Still Stupid After All These Years

Syd Ryan, the Ontario president of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) has never been known for his intellectual might. Like most union thugs he relies on verbal intimidation, a loud voice and a willingness to shout down his opponents to get his weak arguments across.
In the early 1990's he advised the silver sppon spcoalist premier of Ontario, Bob Rae, to deal with the province's high levels of debt and dropping levels of productivity by simply declaring bankruptcy and then paying back its debt at pennies on the dollar. At the time, Bob Rae notes he was floored by the stupidity of the idea. It's one thing for the corner grocery store to go out of business but Syd apparently didn't see the difference when it came to an entire province.
Over time Syd may have aged but he hasn't mellowed or smartened up. Now you might wonder: what does CUPE have to do with Israel? After all, shouldn't its mandate be to ensure the best possible working conditions and salaries for its members? Well, apparently that doesn't keep Syd busy enough and he's decided to take an interest in international affairs (no telling if he can spell the word "international" or not though).
Being a good leftist, he's come out squarely against Israel in its ongoing justified defensive action against Hamas in 'Aza. Being a simplistic thinker, he has not clued in that his opposition to Israel's attempts to protect its citizens is simple Jew hatred.
Oh he'll deny that charge, no doubt, and in fact he has in print. He doesn't hate Jews, just Israel. Yet as other commentators have noted, he arguments are particularily weak, especially the one where he notes he has lots of common company so how bad can villifying Israel be?
In his letter, Mr. Ryan defends himself by declaring that he is not the only one seeking to boycott Israel. UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk, the president of the UN General Assembly, and a group of British academics, Mr. Ryan notes, have all done likewise.
Apparently, Mr. Ryan is too ignorant to understand that the authorities he cites only confirm our description of him. The UN General Assembly is a notorious printing press for shrill anti-Israel resolutions, most of them pro forma propaganda proposed by Muslim nations and their rogue-state allies.
Mr. Falk, in particular, is an unhinged hysteric who believes Israel harbours “genocidal tendencies,” and who compares Israel’s Jewish leaders to Nazis. As for that corps of left-wing British professors who can be depended on to slander Israel year after year, they have been denounced by academics in many countries — including both Canada and the U.K. itself — for their hateful, one-sided take on the Middle East conflict.
It is appalling to think that these are the people to whom Sid Ryan looks for moral direction. As we said yesterday: What a disgrace.
But isn't it okay to criticize Israel? It's not a perfect country so why do Israel defenders always equate criticism of Israel with Jew hatred?
The answer is so simple but so easily ignored as well. When Russia invaded Georgia last year in an obvious land grab and attempt at military intimidation, Syd and CUPE didn't seem to care. For decades Indonesia terrorized East Timor until the UN allowed them to set up a small failed state so the world could forget about them. No record of any outrage from Syd and CUPE. There is currently a major cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe as Robert Mugabe goes about the task of systematically exterminating his own people. And the response from Syd and CUPE? Well... um... can he even find Africa on a map?
It is obvious to all except the most intellectually limited that Syd and CUPE have only one interest: bashing Israel. Not all Israelis, mind you. Just the Jewish ones who happen to be supportive of their country's right to survive and defend itself against terrorists. And that's Jew hatred. We should call Syd what he is.