Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

When did Obama do anything anti-Jewish? Publicly disagreeing with Israel's domestic policy is hardly my idea of being anti-Jewish.

Mr. Meeks, I wonder what you mean by Obama's "anti-Jewish polices". The original letter writer said some of her friends think Prez Obama is anti-Jewish. In referring to that, you should at least have said "alleged" anti-Jewish policies -- and the LW wasn't clear or precise anyway about what that means. My guess is, her friends probably mean the president's stances on Israeli-Palestinian relations, but even then, we are obliged to understand and write of the differences between Israel on the one hand and Jews on the other. Jews anywhere are entitled to the same human rights as anybody. As a separate issue, Israel has governmental obligations to all its diverse communities: its Jewish citizens (religious and secular), its Palestinian citizens (Muslims and Christians), and the Palestinians under occupation. As a state, Israel can be praised or criticized for how it does or does not carry out those obligations. U.S. taxpayers who send billions to Israel every year have the right to evaluate, campaign for, and object to how our money is spent. To do so is not anti-Jewish. President Obama is far from anti-Israeli, if that's what the LW meant. A reading of his Senate and presidential record, and his speeches, is favorable to Israel and cognizant of the security concerns of Israel.
It's easier to dash off an angry letter and indulge in polemics than it is to do the work of reading the record and getting one's facts straight. But if we fail to do our own research, we are more easily swayed by manipulators. Please think for yourselves.

A lot of us who dislike this president, are simply tired of race continually being an issue in discussions of public policies which the president can affect. I would simply blame the media and his supporters (but I repeat myself) for this, but it seems that he himself has done little to discourage this behavior. You know - the remarks he made about how he "doesn't look like the guys on the dollar bills" or some such nonsense? Really, is that all there is to say about Obama? That he is black, or the first president to have that distinction? Is that all there is to say about him? Must everything said about him, whether in support or in opposition, be racially tinged? A serious president would simply say, "That's enough of that talk. America is facing serious problems and we need to work together in solving them." Instead, he's actively worked to demonize and marginalize the domestic opposition, to a greater extent than any of his predecessors have done. When he's called on it, his supporters simply trot out the tired, worn-out "You just don't like him because he's black" garbage. It's impossible to have a serious discussion about the issues when people are doing this.

Re: Claude. Here's the answer to your question. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0317/Is-Obama-anti-Semitic-Netanyahu-brother-in-law-causes-ruckus

Re: Roger. And here is the answer to YOUR question. http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2010/04/26/anti-semitic-jokes-the-unconscious-and-the-obama-administration/

Interesting how Matt's vision of the Obama presidency centers around a handful of wry remarks that Obama has made about his race. Hundreds of hours of policy speeches and multiple pieces of major legislation pushed though Congress, but, no, for Matt, it's 60 seconds of racial humor that characterizes the Obama presidency. Oh, but it's everyone else who is bring up race. O...K.... Seriously, when it comes to racism, Matt raises the lack of self-awareness to an absolute art form.

Larry...I am a 54 "white" male. This does not make me the same as all people of my color any more than it makes you the same as all people of your color. When we speak of "white" think of the range of people that fit this category. You have the poor uneducated white men in the deep southern states as well as the well heeled, well educated ivy league "good ol' boys". Believe me when I say there are many categories within this category. White is the least descriptive word that can be used to describe them. Everything I've said above holds true for the "black" community also.
I grew up in various types of communites (I grew up on welfare and lived in subsidized housing), surrounded by blacks, italians, puerto ricans etc. and I was always in the minority. This, however, didn't occur to me until many years later. I've spent most of my adult life living in the mid-Atlantic region where I've seen racism at it's worst. When the first descriptive word out of one's mouth is the color of the skin, you can assign the word of "racism". To group all people by their skin color is both absurd and ridiculous. The worst perpetrators of this are almost always those placing blame, whether openly or discreetly. Racism and ignorance are not dictated by skin color. Racism and ignorance are a direct result of not looking at "people", usually they aren't even taking a close look at themselves. They don't want to really know the hard facts about anything because it may weaken their own position. Hanging on to hate, whether you're black and want to blame whites for your misfortune, or white and need someone to blame for your misfortune, is a way of avoiding responsibility for your own life. I managed to fight my way out of the welfare life by working hard. Sometimes I didn't have a place to live, and there were many times other white people looked askance at me because of the way I was dressed or the way I spoke. I won a lot of those people over by showing them I wanted to improve my life and that I was willing to work to do it. I am now living the so-called "American Dream". I am a small business owner, I live in a solidly middle class neighborhood and I'm still accused of racism. I'm told that I couldn't possibly understand what blacks have gone through because I'm a "white man." My skin color makes others, whether black or white, assume that I am always lived an easy life. Unfortunately, that alone is racism.
The unfortunate truth is that it's just easier to blame, accuse and label. Imagine if we had to know someone, really know something about someone, before we spoke or wrote about them. That we would be held accountable for the things we said about someone, either as an individual or as a class. Imagine that we were not able to make false statements and innuendo without worry of it's impact on those involved or that we may be liable for our actions. Now, imagine people trying to better themselves by actually working, not just looking for excuses for their failures. The blame game is a tool of the weak, it's a weapon of the angry and it's a crutch for the lazy. Maybe we need to stop listening.

I, too, get very upset when people say that Obama is anti-Jewish. Why do they say this? Because he does not bow down to everything Israel says he should bow down to.

I feel Obama has the biggest chance of Mideast peace (if at all possible) because he looks at both sides of the issue and---unlike Bush---does not feel that Israel should be looked at as 100% right.

Yet because Obama does look at both sides--he is called anti-Jewish.

It is wonderful to hear from people like Randy - he is so correct in that view that hanging on to the hate is a way to resist looking at what you could be doing in your own life.
And as for anti-Semitic - he is the first president in years to seriously try and hold Israel to their half of the bargain. Most others have paid lip-service. His response to the attack on May 31 has been decidely mild, certainly in no way anti-Semitic, or even anti-Israel!
Quite frankly many of us are finding it harder & harder to agree with a "stand with Israel" as they continue to brutal crackdowns, building of settlements and launch commando raids on ships in open waters.

Get real, whites are the minority now. Our president has done nothing but make the U.S.A look like a fool to the rest of the world. There is no need for apologies to any other country or bowing to anyone. Thank God I don't have children that will have to pay for this mess he and his so called associates have made. When he claimed change he should have said it would mean more government. If he was honest with his intentions he would have never become president. We don't need the government to run our lives, we need to start depending on ourselves and our own humanity towards our neighbors.

Re Susan's comments. Oh, gee, whites are the minority, now. Because, I guess blacks and Latinos and Asians are all exactly the same... non white. And they all have the same issues because... they're not white. So once again, a teabagger comes out with a blatantly racist remark, and, predictably, it's followed by a semi-coherent rant against Obama. All that's missing is Matt-like insistence that criticizing the president is NEVER EVER racist... even when it's paired with a blatantly racist (and incredibly stupid) remark. And, hey, Susan, if you're serious about smaller government, how about refusing your social security checks and your medicare coverage?