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Middle East Coverage and AntisemitismWe've been covering the mess in the middle East. Frankly, it's the toughest part, outside of fundraising, maybe tougher, of publishing and editing OpEdNews. The middle east has been a challenge to world peace for 50+ years. I think a big part of the problem comes from the fundamentalists-- islamic and Jewish. As an editor, I refuse to allow Israel bashing. This issue has two sides to it. At the same time, Israel has been engaging in policies and actions that deserve criticism. You can imagine how I feel when, because I try to allow reasonable coverage of the middle east, I am accused of being an anti-semite. Ironic, considering I'm not only Jewish, but a board member of my synagogue. Of course, my reconstructionist synagogue consists of a congregation made up of 98% in agreement with me that israel has to improve it's behavior and policies in a lot of ways, and that the Bush administration has wrongly encouraged Israel. So, if you have a problem with our coverage of the middle east, please drop me a line with the exact part of the article you object to. If you have thoughts on the subject, blog on it.
Howling For The Response
We've added some powerful new fatures for building community here on OpEdNews.com. We are more than just a news and opinion site. The best way to get connected to the community part of the site is to comment on articles, respond to other people's comments and post your own blog diaries (they can be brief observations of current events or life) or post links to articles you think other members of the site would enjoy. Mark Sashine has written an eloquent article on getting involved with the site as a member of the community.
A Jew goes to Church.
Actually, this one does. We recently joined an interfaith church, Pebble Hill Interfaith Church, that is very different. it celebrates all faiths. On Sunday, our coordinating minister talked about how so many of the founders, the signers of the declaration of independence sacrificed so much and died impoverished-- so they could bring about our nation's freedom.
And don't forget, OpEdNews is still working hard fighting to hold on to the founding fathers' values, like the founders, experiencing something pretty close to poverty, income-wise. (No, I'm not poor. But I'm working for free most of the time in order to pay the bills at OpEdNews. The NY Times may have shown a momentary sign of life with their report on the financial record spying, but we're at it every day, not just reporting, but polling, building a community, supporting campaigns and organizations-- making a difference. We may not be the biggest progressive website, but we're the most innovative. Please help us keep our momentum. If you've never made a contribution to OpEdNews, or if it's been a while, please take a moment on this July 4th to support us with a generous donation
Thanks,
Rob Kall
