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| Obama's National Security Advisor Tells Joke Depicting Jews as Greedy Merchants | ||
| 2010-04-26 | ||
| Earlier this week we may have gotten some insight into why Jones is not a fan of the Jewish Homeland. He was giving the key note speech at a Washington Institute For Near East Policy and started it out with a "Joke" that borders on anti-Semitic, teaching the crowd that Jews are just greedy merchants in the same vein as Shakespeare's Shylock: I'd like to begin with a story that I think is true, a Taliban militant gets lost and is wandering around the desert looking for water. He finally arrives at a store run by a Jew and asks for water. The Jewish vendor tells him he doesn't have any water but can gladly sell him a tie. The Taliban, the jokes goes on, begins to curse and yell at the Jewish storeowner. The Jew, unmoved, offers the rude militant an idea: Beyond the hill, there is a restaurant; they can sell you water. The Taliban keeps cursing and finally leaves toward the hill. An hour later he's back at the tie store. He walks in and tells the merchant: "Your brother tells me I need a tie to get into the restaurant."
After the speech, two participants suggested, in private conversations with the Forward, that Jones' joke might have been inappropriate. After all, making jokes about greedy Jewish merchants can be seen at times as insensitive. A prominent think-tank source who attended the event said the joke was "wrong in so many levels" and that it "demonstrated a lack of sensitivity." The source also asked: "Can you imagine him telling a black joke at an event of African Americans?" Was the Joke Anti-Semitic? Well, the White House must have thought so. The White House transcript sent to reporters after the event conveniently began a couple of minutes into the speech. The video of the event posted on the Washington Institute Web site started right after the Joke, you can even hear the end of the laughter. Its interesting that the same President that sees racism in the legitimate actions of the Cambridge Police and the State of Arizona, hides the anti-Semitic prose of its National Security Adviser.
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| Posted by:eltoroverde |
| #16 When do you suppose he'll poke fun of Arabs or African Americans? Well, yeah, that is a point. I guess my problem is I thought it was funny for another reason than what the general had in mind. I mean, here's a guy and his brother with an effective, profitable, operational business model while the Taliban are wandering lost in the desert looking for water. That's not greed. That's just being on top of things while the schmucks still have their heads up their butts. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-04-26 19:22 |
| #15 I personally think there is a place for such jokes in society - some are humurous, some are wicked, most are generally dumb, all should be dismissed, and none belong in any setting from such officials. This administration is just a pulled finger away from |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-04-26 18:59 |
| #14 Let's see, it's O.K. to tell an anti-semitic joke based on some stereotype the general holds but one can't profile hispanics who might be illegal at the border or muslims at airport security checkpoints. When in fact many hispanics at the border do come across illegally with and without drugs. It ain't the Amish. 911 and many other terrorists activites was done by muslims. It ain't the Mormons. Seems screwed up to me. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-04-26 18:38 |
| #13 Shecky Jones might wanna polish that act at the Catskills before hitting the bigtime |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-04-26 18:33 |
| #12 I thought it was pretty funny. And I've got some material the general might want to use at a future briefing: "The Prophet Mohammed and two hookers walk into a bar ..." |
| Posted by: DMFD 2010-04-26 18:22 |
| #11 Permit me if I may, add a little uniformed perspective. If this clown had pitched that "joke" in a public setting as an Army or USMC Colonel on active duty.... his career would be OVER! No promotion to General Officer, career ended! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-26 18:13 |
| #10 The big deal is this: Bambi administration big tells ethnic joke --> ignored by MSM, cut out of official history by administration. Republican pol tells ethnic joke --> usual outrage, howls of anger from MSM, demands for the pol to resign. Did I miss something? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-04-26 18:09 |
| #9 Those of us who can laugh and say no big deal is because we treat group indentity/individuals equally. However, when a govt official of a regime that has unequivocally annointed certain groups as being "more equal" than others then goes on to make jokes against a group that is "less equal" ...that is not permissable. Right... make fun of the Jews while exhorting Latinos and African Americans to turn out the vote in November to keep the gravy train rolling? I call BS. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2010-04-26 17:46 |
| #8 #6 I'm a Jew. It's not a big deal. When people can't laugh about ethnicity, that's a big deal. Posted by Penguin I'm a protestant, and it IS a big deal. When do you suppose he'll poke fun of Arabs or African Americans? Here, let me take that question...., phueching NEVER, that's wen! He's a retired General Officer nearly 60 years of age and still stuck on giving ethnic jokes in public? Get a life you bone headed bugger! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-26 17:18 |
| #7 I think the joke is on the Taliban and it is indeed funny. If they were smart they'd become merchants, make some money and make better lives for their families instead of blowing up schools, strapping on boom vests and murdering people for listening to the Beatles. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-04-26 17:06 |
| #6 I'm a Jew. It's not a big deal. When people can't laugh about ethnicity, that's a big deal. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2010-04-26 16:44 |
| #5 I think it's a funny joke, but hardly material for a keynote speech. I give the General a big WTF? for this one. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-04-26 15:27 |
| #4 There did used to be two Jews in Kabul, Elmoluck Tojo9927, but not only were they unrelated, they hated one another. The Anchoress weighs in on the issue in a thoughtful post, and links to others. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-04-26 14:43 |
| #3 Apropos nothing in particular: Jews by country Country: Afghanistan Population (2005E): 29,928,987 %Jewish Estimated: 0.000007% number of Jews: 1 (sic) Source |
| Posted by: Elmoluck Tojo9927 2010-04-26 14:29 |
| #2 A different issue: why is it that our National Security Advisor doesn't know the difference between Taliban (plural) and Talib (singular)? |
| Posted by: lex 2010-04-26 13:43 |
| #1 A prominent think-tank source who attended the event said the joke was "wrong in so many levels" and that it "demonstrated ...a rare glimpse of the Obama inner circle. I've wondered for some time why we seldom hear from this fellow. He appears to have Murtha tendencies and might be worth keeping an eye on. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-26 13:35 |