Herr Gunter Grass

[Reffo]

A refreshingly good article in Haaretz about the cowardice and the moral failure of the new left:

Grass’ profound moral failure and the Zionist left’s profound failure to respond are a bad sign. They show that leading intellectuals in the West and Israel are no longer capable of defending Israel

Gunter Grass and the mute left

[Reffo]

The following quote from the article sums up the absurdity of Herr Gunter's position:

The SS soldier who became a famous humanist is ending his life exactly where he began it. As far as he's concerned, there's no danger in American, Russian, British, French, Chinese, Indian and Pakistani nuclear bombs. Nor is there any real danger in an Iranian nuclear bomb. What really might destroy our world are the nuclear weapons attributed to Israel. The Jews' ability to defend themselves and prevent their destruction is what is keeping the moral guru from Lubeck awake at night

Yet no one has heard as much as a peep out of the usual suspects to criticise Herr Gunter that he has gone beyond the pale ...

[dayag]

Reffo, this has nothing to do with your comment on the silence from "the usual suspects", but is just the results of a poll concerning the attitudes of Germans towards Herr Grass' remarks which I think is important to note:

Nearly one in two Germans believe Iran poses a bigger threat to world peace than Israel, according to a poll on Sunday, disagreeing with renowned German author Guenter Grass whose criticism of the Jewish state triggered an international outcry...

The poll, published in Die Welt am Sonntag newspaper along with a lengthy interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, showed 48 percent of Germans thought Iran posed the biggest threat to peace while 18 percent said Israel was.

A further 22 percent said Iran and Israel were an equal threat to world peace. The rest of those taking part in the Infratest/DIMAP survey expressed no opinion.

More than half of all those surveyed said they believed Iran's nuclear program posed a threat to Israel...

source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...219525,00.html

[Reffo]

Reffo, this has nothing to do with your comment on the silence from "the usual suspects", but is just the results of a poll concerning the attitudes of Germans towards Herr Grass' remarks which I think is important to note:



source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...219525,00.html

I guess there is two ways to look at that poll. One can either say the glass is half full or one can say the glass is half empty.

For what it's worth, I tend not to judge people collectively. I assess each individual on their own merit. And under such a yard stick, given what Herr Gunther said, he is certainly found wanting in my eyes. As for other Germans ... I'll judge each individual on their own merit whenever I come across any one of them.

[dayag]

I guess there is two ways to look at that poll. One can either say the glass is half full or one can say the glass is half empty.

For what it's worth, I tend not to judge people collectively. I assess each individual on their own merit. And under such a yard stick, given what Herr Gunther said, he is certainly found wanting in my eyes. As for other Germans ... I'll judge each individual on their own merit whenever I come across any one of them.

I could not agree with you more both on your assessment of the poll and in not judging people collectively.