Oh, it’s more sinister than that, Denyse. For example, were you aware of a meeting of high-powered brokers that took place in Canada last year?

Never met a Canadian? Well, here’s one thing to know:

As for pressing charges and sending someone to prison, I respectfully suggest that most of US would not want anything like that.

We would rather just head an uproar off discreetly.

Many of us believe there are too many people in prison already.

Once the American dollar rises again, come to Toronto in the summer.

Follow the Hollywood caravans. (They make films here in the summer and they call it Hollywood North.) You will have a great time for comparatively cheap.

But, the producers of Expelled made a movie about expelling people from a debate. By Expelling Meyers from the movie, they showed themselves to be hypocrites. That is a very, very bad move. Americans hate hypocrites (I don’t know about Canadians, I confess to never having met one).

Don’t you think it would have been smarter to let Meyers in, and when he started getting violent, publicize it? Hell, press charges and send him to prison! If he’s a violent man, that would have worked out all the better.

But hypocrisy is something that the public at large never tolerates. It’s easy to understand, and makes big news.

And I think the longer that we, as the intelligent design community, defend these actions, the longer that we will *all* look bad.

I can’t give you the clear yes/no answer you want because, as I said,
“Reference to some “successful” Jewish lobby that allegedly “monopolize[s]” policy should always raise a red flag. ”

It’s not decisive, but it attracts attention.

Not all anti-Israelis are anti-Semites, of course. But almost all anti-Semites are anti-Israel. And thery tend to believe in an overwhelmingly powerful “Jewish lobby”. So it bears watching.

Anti-Semitism, in my experience, never seems to be about “Jews as a group” these days – it’s about whatever Jews happen to be doing that attracts attention.

So I just keep an eye on the situation for now.

Hope this helps.

I was asking because racism is still, unfortunately, a problem in Britain, and hence the accusation of racism is one to be taken seriously.

I don’t see Dawkins’ comments as anti-Semitic – they’re not about Jews as a group, but about particular political groups. i.e. the lobby in the US (the perception that this lobby exists and is successful is older than the rise of the Christian right, BTW), and the Israeli government.

We can disagree on whether Dawkins is anti-Semitic, but it’s still not clear to me if you’re accusing him of it or not. I’d appreciate a clear yes/no answer on this, so that I don’t mis-interpret your position.

I will let Jews decide whether it is anti-Semitic. But I will say this on my own account:

Reference to some “successful” Jewish lobby that allegedly “monopolize[s]” policy should always raise a red flag.

The idea that Jews have power but other people somehow don’t is a cradle for anti-Semitism.

Look, nearly half of Americans don’t even VOTE, apparently.

And if you live in a democracy and don’t vote, get OUT of my face, m’kay?

I don’t want to hear your complaints about your government.

How did you THINK you were supposed to change the government? Just by wittering that you don’t “like” it?

The American founders would whack you with a broom!

Of course, Dawkins may be making the usual Brit/French mistake of commenting on North America without understanding it.

Here is an example: One thing that greatly strengthen’s Israel’s voice in America’s ear is the support of Christian evangelicals, who are presently much more numerous than Jews.

But if one’s view of North America is formed from reading the “warp world” copy of legacy media – instead of by living the reality of life here – one might believe that Christian evangelicals are anti-Semites. So one would not even see their lobbying and voting efforts.

And if a given individual pays for that mistake by making dumb and questionable remarks, so be it.

Five years ago, Dawkins reportedly added his name to letter calling for an academic boycott against Israelis, and was quoted by the Guardian then as saying that he “can no longer in good conscience continue to cooperate with official Israeli institutions, including universities.”"

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/.....18,00.html

This I think this quote is what the accusations are based on. These people feel it is anti Jewish.

I am not sure that Dawkins (who should retire really soon and apparently will) is in any *important* sense an anti-Semite.

Can we just clear this up, are you accusing Dawkins of being anti-Semitic? In an un-important way, perhaps, but still anti-Semitic?