Last night I was on the The Lou Dobbs Show on CNN to talk about whether the Fort Hood massacre was or was not a terrorist attack. I’ve been writing about this very subject rather steadily right here. I was “facing off” on CNN with someone who writes poppycock about “Islamophobia” for The Nation. What greater joy could there be? And I was flying the colors of Pajamas Media, which is how I was identified. (I was, of course, also identified as a professor, author, etc.) Dobbs was a gracious and seasoned host, and his producers were impressively organized and very friendly. The makeup artist was a genius. I’d go back daily just for her.
As it turned out, Dobbs wanted to take The Nation guy on as much as I did, and he did so quite effectively. He made my job a bit easier. John Nichols was effectively neutralized. Once I distinguished between radical, jihadic Islamism, and Muslims in general, including the Muslim and ex-Muslim feminists and reformers with whom I work—Nichols had no Straw Woman to oppose. Of course, some of my esteemed colleagues and commenters at this very blog site wanted me to denounce all of Islam, every Muslim—but I did not do so. I will deal with this very subject in a future column.
I have been around television studios for the last 40 years. I was on the David Frost Show (yes, the same Frost who interviewed Nixon!) and on Donohue when he was still in Dayton, Ohio. Over the years, I’ve done all the major network programs many times including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Merv Griffen, Geraldo, Oprah, Sally Jessie, the Mac-Neil-Lehrer Report, and C-SPAN.
I was on The O’Reilly Factor even though I’m not young or blonde. And yes, he was very kind to me.
I’ve been on CNN many times. In January of 1986, I remember sitting with the entire CNN staff in Washington, D.C., as the shuttle Challenger blew up before our stunned eyes. In 2003, when Judy Woodruff bravely interviewed me about anti-Semitism, two of the cameramen came out from behind their cameras to shake my hand. This was truly a first.
Trust me: This is unusual. And last night, as I was leaving CNN’s very spiffy headquarters in NYC, a tall and handsome CNN man stopped me and said: “You spoke very well. Thank you.” The guest who followed me said, “I agree with you.”
Folks: I am talking about CNN, not FOX. I think, maybe, perhaps, possibly, my God, if not now when, that things might be beginning to change. (The realist in me is scoffing; the optimist has her fingers crossed).
Jamie Glazov at NewsRealBlog thought I “scored big.” Thanks, Jamie. And for me? It’s just another day in my life.
Had there been time enough, here’s what I wanted to say.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Act of Terrorism? Phyllis Chesler vs. John Nichols on CNN
From Phyllis Chesler, "Talking 'Bout Ft. Hood Terrorism on CNN: Pajamas Media vs. Nation Magazine":
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
One thing that really irks me is that George Casey completely screwed up Iraq and came home to a promotion to Chief of Staff of the Army -- and he can't get his head around the fact that a cowed military swept this radical jihadist under the rug for fear of criticism. Can they fire this guy already? He represents the timidity that is wrong with the army now. What a joke!
I agree with almost everything Ms. Chesler said on Dobbs... She didn't talk about "muslims" as though all of 'em are "radical muslims"--though it appears that she may to go back to doing so in a column in the near future. ("Of course, some of my esteemed colleagues and commenters at this very blog site wanted me to denounce all of Islam, every Muslim—but I did not do so. I will deal with this very subject in a future column.")
Once she distinguished between radical, jihadic Islamism, and Muslims in general, the article John Nichols wrote was no longer about her views, so it doesn't surprise me that he had very little to oppose. Nichols makes the same distinction in his article:
"The point here is not to defend the soldier or his alleged actions -- the evidence at hand suggests that he was, at the least, a deeply troubled man whose statements and actions should have raised concerns among his superiors long before Thursday's incident. By Friday, there were news reports that he had shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") before opening fire. There was clearly something wrong with this imperfect follower of Islam. But that does not mean that there is something wrong with Islam."
The poppycock is the suggestion that opposition to bigotry against Muslims is the same as opposition to calling Muslim extremists dangerous enemies of the US. Chesler & Nichols pretty much agreed with each other on Dobb's show, and I pretty much agreed with them both.
The terrorism question is being argued all over the blogs (Many--even on the right--say that since it was an attack on the military, it was an act of war, and not terrorism. Others think that it doesn't matter who a terrorist aims at, as long as the act is in furtherance of a political or social goal in the mind of the person(s) responsible.) Based on what I know currently, I believe that Hasan was a radical Muslim, and that this was an act of terrorism. Should more evidence emerge showing that he was too crazy to understand what he was doing--which I really doubt will happen--my mind could change. (Same goes with AQ using retarded folks or young children to deliver suicide bombs--the act is terrorism, but whether or not the retarded/young bombers are terrorists themselves depends on whether or not they understand what they're doing and the cause for which they're doing it. I expect that that's what Nichols was trying to say on the subject as well, when Dobbs cut him off.)
Post a Comment