As you have no doubt figured out by now, I have a mean streak a mile wide. And while I thoroughly enjoy ripping the iridescent wings off of little puppies, torturing goblins by waving silver at them, and depriving monkeys of a valuable source of protein by de-lousing them, the cruel and vindictive thing that I probably most enjoy doing is snarking morons.
Such as Becky O'Malley - publisher of the Berkeley Daily Planet.
[Exposé of the BDP here: http://dpwatchdog.com/ ]
BERKELEY DAILY PLANET
The BDP scrabbles for survival in that narrow hell halfway twixt advertising rag and vanity publication, and, attempting to boost sales, panders shamelessly to the ignorant gut-reaction bleeding hearts and campus anti-Semites in the burg of Berkeley. Under Becky O'Malley's leadership, the Berkeley Daily Planet has established a pattern of obsessive anti-Israel invective and vitriol. Which, in Berkeley, is ideologically mainstream and reflects a comfortably middle-class weltanschauung. Par for the course, and perfectly normal. In Berkeley.
RABBINIC UNANIMITY
The reasonable reaction to the anti-Semitism of the Berkeley Daily Planet is perhaps best expressed by a letter recently sent by the East Bay Council of Rabbis.
Quote:
"Those who have voiced their opposition to the Daily Planet’s coverage are entitled to speak and be heard. It is not accurate to label everyone who has disagreed with positions expressed in the Planet as militant right-wingers. "
[End quote]
I usually think of myself as a strident left-winger, in the classic liberal mold. But with the Berkeley Daily Planet's encouragement, I shall also try to think of myself as a militant right-winger. This may prove extremely difficult - I would far rather be an 'effeminate liberal' than a 'misogynist RW bastard', to quote two terms flung into the discourse on a comment-string recently.
[This post: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/2009/08/get-those-rw-conservative-idiots-fact.html On this blog: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/ This comment string: http://www.haloscan.com/comments/dovbear/1140363519463313055/ ]
The crux of the letter sent by East Bay Council of Rabbis is particularly germane:
Quote:
"At times criticism of Israeli government policies and actions has crossed over into classically anti-Semitic expression when it targets Jewishness itself as a blameworthy status—as did the Kurosh Arianpour commentary the Daily Planet printed some years back. Disseminating hate speech against any ethnic or religious group, while it may be constitutionally legal, is not acceptable when allowed to stand on its own in a community paper and given the appearance of reasonable discourse. Hate speech against any group is unacceptable; in the same vein we would expect that the Planet would refrain from printing racist or homophobic material. The claim of freedom of the press does not excuse journalists from meeting the standards of civil discourse. "
[End quote]
SOURCE: http://dpwatchdog.com/dpnuts.html
What the rabbis wrote really says it all. But, in case you want to go into further details, do please feel free to browse through the articles at the Berkeley Daily Planet Watchdog (http://dpwatchdog.com/). It's much better than actually wading through the miserable prose of the BDP itself.
[Consider this delightful comment about Becky O'Malley, for instance: "it has come time for her to seriously consider converting to Judaism. It would give her license for her obsession, and it might paradoxically help dissipate some of her inner psychological turmoil." ]
And please also sign this petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/fight-anti-semitic-rhetoric-at-the-berkeley-daily-planet/signatures.html
FYI: The Berkeley Daily Planet's editorial offices are at:
3023A Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: (510) 841-5600
Fax: (510) 841-5695
Feel free to write them a letter, using very simple words, and remember to complement them on their fearlessness. They like that.
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Crossposted from: http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/
This post: http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2009/08/berkeley-daily-planet-hatreds-own.html
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4 comments:
http://dpwatchdog.com/bopast.html
Apparently Becky O'Malley of the Berkeley Daily Planet is the former debutante Elisabeth Warren Peters, raised in an exclusive world of restricted country clubs and private schools. Thats where she learned to keep them uppitedy Jews in their place.
http://dpwatchdog.com/bopast.html
At Becky O'malley's picnic a few days back, she was complaining about the Planet hemorrhaging $$$$.
Its just a matter of time before it goes belly up.
The Daily planet crossed yet another line with a letter published in its Dec. 3 issue, accusely the "Zionists" - code for "dem Jews" of collaborating with the Nzis. The author was Jack Jersawitz, a looneytoon from Atlanta. So much for a commitment to publishing local voices.
For more info, see:
http://www.dpwatchdog.com/zionists.html
The DP was just Becky's vanity project -- civic manipulation instead of gardening or ceramics. And it reflected her own personality -- strident, shrill and very, very unappealing. It shows what happens when someone with more money than talent decides to overreach, something like those rich republican ladies who want to buy themselves an election. Time to let go, Becky dear, and move on to another hobby, hopefully one that doesn't scare the horses.
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