<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>They say the first to make a Hitler comparison loses. In this instance it applies.<br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Aug 10, 2014, at 6:51 PM, "C. G. Estabrook" <<a href="mailto:carl@newsfromneptune.com">carl@newsfromneptune.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252">If only the good liberals had pushed to "take back" the NSDAP in 1933. Maybe they did.<div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div>On Aug 10, 2014, at 6:46 PM, Stan via OccupyCU <<a href="mailto:occupycu@lists.chambana.net">occupycu@lists.chambana.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="auto"><div>I have heard the Goodman broadcast and now I read it. It seems Chomsky is warning against absolutism because it frequently hurts those it is intended to help. This is why I keep pushing to take back the Democratic Party. Step by step. Inch by inch. <br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Aug 10, 2014, at 11:07 AM, "C. G. Estabrook via OccupyCU" <<a href="mailto:occupycu@lists.chambana.net">occupycu@lists.chambana.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252">Important and indeed essential.<div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Aug 10, 2014, at 10:58 AM, Paul Mueth via Peace-discuss <<a href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="auto"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">For the record from the web extra on Dem Now </div><div><br><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; direction: ltr;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> Noam, I wanted to ask you about your recent <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/180492/israel-palestine-and-bds" style="text-decoration: none; outline-width: 0px;">piece</a> for <em>The Nation</em> on Israel-Palestine and <span class="caps">BDS</span>. You were critical of the effectiveness of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. One of the many responses came from <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/180590/responses-noam-chomsky-israel-palestine-and-bds#munayyer" style="text-decoration: none; outline-width: 0px;">Yousef Munayyer</a>, the executive director of the Jerusalem Fund and its educational program, the Palestine Center. He wrote, quote, "Chomsky’s criticism of <span class="caps">BDS</span> seems to be that it hasn’t changed the power dynamic yet, and thus that it can’t. There is no doubt the road ahead is a long one for <span class="caps">BDS</span>, but there is also no doubt the movement is growing ... All other paths toward change, including diplomacy and armed struggle, have so far proved ineffective, and some have imposed significant costs on Palestinian life and livelihood." Could you respond?</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; direction: ltr;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><span class="caps">NOAM</span> <span class="caps">CHOMSKY</span>:</strong> Well, actually, I did respond. You can find it on <em>The Nation</em> <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/180756/israel-palestine-and-bds-chomsky-replies" style="text-decoration: none; outline-width: 0px;">website</a>. But in brief, far from being critical of <span class="caps">BDS</span>, I was strongly supportive of it. One of the oddities of what’s called the <span class="caps">BDS</span> movement is that they can’t—many of the activists just can’t see support as support unless it becomes something like almost worship: repeat the catechism. If you take a look at that article, it very strongly supported these tactics. In fact, I was involved in them and supporting them before the <span class="caps">BDS</span> movement even existed. They’re the right tactics.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; direction: ltr;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But it should be second nature to activists—and it usually is—that you have to ask yourself, when you conduct some tactic, when you pursue it, what the effect is going to be on the victims. You don’t pursue a tactic because it makes you feel good. You pursue it because it’s going—you estimate that it’ll help the victims. And you have to make choices. This goes way back. You know, say, back during the Vietnam War, there were debates about whether you should resort to violent tactics, say Weathermen-style tactics. You could understand the motivation—people were desperate—but the Vietnamese were strongly opposed. And many of us, me included, were also opposed, not because the horrors don’t justify some strong action, but because the consequences would be harm to the victims. The tactics would increase support for the violence, which in fact is what happened. Those questions arise all the time.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; direction: ltr;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Unfortunately, the Palestinian solidarity movements have been unusual in their unwillingness to think these things through. That was pointed out recently again by Raja Shehadeh, the leading figure in—lives in Ramallah, a longtime supporter, the founder of Al-Haq, the legal organization, a very significant and powerful figure. He pointed out that the Palestinian leadership has tended to focus on what he called absolutes, absolute justice—this is the absolute justice that we want—and not to pay attention to pragmatic policies. That’s been very obvious for decades. It used to drive people like Eqbal Ahmad, the really committed and knowledgeable militant—used to drive him crazy. They just couldn’t listen to pragmatic questions, which are what matter for success in a popular movement, a nationalist movement. And the ones who understand that can succeed; the ones who don’t understand it can’t. . . . </span></p><br></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>Peace-discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br><a href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br></blockquote></div><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>OccupyCU mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:OccupyCU@lists.chambana.net">OccupyCU@lists.chambana.net</a></span><br><span><a href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/occupycu">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/occupycu</a></span><br></blockquote></div>_______________________________________________<br>OccupyCU mailing list<br><a href="mailto:OccupyCU@lists.chambana.net">OccupyCU@lists.chambana.net</a><br><a href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/occupycu">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/occupycu</a><br></blockquote></div><br></div></div></blockquote></body></html>