Well, sorry I wasted your time guys. I told the producer at the end of the show that I will never participate in the show again. I couldn't believe that Olney gave an open microphone to an anti-Semite at the end of the broadcast and didn't allow anyone to point out how obscene what he said was. Israel is a racist apartheid state? What is he talking about? Israel has "Jews only" roads? Where are they located? Israel must be destroyed and become a community inside of an Arab state of Palestine? How dare he?
Well, actually I know how he dares. He's an Jew hating Arab bigot. But how dare NPR? This is their policy as well? This is what they think? And they think that people like me should agree to be their token Jews on the show to give legitimacy to their anti-Semitic views?
Like I said, I made a mistake. It won't happen again.
Update: Olney called just now to apologize. I accepted his apology but explained that actions have consequences, and the price he will pay for allowing an anti-Semitic liar to spew his bile on his show unchallenged is that I will never agree to be on his show again.
Don’t feel bad, you did your part, we can’t control everything.
You still kick ass, despite NPR’s obvious bias.
Keep up the good work. The world needs serious thinkers like you.
I can understand your anger – I would be angry too – but I’m confident you’ll channel it into an appropriate response to this idiot. Somehow. You’ll find a way. The refusal to appear again is a start. But methinks just a start. Go girl.
Caroline unfortunately I didn’t hear it as I don’t listen to NPR.
When you said you were going on the air with NPR I said to myself, good grief she won’t get a fair shake, NPR is too liberal.
We need to get you on FOX News Network.
It’s fair and balance and they are getting all the NBC, MSNBC and CBS defectors.
Americans and those worldwide need to hear the truth and reality.
‘Like I said, I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.’
I sure hope you snap out of your naive ways soon.
Your big mistake was thinking anything good for Israel would come from this cursed perverted,godless,corrupt Sodom and Gomorrah ruled America.
I remind you again of Genesis 12:3.
God’s promise to Abraham ;
I will bless those to bless you and curse those who curse you.
America’s move to carve up Israel to her enemies under the LIE of peace has brought an irreversable curse upon this once blessed nation.
How foolish of every Jew to ignore the Holy One of Israel and look to an open,defiled,cursed sewer for help.
What will you do when America is destroyed in one hour and there is no Washington to run to any more ?
Caroline, listen carefully to what I am going to say. It is important to let people expose themselves for who they are. The very worst possible thing that could have been done is to silence this man.
Alternatively, you are correct that the media in America are now leftists after having been conveniently on board with George W. Bush during the WMD controversy that led to the Iraq war. The media hops into bed with whomever can bring them revenue. There are no loyalties in the mainstream media except to the bottom line.
I believe the best thing that can be done is to educate Jews as to the dangers of the mainstream media. If you could please direct your readers to a link where they can download the show today with only the part about Israel so that bloggers such as myself can post it to point out the bias of the mainstream media.
I know from personal experience that it’s very hard to deal with people who have agendas and are also active editors. You have my earnest sympathy.
But, don’t allow a bad experience to limit the reaches of your voice. If something needs to be said, it still must have an audience.
Now Caroline… this is what you get from the Far Left. I have to disagree about your being ambushed. Given that you were the only Zionist represented on the NPR show, the outcome was predictable. As much I’m wont to sympathize with you, pro-Israel supporters just can’t abandon the media battlefield to Israel’s enemies. If you think its bad now, its going to get a lot worse over the years to come. What you encountered was the calm before the storm.
Amazingly the host said he wanted him last (and unanswered) because his point of view is rarely heard. Give me a freaking break, the so called Palestinians are the most often heard from or talked about group in the world despite being the least accomplished (I don’t consider suicide bombers or honor killings innovations) people in the world.
Being on the show was no waste of time or a mistake. The Arab professor must have read former President Carter’s book, which compared Israel to the former apartheid regime of South Africa. What the Arab professor failed to mention is that the so-called power sharing solution in South Africa has failed. Johannesburg has a high crime rate and the center part of the city is similar to a Third World capital. Israel has no peace partner with the PLO, and there will not be a viable two-state solution posthaste.
Caroline,
It seemed like a set-up, like so many other similar interviews, but since he felt embarrassed enough to call, perhaps he’s just naive. But, the real question is this: was he willing to call you during the show and make that apology public? Probably not, right?
