Don’t assail Freeman for speaking the truth
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We Americans are starving for truth. The interest generated by the Comedy Central battle between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer is an indication of how badly objective information, facts and ideas without ideological tweaking are in demand. This is what makes the resignation of Charles Freeman such a tragedy: Our foreign policy in the Middle East is now in jeopardy of making America the “Banana Republic” of Israel’s right-wing militarism.
In David Broder’s column, “The country’s loss,” the “dean” of American political commentary said the extremely well-qualified national intelligence administrator Freeman was viciously attacked by the Israeli lobby for making statements against Israel’s Middle East agenda. Nancy Pelosi said his statements were “beyond the pale.” So just what terrible anti- Israeli statements did he make?
The former interpreter for President Richard Nixon’s China trip that opened U. S. trade with that Communist country dared to say: “The brutal oppression of the Palestinians by the Israeli occupation shows no sign of ending. . . . American identification with Israel has become total.” My gracious, and this two years before Israel’s use of illegal phosphorous bombs burning Gazan civilians to the bone, supplied by Boeing and Lockheed- Martin and paid for by us. I’d say the guy’s got it right.
Ray Peterson
Buffalo
Published: March 23, 2009, 12:30 am