I would like to apologize for writing the recommended diary relying on Counterpunch earlier today. I would like to apologize to Markos, the management of this site, the community, and anyone who was offended. What I did not realize was that Counterpunch has engaged in a consistent pattern of anti-semitism, all of which has been well-documented. I would like to talk about where I come from and where I think we should go as a community as a result of this experience. Nothing which I write below is an excuse for what I did today.
The site Algemenier, a pro-Israel Jewish site documents Counterpunch's anti-semitism. Among anti-semites and extremists that it gives a platform to are Gilad Atzmon, Alison Weir (Executive director of If Americans Knew, not the British historian. They are two different people.), Ernst Zundel, Paul Craig Roberts, and Eric Walburg, among others. All of these examples are documented and linked to by Algemenier.
The site Imagine 2050, a site that advocates multiculturalism and fights hate groups, documents that Roberts is involved with the nativist site VDARE as well as other White Nationalist causes.
And Harry's Place, a far-left blogger, documents even more ties to extremists from Counterpunch.
Here is where I come from as a person. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican; I'm a Constitutionalist. I don't think that everyone has all the answers. This is why I'm a big believer that we have to look outside of our bubbles. If my recent diary about the young man expelled from school for bringing a gun that he forgot was in his truck raised any eyebrows, that's why I write such diaries. I thought and still think that we must pay attention to what other writers are saying in order to identify common ground. Is the Gun Free School Zones Act fair as written? Or are the unintended consequences of the bill like what happened in North Carolina enough that we should repeal it?
The closest thing we have to a national statement of our values as a country is the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The founders believed that all men were created equal and envisioned a continuous process by which everyone could strive for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Too often, we have lost sight of that goal. Obama's use of drones is just one such example. It is being done in secrecy, without any checks and balances, and with many more civilian casualties than the administration would care to admit. And you don't have to read Counterpunch to know that; McClatchy did an entire article about it last month. And they did it without blood libel, antisemitism, or any other sort of bigotry or intolerance.
The First Amendment says that we all have free speech. But free speech works both ways. You can say whatever you want; however, I don't have to listen to you or give you a platform. At the same time, the best way to fight intolerance is not censorship or ignoring it, but with more free speech. My own personal experience tells me that this approach is absolutely necessary. As a writer myself, I want to know about it if some group or website promotes hate speech or intolerance. If they do, then they are likely not to be a reliable source of information.
I was warned on this site for posting a Counterpunch article since they are anti-Semitic. I trust the judgment of management, so I deleted the diary and did my own research and found that it was true. I knew that they had been accused of it, but I did not know the extent of Counterpunch's anti-Semitism until I did some research on it.
From this experience, I have learned that it would be good for us to develop and maintain a list of sites that are reliable and not so reliable. Anybody's suggestions are welcome. Here is an example list of sites and writers who are not so reliable due to denying basic historical or scientific fact or who have views that are outside the mainstream of American political thought.
Alison Weir -- Believes in blood libel and published debunked report claiming Israel stole organs from Palstinians. Not to be confused with the British Historian.
Before it's News -- Apocalyptic Worldview.
Breitbart -- Falsely claimed that Chuck Hagel spoke to a group called, "Friends of Hamas;" believes Obama is a Communist.
Counterpunch -- Antisemitic articles and provides platform to anti-semites; dual loyalties and claims Washington is occupied by Israel.
Dr. Ben Carson -- Compares same-sex partnership to murder.
David Duke -- Nativist; believes in massive race war between Jews and other races.
Eric Walburg -- Neo-nazi, holocaust denier, and Taliban supporter.
Ernst Zundel -- Holocaust Denier.
Food Matters -- Scientology racket.
Front Page Mag -- Anti-Muslim hate group.
Gilad Atzmon -- Holocaust denial, promotes materials by other holocaust denialists.
Guardian -- Praises Counterpunch, a known anti-semitic site.
Infowars -- Vaccine denialist.
Israel Shamir -- Holocaust denier and blood libel.
Jennifer Loewenstein -- Inflammatory rhetoric regarding the I/P conflict.
Jihad Watch -- Anti-Muslim hate group; on SPLC and Loonwatch blacklists.
Lew Rockwell.com -- Compares Liberal opponents to communists.
Michelle Malkin -- Nativist; Ties with Breitbart.
Mike Huckabee -- Compared Obama's gun control laws to Nazi Germany.
Natural News -- Hitler baiting, vaccine denialist, does not believe in doctors.
New York Post -- Twice wrongly identified Boston Marathon suspects.
Occupy Binghamton -- Links to anti-semitic hate site Rense.
Organic Consumers Association -- Vaccine denialist, does not believe in doctors.
Palestinian Information Center -- Compares Israel's policy to the Nazis, anti-semitic.
Paul Craig Roberts -- Nativist and White Nationalist
Renew America -- Believes the Gay Lobby is satanic.
Rush Limbaugh -- Sexist slurs, ad homenims, and use of racist slurs. Said he would support someone like David Duke without all the baggage during Duke's run for Governor of LA.
Virtue Online -- Ad homenim attacks against people he doesn't like.
Wayne Allan Root -- Believes Obama is secretly a Communist.
Weazel Zippers -- Believes the Left embraces armed radicals.
Wenzel Polling -- Run by person who engaged in multiple conflicts of interest while employed by Toledo Blade; engages in push polling.
Western "Journalism" -- Ad homenim attacks against Obama including calling him an accessory to murder and a secret Muslim and "evil personified."
World Net Daily -- Unethical behavior; relies on scam pollster to manipulate public opinion.
The following sites, in my view, provide good information for fighting intolerance and hate speech. They tell the facts and name the names -- unlike Counterpunch:
Immigration Impact
Loonwatch
Anti-Defamation League
Southern Poverty Law Center
Truth Wins Out
Algemeiner
Imagine 2050
These two lists are just rough drafts. More ideas are welcome. I plan to use my blogroll to link to sites that are reliable. It's good to be for free speech. But there is a major trap that one can fall into. There was a group out in Oregon that prided itself in being a free speech zone. But what it wound up doing was giving a platform to all sorts of extremists and white supremacists and hate groups. They were abandoned by all but the very echo chamber that they wound up creating. The same sort of thing applies to any given cause -- it's great to be pro-Palestinian; the danger is in giving extremist groups a platform that could hijack the cause of Palestinian freedom for their own ends. The same goes for being pro-Tibet or pro-Immigration.