Obama’s Plan to Destroy Israel
exerpt-
Israel – The basic understanding in the Obama Administration is that Israel Must Go. In the worldview of the more moderate Obama appointees, Israel is a destabilizing factor in the Middle East. To the more left wing Obama advisors, Israel is a Western imperialist colonialist state that must be destroyed in the name of revolutionary justice. To the Islamist mindset, Israel is a Kufir state that has no right to exist in the Dar Al Islam………….
The overall Obama policy will be to push Israel to the brink, using financial and military blackmail against the Netanyahu government, while maintaining control over American Jews to prevent any protests or backtalk.
The more Israel will offer, the more the Obama Administration will tighten the screws. No offer will be good enough, and Israel will be blamed for every breakdown in talks and every bit of violence that takes place. The media will portray Israel and particularly Netanyahu as extremist and intransigent. Hamas will be slowly whitewashed in the media, the same way that Arafat’s goons were, (assuming that they prove more willing to cooperate in creating a positive media image of themselves than Ahmadinejad is.)
The plan is to destroy Israel, and to do it by pushing Israel to the edge of the cliff and then over the cliff. Israel’s enemies will be getting top of the line US military equipment. Israel will not. Israel will be squeezed economically until the Netanyahu government collapses, leaving a weak left wing leader like Livni in charge of Israel, and in charge of acceding to the new Pharaoh’s demands.
Meanwhile so-called American Jewish groups will support Obama all the way, some because they were created precisely for that purpose, e.g. J-Street, and others because they have been hijacked, cowed or subverted.
That is the game plan and some of it’s coming. The rest is already here.
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2009/05/obamas-plan-to-destroy-israel.html
Glick’s anger over the AIPAC debacle should be tempered by her NPR experience vis a vis ordinary Americans as opposed to AIPAC’s firing instead of suspending pending investigation their employees. For the particular facts of the case were filtered through the MSN including NPR so the average American Jew had little knowledge of the machinations behind the scenes and, of course, there was nothing inherently impossible about the charges being true. Better to stick to clearly available data on the Arab-Israeli conflict than a legal case; let it work itself out as it did; Then go to the media, then call on us to write to Congress etc. Meanwhile, re: NPR-members of the Madison Wisconsin Jewish community a number of years ago complained about coverage of Arafat’s war in early 2000s. NPR sent its President who told me he would follow up on an analysis I did of one of his journalist’s coverage of the conflict. Gave him email; he never responded. And I had prefaced my remarks with fact that I had been a faithful listener. No matter. That ended my membership but that was a drop in the bucket for them. The local station meantime refused to allow one of our delegation to listen along with a public radio employee to BBC broadcasts the radio sponsored that our delegation said included anti-Semitic remarks and assertions. We said we wanted them to understand the meaning and historical context of the statements broadcasts to help them judge their newsworthiness. No boycott, no threats, just listening and learning together. Of course, no go. It is a one way deal with these people. Alternate media is the only solution. Let’s link up more; Phyllis Chestler mentioned you, Caroline, in her column about the Times Sq Demo against jihadi Islam; you should reinforce it by spreading the word.
Don’t feel bad – they’d have had the show even if you didn’t go on to be the lone voice of reason in a sea of crap. What bothered me most about it was Olney’s comment at the end saying that the listener’s had heard from 3 on the “Israel” side when 2 of the 3 don’t get it either. Some good came of the show as I used it to help prepare for a panel forum I was on last night in New Smyrna Beach, FL.
You do not need to apologize to us. Apologizing is a sign of weakness, and you are not weak. You can not run away and leave it all one sided, or worse have them draft some nut case to represent the pro-Israeli side. You can however learn from what happened to you. If I was your CO and critiquing your performance these are the three things that I would point out to you.
1. Never expect to be treated fairly on the battlefield in a war of extermination. Information is a weapon as you stated, you are an information warrior. Warriors fight to win.
2. Anticipate the other sides talking points and preemptively counter or neutralize them. Example of the Jewish only road, make mention of Arab only roads and Arab villages inside of Israel where Jews dare not travel. Israel did not force any Arab out of Israel in 1948, they abandoned the land at the start of the fight, even though Israeli leaders at the time implored them to stay and live in peace with the Jews.
