[Sosfbay-discuss] spiritual progressives

[Roy]

Cameron L. Spitzer wrote:
> Rabbi Lerner may have run into the International
> Socialist Organization faction of the SF Greens.
> ISO's got a problem with spirituality and
> religion.  "Religion is the opiate of the masses."
> And they're so anti-Zionist that they come across
> as antisemetic.  They've refused to let Rabbi Lerner
> speak at the A.N.S.W.E.R rallies.

Religion IS the opiate of some masses when it takes the form of
fundamentalism.. one of our major religions is consumerism, another is
technology and of course those good old christianity and judaism in any
of its forms. Did I mention sports :-)

Saying that they are SO anti-Zionist that they appear antisemitic isn't
saying much. Any questioning of Israel is met with large out crys of
anti semitism by zionists and their supporters. Any discussion of their
ability to mobilize and effect the body politic as well as the media is
met with even more stringent crys of outrage. Since ANSWER rallies were
focused on the middle east, allowing Lehrner to speak there would be
rather hypocritical, as I used the analogy in my previous comments of
asking a meat eater to speak at a conference for vegetarians.

> They won't recognize the Israeli peace movement.

I'm not aware of too many Israeli peace movements who start of with the
assertion that Israel really doesn't have any "right" to be there to
start with. This is the whole belief behind Zionism. Even Noam Chomsky,
the saint of the progressives begins one of his talks declaring that we
must start with the undeniable right of the State of Israel to exist.
I'm not saying that Israel should pushed into the sea, but for there to
be real peace in the region the absolute wrong that's been done to
Palestinians must be recognized and it never will be if every time we
get any where near the truth screams of anti semitism rise up from the
ranks of even the progressive movements. I used to think of people who
spoke the way I just have as anti semitic...it took awhile for the
realities and entrenchment of Zionism and it's supporters. Many
supporters are Christians since the bible stories all depict the
Israelites as these poor people who were chased from their land but were
justified during the time of their rule to chop off the heads of sinners
by the city full under the rule of David. One murderous dude.

> It's one of the ways their dogmatism has led them
> to the political margins, alienating large groups
> who should be their allies.
>

Funny.. I hear that about the Greens and that they're so fanatical they
put trees before people. I had just recently had this thrown in my face
and merely replied that the Greens are really a humanist party but have
recognized the critical balance and our dependence on nature so that in
defending trees we ARE defending ourselves. Regretfully that doesn't fit
on a bumper sticker :-)