Goldstone walks alone on a bridge to nowhere

[oberliner]

Surely the New York Times would not dare turn down a piece from the new Richard Goldstone. He had already recast himself as the self-appointed guardian of Israel’s world reputation. This, despite the fact that he had earlier been anointed as the distinguished jurist who admirably put aside his ethnic identity and personal affiliations when it came to carrying out his professional work as a specialist in international criminal law.

Goldstone was even seemingly willing to confront the Zionist furies of Israel when criticised by one of their own adherents in chairing the UN panel appointed to consider allegations of Israeli war crimes during the Gaza War of 2008-09. A few months ago Goldstone took the unseemly step of unilaterally retracting a central conclusion of the "Goldstone Report" during those attacks on Gaza.

The former judge wrote in a column in the Washington Post that the Goldstone Report would have been different if he had known then what he came to know now, an arrogant assertion considering that he was but one of four panel members designated by the UN Human Rights Council, and considering that the other three publicly reaffirmed their confidence in the original conclusion as presented in the report, which was written and released months earlier.

This failure to consult with other members of the team before rushing his seemingly opportunistic change of heart into print with should have discredited this earlier Goldstone effort to restore his tarnished Zionist credentials. It is also of interest that he chooses to exhibit this new role on the pages of the newspapers of record in the United States. Goldstone reportedly escalated the tone and substance of his retraction after the Times rejected the original version of the piece - supposedly because it was too bland. To get into print with this wobbly change of position, Goldstone went to these extraordinary lengths.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/2011113134340845649.html

This is by Richard Falk.

[LeftishBrit]

1. What a thoroughly nasty article

Not that I've ever had much respect for Falk.

[shira]

2. He speaks on behalf of a thoroughly nasty and vile movement. n/t

[King_David]

3. He sounds bitter , for some reason. NT

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Well, it's clear he's got no time for Mr Goldstone...

That's nothing out of the ordinary, as I've seen a cavalcade of articles full of nastiness aimed at Goldstone posted in this forum, but usually from the other 'side' of the fence. He seems to be a magnet when it comes to the ire of extremists and zealoted twits...

[King_David]

5. Yes I agree these fanatic extremist twits

Are sure coming out of the woodwork these last few days .

[Violet_Crumble]

6. What are you talking about? It's clearly something entirely different ...

Last few days? The extremists have been at Mr Goldstone for months and months...

[King_David]

7. Yea of course your right,

They been coming out the woodwork for a few months now, since

his retraction Op-Ed , but the last couple of days has seen a flood

of these creeps.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Huh? I'm talking about since the Goldstone Report came out...

Do you still agree? I'm talking about creeps on both sides, so I'm expecting that now 'supporters' of Israel are included in the creep category, you'll stop agreeing...

[King_David]

10. I Fully agree creeps like Mondoweiss , Falk et al

Have really been especially creepy.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Yr not agreeing at all. I'm talking about creeps on both sides...

Apparently you see only one side...

[King_David]

12. I was agreeing with you

About the creep who wrote this OP and others

[Violet_Crumble]

14. Okay. It's good you agree 'creeps' on both sides have done it n/t

[shira]

15. So you believe Falk, Ben White, Dugard, Mondoweiss, etc. are extremists who are mad at Goldstone? NT

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Extremists or zealoted twits, but Dershowitz and others you admire also fall into that category...

Why? Was there something you didn't understand about what I said?

[shira]

17. You used to admire those guys and Mondoweiss, which publishes them regularly...

Did you just recently change your mind?

[Violet_Crumble]

18. When was that? I don't admire any of them...

And unlike you, who have openly expressed support for the lunacy and hatred aimed at Goldstone by Dershowitz and his ilk, I think anyone who jumps on that bandwagon of mindless knee-jerk reaction is a bit of a moron...

btw, I asked you think once before, but you appear to be greatly offended when anyone changes their views on anything. What's yr problem with it? You do understand that those of us who do like to examine our own views and don't blindly swallow what we want to believe are in the habit of sometimes changing their minds on things, don't you?

[King_David]

8. He's a nasty petty small guy nt

[bemildred]

13. Everybody kicks you when you are down. nt