3. Force your opponents to respond to you on your terms, before you are forced to respond to them. You should answer the question, but at the same time pose a new question that is a derivative of the question they want to explore. When they talk about a two state solution, you could ask the question why Israel now has this land, and answer it. Israel controls the West Bank because the Arab countries who controlled them attacked Israel first.
You really did a good job. But as Dorthy said to Toto, “We’re not in Kansas any more.” Even though you were in the US, it no longer has free press. People have an agenda and they use all means to press their agenda. To them you were nothing more than window dressing to make people believe this was a fair debate. Again it was not your fault. In closing I want to give you the advice my grandfather gave me. He said “Ted you can make as many mistakes in life as you want, but only a damn fool makes the same one twice.” Learn from the past that is all we ask, because you are our information warrior.
While there is the idea of debating one’s opponents, making a rational case, and exposing his fallacies and biases you have to remember that on NPR you are never, ever going to get a fair hearing on anything regarding Israel. Israel is the Third Reich, Bibi is Hitler, and the Palestinians are peaceful, pastoral kulaks who are being exterminated. If you don’t say those things no one will even hear you.
Your decision is just and wise. Love to you. Live forever Caroline.
Wonderful job, Caroline!
I think you stunned the host with your assertion that the two-state solution is a sham (since the real goal of the Philisitines is destroy Israel) and that most Israelis don’t support it anymore.
You also succinctly outlined the most important issue – a nuclear Iran – and I think you properly characterized the Arab leaders’ outlook on this issue vs. the “Final Solution” the Philistines are looking for.
G-d bless you, Caroline. Love hearing you!
For those who missed the show, you can download or listen online to Caroline’s appearance here:
http://feeds.kcrw.com/~r/kcrw/tp/~5/kIXhmdLhHA4/tp_2009-05-05-163051.mp3
Highly recommended! G-d bless you, Caroline!
Wise words from some of your readers. I will only ask this: Don’t you know what NPR stands for? National Palestinian Radio.
True friends always prove their worth in time.
An apology is words, a few words that cost nothing. What was the Serre cartoon again? …some people take back what they said like others take back their sword from their opponent’s back…
Basically, the damage is done.
Sorry you had to go though all of this Caroline, but now you know.
Despite the painfully regrettable experience, there were probably at least a few NPR listeners who were positively influenced by your views and even more that appreciated the fact that you came on the show. Assuming a sufficiently large audience, anything is possible.
And if that thought doesn’t cheer you up you could always console yourself with the fact that you’re an enlightened font of strategic wisdom instead of an evil, hateful, anti-Semitic purveyor of darkened deceptions.
Par for the course when it comes to NPR. It is a liberal lackey…
Hello Caroline,
I’ve never written to you before, but I am an admirer of yours and I think I’ll start writing to you periodically.
I am not making any kind of excuse for Warren Olney. The idiot he had on the show after you was a nasty surprise. I only want to tell you that Olney’s show is a local Los Angeles product that usually deals in local LA issues. He covers things like public schools and bond issues, elections, etc.
Olney himself is well known in California because of his former career as a TV newsman. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if it turns out that he had no idea what that maniac was going to say. He probably thought that he was airing a typical type of opposing view, like one that he might air on the subject of a California proposition or something. He’s not an opinion journalist and is certainly no expert in the Middle East.
I don’t blame you for your reaction, but you might want to consider another shot at the show now that he realizes what happened. There are fewer and fewer media outlets in the U.S. that cover the Israeli side of things. If Olney is willing to have a more realistic discussion, it may be worthwhile for you to participate.
Thank you for all your efforts and please keep up the good work.
Caroline you know I love you and read everything you write but you should have known better. Anyone who has ever heard NPR knew what to expect. The fact that you didn’t is surprising and disappointing. Lesson learned. Enough said
Warren Olney has been a honking so-called liberal antisemitic bigot for years. NPR’s idea of a balanced program is to balance statements by anti-Zionist Arabs with statements by anti-Zionist Jews.
Don’t be fooled by his worthless apology. He needs you more than you need him. NPR like the BBC and Reuters is eternally deflecting criticism for their pro-Palestinian bias.