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I Support Cheri DiNovo
March 17, 2010 - 2:45pm
I have been a member of the New Demorcratic Party for over 30 years. Cheri DiNovo is my MPP. I have worked on all her campaigns and will continue to do so. She is a stellar politician, utterly without pretense who has always stood up for the poor and marginalized in our society. We need more like her. What sometimes perturbs me about the left is the minute someone strays from the rigid party line they are cast as a pariah and unfit to govern. Ms. DiNovo was not giving Israel carte blanche to carry on as they are. She was simply trying to tone down inflammatory rhetoric and search for a peaceful solution. I support her efforts and those who work together in the Middle East for a peaceful and just solution.
This could give a whole new meaning to the phrase Board wars. I'm getting the popcorn.
Hahahaha. Pulling up a seat now. Who has a score card handy?
I'm closing this. There is already an open thread on the topic. Please post there until it's full.
EDITED TO ADD: Now Open for Business.
Quoted from Stargazer in the previous thread.
What sometimes perturbs me about the sorry excuse for a left we have in Parliament is that the minute someone strays from the bounds of acceptable discourse as defined by Peter Shurman, they are cast as hatemongers and unfit to even speak.
And if no public statement is ever made? Then we're left with the innuendo and frenzy-mongering of the MSM against the left and against supporters of the Palestinian cause, and the story about "death threats" etc. passes into the realm of commonly accepted history.
Willingly or not, this individual's actions (speech - vote - censorship of criticism - self-portrayal as victim of the anti-apartheid crazies) situates itself squarely within the Harperite campaign, which poses grave dangers to the progressive movements in this country. That's why her friends and supporters have a responsibility to encourage her to speak out and clarify the situation, as well as to retract her support for Shurman's draconian motion.
Unionist, I should just wait until you post and add "ditto".
p-sto - I completely understand what you are saying and to a point I agree. The thing is, it seemed to me that she used the "death threats" as a means to stifle any and all debate. In all honesty, were she to produce this information to the police, or make it public somehow, then people like myself will be more than willing to accept that and condemn those who sent the threats. Until then all we have is her facebook breakdown. Nothing else.
Why I say she is not a victim is because she willingly walked into the whole freedom of speech thing and came down on the side of oppressors. How can there be any headway made in Israel when we cannot even speak about it here without being called antisemitic - which is the side Cheri chose to align herself with.
If you're read enough of her new idol, Tarek Fatah, you'll also see that she now sides with a pro-American anti-Muslim man. I subscribe to his news, and most of it is pretty damned hateful.
Back to the article that Michelle posted in the previous thread at #47
Who knows perhaps it's just business, it could just as easily be her taking some time to recover from a breakdown. Why demand an answer now when an answer next week will do just as well. At the moment I'm most offended by journalists who have taken it upon themselves to use this incident to further an agenda with no evidence that DiNovo would want it portrayed as it is.
Totally agree p-sto.
Israeli Apartheid and the Nakba
[Link deleted]
"There can be absolutely no doubt that Israel has created an inhuman, illegal and wholly disgraceful Apartheid state, and the international community will never be able to excuse itself if it takes no action against this blatant, ongoing and in-plain-sight crime against humanity.
Please send the link to this video to your elected representative and make sure he or she does something about it.."
[Moderator's note: I've deleted the link. NDPP, don't link to anti-semitic sites]
"If you're read enough of her new idol, Tarek Fatah, you'll also see that she now sides with a pro-American anti-Muslim man. I subscribe to his news, and most of it is pretty damned hateful."
Fatah IS Muslim. or maybe you think that in addition to "self-hating Jews", there are also "self-hating Muslims".
To me, the claim about threats, or at least harassment at home, is entirely believable, btw. Anyone who has any kind of public profile at all, especially on a controversial issue, will get weird messages from ... somewhere out there. I've had a couple of cyberstalkers over the years, and yes, it's upsetting because you don't know what they intend or how seriously to take the irrational hostility. You just sit there thinking, "Wow, somebody really does hate me." And then you don't know what to do.
