Miniglean

• "U.S. tycoon" (or "bitchy little megalomaniac" as he's known to his friends) Sheldon Adelson is in Israel for Zionist Aggression Celebration Week or whatever they call it, and it turns out he is beloved and courted by corrupt politicians in that nation, too. Haaretz.com
• Dina Titus had somebody else pay her filing fee to unseat Congressman Cad/Dork/Hack Jon Porter, providing yet another example of how Democrats tend to be more fiscally sound than their borrow-and-spend kookwit counterparts. NVDems, AP
• "Obama’s remarkably swift and complete consolidation of Democratic Party power [is] an unprecedented seizure of control that has built him, over the course of a year, the most powerful field organization and the largest financial network in American politics, leaving many existing structures — traditional party organizations in many states, the Clintons’ long-nurtured national network — in the dust" (Politico). But, but, Hillary says you can't be president unless you win West Virginia!
• Meet West Virginia. AP video via Wonkette
• What with members of Congress calling for a criminal investigation of the Crandall Canyon mining tragedy in Utah, and this being the first presidential election year since the Sago disaster in West Virginia, you'd think West Virginia's little primary thingy would have been a good opportunity for Clinton and even Obama to attack the core Republican belief that mining corporations should be allowed to kill a few of employees from time to time. And again you'd be wrong. Maybe they didn't want to discomfort Harry Reid with radical talk about holding mining corporations accountable.
• In a stunning and unexpected reversal, that batshit crazy preacher, fearful of the negative impact he's having on the presidential race, takes it all back and says he's sorry. AP

Comments

[Pedro]

Why can't more West Virginian's be like these guys.

[texexnv@gmail.com]

LOL!

Hope hamas reads the gleaner.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FJxdfDkgeNU

[Mark$]

My my my, isn't it interesting when we get a rare glimpse into the vast spider web of amazingly tight relationships between wealthy American Zionists and rightwing Israeli politicians. You don't think because the media in America is overwhelmingly Jewish controlled that it generally keeps these stories out of the public eye here? Naah, that's just anti-semitic conspiracy theory.

[I think I am going to puke]

"Zionist Aggression Celebration Week" - go fuck yourself, Hugh.

And while we're at it - fuck Tick Segerblom and anyone else willing to pay money to support you.

[Gleaner]

Dear Nauseated Reader,

Thanks as always for the input. For future reference so that I might avoid giving offense, could you please provide a comprehensive list of all the countries that I can't make fun of?

Thanks again.

[I think I am going to puke]

Dear Gleaner,

You repeatedly and relentlessly attack Israel and any/all of its supporters. You give much aid and comfort to people who enjoy, in their spare time, murdering people who like to go out for pizza. With your bile, you attract neo-Nazis like your friend Mark$ (see post above), and repel Democrats like me.

You also (with snark like the phrase I quoted in my first post) give credibility to the argument that Israel, which has done nothing more than try to live in peace and defend itself against those who remain intent on nothing less than its destruction, is somehow the "Zionist aggressor." That is as much a "big lie" as anything Hitler ever put out.

Those who financially choose to support you, support your misguided vitriol. Since this latest bit of garbage was hardly without precedent on your blog, I can only assume that Tick Segerblom - and ANY other politician who would advertise here - agrees with you that Israel is the "Zionist aggressor" and leaders like Shelley Berkley (who you always, and reprehensibly, title as "D-Israel") are somehow evil.

[Gleaner]

So just to clarify, making fun of all the other countries of the world is OK?

[Michael Green]

To you who think you are going to puke,

There are anti-semites out there, no question. Israel is far from perfect. As a friend and supporter of Shelley Berkley, I think it is wrong to call her "D-Israel," although that is a comment on her foreign policy views. But when we conflate anti-semitism with criticism of Israel, we do the fight against anti-semitism or for Israel's rights no good.

As to Tick Segerblom and anyone else who advertises here, your logic suggests that anyone who advertises in the R-J agrees with its right-wing, sexist, racist, homophobic views. I wish advertisers would boycott the R-J until it changes its views, since money is the only language the R-J understands. I am letting my subscription lapse and hope others will, too. But to argue that those who advertise here must agree with everything The Gleaner or those who post here say is ridiculous.

[The Penguin]

We haven't picked on Lithuania for some time. Who wants to take the first shot?

[texexnv@gmail.com]

Penguin, don't forget Fredonia and Rufus T. Firefly have been getting a free ride after provoking a war with Sylvania.

[The Penguin]

Actually, I was just thinking -- a good pre-emptive strike against Lower Slobovia is a pretty good idea. After which we can outsource reconstruction contracts to Elbonia. Somebody, call Hillary at 3 a.m.!

[Bill O'Reilly]

You know what I miss? Boycotting France. Damned I wish they hadn't elected a conservative. Pinhead fuckers.

[Sen. John McCain]

Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.

[I think I am going to puke]

Michael,

Of course the "D-Israel" thing can be viewed as merely a snarky comment on her foreign policy views (what Hugh has referred to as poking "fun"). However, when combined with an endorsement of one of the key propaganda points of organizations whose preferred day to day activities involve brainwashing their own children so that they blow up both themselves and someone else's child, it betrays the true bias of the author. Hugh's referring to Israel's Independence Day celebration as "Zionist Aggression Celebration Week" is his way of making his political statement. Hugh does not 'poke fun' merely for a laugh - it is his way of making his political arguments. Pretending otherwise is absurd and intellectually dishonest.

As for the R-J - sadly, it is the only game in town for reaching a fairly large audience in a daily newspaper. The bile of the right is just as reprehensible as the bile here. Two wrongs, even in 2008, still do not make a right.

[Mark$]

surprise surprise surprise.
According to our puking friend here, you are of course a "neo-Nazi" if you DARE make ANY comment pointing out Israel's 60 yr policy of ethnic cleansing, stealing land, genocide against the Palestinian people, and the American government's bending over backwards to supply Israel with shitloads of helicopter gunships & advanced jet warplanes & bombs to rain mass death down upon civilian neighborhoods in dirtpoor Palestinian neighborhoods. Tell us again, who's dishing the propaganda, pukepal.

[had it]

Israel was a glutton and anexed too much land. How'd you like Mexico taking over California? Same difference.

[Pedro]

"when combined with an endorsement of one of the key propaganda points of organizations whose preferred day to day activities involve brainwashing their own children so that they blow up both themselves and someone else's child"

Good point. I have always felt that Palestinian Islamic extremists had a monopoly on brainwashing. Zionist extremists love nothing more than open and honest dialogue about their “nationalization” efforts for the past 50 years--especially from within.

Mike Green said it best: "when we conflate anti-semitism with criticism of Israel, we do the fight against anti-semitism or for Israel's rights no good."

Israel is deserving of some very strong criticism, in some cases one could make the point for state sponsored terrorism. Such criticism is not an endorsement of suicide bombers and rogue rocket launches in public squares. Your bullshit efforts to equate the two are tired and deceitful.

Also, hiding behind the false Bush-like argument that Israel "has done nothing more than try to live in peace and defend itself against those who remain intent on nothing less than its destruction" is just as disgusting as any the anti-Semitic bile Ahmadinejad, Hitler, and any of their ilk conceived.

[The Penguin]

You mean Mexico ISN'T taking over Cali? Phew! What a relief!