Okay, first watch the video from a pro-Palestinian rally (and pro-Israeli counter-rally) at the federal courthouse on Broward Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale on December 30. It's going viral as I type this:
Now let's break this down. First, that rather strange guy introducing the tape, Tom Trento, is the director of the Florida Security Council. Here, in Trento's own words, is what it is:
The Florida Security Council, LLC is a new Florida company, organized by Floridians who understand the extreme seriousness of the various security threats facing both our Nation and our State. Though some Americans are aware of the war declared against America by Islamofascists, few realize the dangers presented by Latin American totalitarianism, and the insidious possibility of these two groups joining together. The Florida Security Council is a state-based organization that assists the general public in properly preparing for and responding to these "clear and present dangers."
Not surprisingly, the website advertises the video "Obession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" as well, and the site indicates that the makers of that propaganda film are partners with Trento. You might also think that because the group uses the Florida state seal on its website that it's sanctioned in some way by the government. It's not (though Republican state Rep. Adam Hasner partnered with Trento for a "legislative screening" of Obsession).
The key passage in the YouTube video is where the woman (obviously provoked by the pro-Israeli contingent) yells that the Jewish faction across the street should go "back to the oven."
That's stupid and reprehensible, but it's also part and parcel of the insanity on both sides of this conflict -- and exacerbated by the fact that Israel is right now pounding Gaza with bombs, killing hundreds of civilians. It was just reported, for instance, that the "targeted" bombings hit a UN school, killing numerous people seeking shelter there.
Trento and his ilk specialize in ignoring the larger picture. Instead, they find idiots on the other side and display them as if they were the majority.
They aren't -- any more than radical Israelis who want to nuke the Arab world represent the majority on their side.
But that isn't stopping shameless right-wing commentators like Jonah Goldberg from pointing to the Fort Lauderdale video as proof that the "real Nazis" are Palestinians. And he's doing it in the Tribune-owned Los Angeles Times no less.
Wonder if that falls under Lee Abrams' idea of truth and integrity?