I think I would call police about a death threat, but mostly I think that people try to believe that they're dealing with mere nuisance. Nuisance is a nuisance, and harassment at home is definitely beyond what anyone should have to put up with. But a lot of people do. It kinda comes with the territory, unfortunately.
NDPP, much as I sincerely appreciate all the material you post on important subjects, you do us no favours by linking to Holocaust-deniers and anti-semites like Gilad Atzmon and Anthony Lawson. I'm sure you don't want to prove that the Harpers and Kenneys and Shurmans and Dimants and Farbers of this world are correct, so kindly get that toxic crap out of here. Thanks.
ETA: And yes, indeedy, Stockholm, Gilad Atzmon is Jewish and anti-semitic, just as Tarek Fatah is Muslim and Islamophobic. The world is full of passing strange things!
Everybody keeps bringing up the police. She's made no public statement since the incident. Would the police be allowed to disclose anything to the public without her permission?
p-sto, I meant to suggest that I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't called the police, but you're right: it's none of our business until something can be proved.
It would truly have been none of our business if she hadn't disclosed it in front of a few thousand people on Facebook. Why did she do that? And once she does it, privacy is hard to plead.
Not sure of the value of giving completely uncritical, carte blanche support to any politician or party. And not sure of the value of completely writing off politicians for some indiscretion or other. Is there no middle ground? Nobody's perfect. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree on issues - even burning hot issues - because other burning hot issues of perhaps even greater importance may arise where we require broad unity - and that can cut across the political spectrum.
Bob Rae could do no wrong and some people vilified, demonized and blamed his critics for the rise of neo-Conservatism in Ontario. "Don't blame me, I voted NDP" was the rallying cry as they flailed around looking for people to blame for their disastrous 1995 wipe-out. Until Rae left and joined the Liberals.
In Cuba, they don't build statues of people until they've passed on to the next world (well they wouldn't say it that way).
Sorry to have missed your point skdadl, it does make sense. Thanks for clarifying.
That pretty much constitues a public statement (her facebook posting I mean).
Stock, I know Fatah is Muslim, and yes, I think he does have an issue with Muslims, or more specifically, ones that do not think like him.
She can has teh upset? I often do, although I haven't often done it online (knock on wood). If I have to cry and swear at the keyboard, I send emails to pogge. (See, synthome: that's me doing self-promo.)
It was some of the other things she said that I still have probs with. But yes, harassment is wrong, punkt.
Here is an interesting Winnipeg Free Press letter to the editor from someone named Adrian Fine.
"DEAR EDITOR:
Re: The editorial on Israel Apartheid Week (Freedom trumps decency, March 6). You accuse IAW of "distortions" of the facts but then proceed to fill your editorial with so many untruths that even this term provides an inadequate description. In your case "contortions" would be more apt!"
See link above for more information.
Thankfully, Adrian Fine noticed that the Winnipeg Free Press used the term "so-called" Occupied Territories. Fine also pointed out a couple of other discrepancies.
I believe that Atzmon converted to Christianity - but i digress. So, Unionist, if you think Tarek Fatah is an Islamophobic Muslim because he isn't pro-palestinian enough for you - what does that make you - an anti-semitic Jew??? What about Catholics who denounce the way priests have sexually abused kids - are they all self-hating catholics?
I applaud anyone who is willing to attack their own religion since i think that all religions are crap. I applaud Fatah for helping make Islam look bad just as i applaud people with the courage to stand up to the repressions and outrages of the catholic church etc...
I have no interest in discussing this thread drift with you, after all I did was make a comment in response to your silly statement that a Muslim can't be anti-Muslim.
I think it is probably more accurate to say he represents one tiny group of muslims who have issues with another tiny group of muslims (and vice versa.)
Believe it or not, that's the argument put forward by all censors. Just yesterday the Iranian intelligence minister said in an interview that the Iranian media has become really peaceful since those 90+ troublemaking journalists have been sent to jail...
Tell it to Desmond Tutu. But what would he know?
Ok, folks, I've been keeping a sort of informal score. At the end of the first period:
Tune in after the break to see if the CDN supporters can rally and turn this game around.
Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock moved out of the house, her and Jesse James shared, as he apparently has been fucking around with another woman for the last 11 months.
Huh?