Mail Bag. I received an e-mail commenting on my
April 20 posting about the big anti-globalization/anti-Israel
rally in DC, which included some contingents from the campus-based
"queer" left. The writer took me to task, stating:
"In your article on last weekend's protests, you referred to the demonstrators as being 'anti-American'" What is so 'anti-American' about opposing a state that denies liberties to others; wasn't America founded upon the principle that all men are created equal and ought to be free? Those protesting the occupation in Palestine are 'Pro-American', in that respect."
To that writer, I dedicate the posting below.
Trouble in the Left's Big Tent. I owe the
popular blog instapundit, written by Glenn
Reynolds, for this item. In his 5/3/2002 postings he links to a
page of pictures from and comments about a recent
pro-Palestinian rally at UC Berkley. Among those enthralled by
the romanticism of suicide killers, and appalled that Israel would
dare to defend itself, is a group called QUIT, for Queers
Undermining Israeli Terrorism. But, as instapundit notes, if you
scroll down to the comments at the bottom of the page, a guy named
Sallah writes:
"As a Palestinian, I must protest the inclusion of a homosexual group in this afternoon's rally. Gay people have no place in society, whether in Palestine or in the US."
A little further below, responding to a post taking issue with
his comments, Sallah replies,
"We are fighting for self-determination. That means that we wish to live according to our own societal values, not your Western ones. You are a cultural imperialist. I appreciate your concern for our struggle, but WE will decide for ourselves."
Could the blindness of the pro-Palestinian gay left be made any clearer?
Israel, if it needs pointing out, is the only Middle East country that protects by law the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Come to think of it, it's the only Middle East country that protects by law the civil rights of its citizens, period.
Anita Orange Juice's Hard Times. On a lighter note, the St. Petersburg Times ran this April 28 story about Anita Bryant's filing for bankruptcy, for the second time in five years. Apparently, the anti-gay doyenne has acquired quite a reputation for cheating the employees at her theater in the Tennessee Bible Belt, as well as for not paying her taxes. The story notes that: "In Florida, meanwhile, her name is surfacing once more as lawyers and gay activists try to repeal the state's ban on gay adoptions, blaming Bryant for its passage in 1977." The evil that some people do can have a very long life indeed, but eventually the light must overwhelm the darkness.