State of Israel

Pro-Israel advocacy with news and views.

Friday, May 21, 2004

Republican Jewish Coalition
The Southern California regional office of the Republican Jewish Coalition recently moved to 11845 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 755, Los Angeles, CA 90064. The new phone number is 310-478-0752. The new facsimile number is 310-478-0111. Mr. Greenfield's email address is lgreenfield@rjchq.org.

Larry Greenfield
email: socal@rjchq.org
phone: 310-478-0752

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Yet Another Circular Firing Squad

Idiotarian
noun. A term of abuse for an advocate of what are deemed to be irrationalist and subjectivist values that have very little reference to the workings of the real world. Idiotarians are often socialist (quintessentially Noam Chomsky), but can also be paleo-libertarian or paleo-conservative. The defining phrase of idiotarianism is "it is all the fault of the United States": this is usually applied to geopolitics but is sometimes encountered with regard to cultural issues, economic issues, environmental issues, the weather, socks lost in the laundry etc.

The term is obviously highly partisan but is in quite widespread use by many blogs. However it is not a term used exclusively by the neo-conservative 'right wing' and many well left of centre or libertarian blogs have used it describe the more surrealist wings of their particular branch of political thought.

Anti-Idiotarian
noun. Someone opposed to a whole raft of political values which are derived from a fundamentally irrational meta-context (world view). Anti-idiotarians can be found across a wide section of the political spectrum and are primarily characterised by vocal rational judgmentalism, generally hawkish sentiments and transcendent loathing of Noam Chomsky.

Usage: "Like most anti-idiotarians I cannot but marvel as the sight of the Palestinian leadership forming yet another circular firing squad at the first grudging sign of reasonable behaviour by the Israeli government"
- Perry de Havilland.

Monday, May 17, 2004

CAMPUS WATCH A project of the Middle East Forum, reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them. The project mainly addresses five problems: analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students. Campus Watch fully respects the freedom of speech of those it debates while insisting on its own freedom to comment on their words and deeds.