent thread on the USS Liberty that was attacked several decades ago by Israeli jets…where scores of American sailors died and many more injured. The funny thing about that thread was that there were several posts that were quite weird since they seemed to put Israel above America in terms of importance (which is alright if you are Israeli but not if you are an American citizen). And the strangest thing I read was this Freeper flame another person for even posting the thread…..and another Freeper who said words I will never forget: that he was ‘proud of Israel for attacking the USS Liberty because it showed the guts of Israel to go as far as attack an American ship!’
Now, the issue that concerned me was not really the USS Liberty affair (since sadly it happened so long ago the whole matter has been more or less forgotten), but that there were Americans out there who supported Israel so much they were even proud of it when it killed their fellow Americans! I do not know whether to call such Freepers sycophants, or maybe confused, or even possibly traitorous….but it shocked me that there were those who would not even for one moment consider that there may be some Israelis out there who may not view America in a very good light! For goodness sake we know there are Americans who are willing to do harm to their own country….and if that is the case why not Israelis who are not American citizens in the first place?
I wish all Freepers would reach a stage of development where they would judge a thread by its merit and factual evidence instead of jumping to conclusions, visceral reactions and vitriol. It seems that there are a lot of Freepers who think anything posted against Israel is automatically anti-Israel and anti-semitic, and bankrolled by some desert Sheik!
Ai yi yi! How come common sense is not that common!