Discussion for article #228604
And this matters how???
āshould no longer write about Israelā ā¦or anything else.
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Its just the NYT getting in front of this,generating some clicks and tweets.
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So for Rosenthal there is no difference between the Israeli army and the American army except āin some peopleās mindsā. Well, there is a difference in my mindā¦
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The sins of the father and vice versa should be the rule of the day here. Unless DB was writing a column directly commenting on the IDF, then disclosure shouldnāt be mandatory.
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āI do not think he ever had an obligation to say that his son made this choice, any more than if his son had joined the U.S. Air Force (although I recognize that Israel is more controversial in some peopleās minds),ā Rosenthal said.
Well, joining the military of a foreign power is the kind of thing that could cause an American to lose his citizenship. So, no, this isnāt anything like joining the U.S. air force, any more than working for the KGB would be exactly like working for the CIA.
We can revisit this topic if Israel applies for statehood.
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I feel like Iād want to know if a columnists son is serving in a foreign military before I read what that columnist says about issues pertaining to that country, or how itās military acts.
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āI do not think he ever had an obligation to say that his son made this choice, any more than if his son had joined the U.S. Air Force (although I recognize that Israel is more controversial in some peopleās minds),ā Rosenthal said.
Oh, I see, because to Rosenthal, the US Air Force is exactly the same fucking thing as the air force of a foreign power. Hey, on second thought, maybe heās right.
Oh no, we are downright blessed to have people like Israeli Air Force Daddy David Brooks to reassure us that all the slaughter Israel conducts with that air force is justified.
Whereās my āBibi is rightā bumper sticker? More settlements!!! And if anyone dares complain, bomb 'em!! Theyāll stop!
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I think you have that backwards. Iād have to conclude weāre the subordinate power, and weād be applying for annexation to Israel instead.
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There is a distinction that I think should be acknowledged. His son is serving in the military of a foreign country. Thatās his privilege, but I do think Brooks needs to be more open about mentioning it when he takes on the subject of Israel and itās actions. Serving in the US military doesnāt create the same perception of conflict of interest.
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I do not think he ever had an obligation to say that his son made this choice, any more than if his son had joined the U.S. Air Force
When one joins the US Air Force, one takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
When one joins the IDF, one takes the following oath:
"I swear and obligate myself on my word of honor to remain loyal to the State of Israel, its laws and its legitimate administration and to devote all of my strength, and even to sacrifice my life, in the defense of the homeland and the freedom of Israel.ā
Thatās a significant difference right there. Brooksās readers probably have a right to know where his sonās allegiance lies and whether it has any effect on what he writes or not.
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Now we all know after reading it here which makes them all look bad. Could be that readers would have been fine with that if Brooks had been honest from the get go. These folks never learn that the cover-up is worse than the offense.
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Iād like to know if his son has dual citizenship, if that is possible actually. If not, I guess he would have only Israeli citizenship. Do any commenters know about the citizenship issue?
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Margaret Sullivan should not be criticizing Brooks for failing to disclose his sonās IDF service.
She should be criticizing him for being a talentless, overpaid hack whoās never said or written anything that wasnāt stunningly oblivious, and whose appalling ineptitude makes even Friedman appear sage by comparison.
She can worry about other stuff after sheās honestly addressed that blindingly-obvious embarrassment to the paper.
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Well, theyāre both wholly funded by our tax dollars, soā¦
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I urge the NYT to disclose its many ties to Israel and AIPACā¦
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I am disinclined to make parents responsible to disclose the actions of their adult children on ethical principles. So I would not agree with any kind of censure of Brooks. But as a responsible journalist, he should disclose anything that even hints at a bias.
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What difference does it make if as an Israeli Brooks junior joined the IDF? But if Brooks senior is an Israeli too, it might be good to mention that in the service of of full disclosure. It would be no different if he were a Koch Brothers employee.
Okay, but then I also want to know about his sisters and his cousins and his aunts, and what not. How about a complete employment profile of the Brooks family? And never mind that the son is presumably beyond the age of 18, and thus no longer a minor.
Why stop there? Why not everyone else as well? How about any and every relative of Josh Marshall. I am pretty sure that weāll find a wonderful conflict of interest somewhere.