some creepy genocide denial from Matt Leighton and Patrick Grumley of the U of M's MN Daily
Apparently, they write a regular column called "St. James Street" at the University of Minnesota's student newspaper, the Minnesota_Daily.
It starts out innocent enough:
April 17, 2008
St. James' street
By Matt Leighton and Patrick Grumley
If you insult a Dragon ...
The United States needs to think about what is hanging in the balance while
criticizing China. If relations would go bad, the U.S. economy would be in even
more trouble.
They go on to defend China's monetary policy and belittle concerns about China's mounting trade deficit with the U.S.- all well and good.
However, these two paragraphs stuck out and I found them particularly galling:
Darfur has recently become a hot topic for Chinese critics. Oil dealings
with the Sudanese government have led many to accuse China of funding genocide.
But that is a false claim, as the crisis in Darfur is not genocide. The bulk of
the deaths have been from starvation, which, while nevertheless tragic, does not
fit the definition. If Darfur's crisis is genocide, then there are many other
genocides happening throughout Africa right now. The genocide label takes too
much attention away from other crises that are just as serious. Calling it so
belittles the significance of the atrocities that already own the label (such as
Rwanda and the Holocaust).
Most of the world does not believe the genocide claim. And while blame
is laid on China, America is guilty of similar sins. American oil companies have
substantial investment in Nigeria - a nation rife with violence and corrupt
government. Indeed, the humanitarian situation in Darfur is deeply troubling. So
is the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been called one of the worst
humanitarian disasters of recent history. As long as America turns a blind eye
to Israel's behavior towards the Palestinians, it cannot credibly criticize
China over Darfur.
So there you have it. Unless America cracks down on the Jews, it "cannot credibly criticize China" for promoting mass slaughter of black Africans and the continued gang-raping of their women in the Darfur region of Sudan (directly conducted by Khartoum's Chinese-supplied proxy army, the Janjaweed Militia, working in tandem with the Sudanese airforce).
Would you like some fries to go with your rape and genocide, Mssrs. Leighton and Grumley?
Monday 4/21 Update: Matt Leighton responds in the comments! What an utterly creepy mo'fo'.
Nor do I in any way condemn the shit that goes on in Sudan.
Yes, thank you for that clarification.
Yeah, I'm the "coward" for observing that Khartoum seeking to rape, enslave or otherwise wipe out nearly every black African in Darfur pretty much counts as g-e-n-o-c-i-d-e, or that criticism of the "Zionists (read: Jews)" is way out of proportion to what's going down there (today's new word is "proportionality"- can you say "proportionality", Matt? Good! (I knew you could!)
Matt Leighton- he dares to speak out against the Israel Lobby (my God, the sheer audacity of the man!)!! (I hope you remembered to check under your floorboards and in your cupboards for the Joooos when you got home tonight, Matty!)
This all reminds me of when I brought up how Khartoum is using rape as an instrument of war in Darfur some three years at a UN debate at the U of M and the "Citizens for Global Solutions" people replied: "Oh, I'm sure some people feel marginalized..."
Bring on the euphemisms for rape and slaughter, Matt Leighton, you utterly sick fuck . . .
posted by Chris | 4/18/2008 02:47:00 PM
3 Comments:
I like how, for liberals, all lives are not equal. They can write off the deaths of countless of innocent people in Darfur, they can simply ignore the genocide in Rwanda (remember that Chris?) and they forget about any atrocity ever committed by a leftist government.
I guess the only innocent people who matter are those killed by Republicans in the course of a war.
I am actually enjoying the fact that I am being labeled a "liberal" for actually recognizing the complexities of the situation. I guess my preference for Mr. McCain makes me a liberal too?
Would you have preferred that I just parrot what you wanted to hear? With my background studying international relations, which I am sure is more comprehensive and in depth than yours, I can reasonably say it is not nearly so simple to address things such as Tibet or Darfur as you would suggest. But apparently you prefer to ignore the complex and fluid nature of both situations and stand on your morally superior soapbox. You are the holder of objective truth; forgive us mere mortals for not emulating you.
And don't go on some self-righteous tangent about me being a "genocide denier." High body counts are not examples of genocide; I would invite you to look up the UN laws on the subject. I bet you cannot distinguish between ethnic cleansing and genocide, either. For god's sake, Europe, the bastion of international humanitarianism, does not consider Darfur genocide. And with the same wanton killing and rape occurring in Congo right now, I wonder why you think the American media is not talking of "genocide" there.
If you advocate peace you need to understand why it is so hard to come by. I don't support Chinese presence in Tibet, or its human rights record. Nor do I in any way condemn the shit that goes on in Sudan. And you are no different from all the other morons who can't dissociate criticisms over Israel from criticizing the Jewish faith. Israel's actions are by and large secular and not an example of doctrinaire Judaism.
Next time you take issue with something I write, don't be such a coward. Contact me directly. If you somehow have the magic solution to these problems, I await your enlightenment.
-Matt Leighton
"With my background studying international relations, which I am sure is more comprehensive and in depth than yours"
Mine's bigger than yours, Matt!
(though I have to say that I haven't learned much about the "transgendered poetry by people of color")
Sounds like a Speech Communication major- "Oooo, we know so much about communicating with people because the name of our major is 'Communication Studies'!!"
"And you are no different from all the other morons"
'I know you are, but what am I?'
"who can't dissociate criticisms over Israel from criticizing the Jewish faith. Israel's actions are by and large secular and not an example of doctrinaire Judaism"
Yes, that's exactly the neo-Nazis' beef with the Jewish State- "reform vs. Orthodox vs. Hasidic"
Matt, today I want you to write 10 times on the chalkboard:
"A distinction without a difference"
"A distinction without a difference"
"A distinction without a difference" . . .
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