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"Stop the ACLU" Update
This story of how a Jewish family has allegedly been forced to flee a town in Delaware after complaining about aggressive Christian proselytising has now received a decent amount of attention. The detail that Nedd Karieva's Stop the ACLU.org decided to publish the family's address and that Karieva is "pleased" to have had such an effect has been a particular source of negative comment, but he does have some defenders. Most vociferous is perhaps Jay Stephenson, of sister-site Stop the ACLU.com. He writes: Assuming the original reports (http://www.jewsonfirst.org/06b/indianriver.html) are accurate, the mother and son apparently moved as early as late 2004. How could the 2006 publication of the address the father maintains have "driven" the family from their home in 2004 or played any role at all?I must confess that it had not occurred to me that Karieva might have been so incompetent as to post an outdated and therefore incorrect address (although in fact the exact date from which the family was allegedly split up cannot be discerned from the article), but in fact I never claimed that the posting of the address had led to the family's alleged flight; it just seemed to me to be a significant bit of context worth including in an overview. Karieva became a central issue only when he expressed his pleasure at having "had an effect" when told about the family's predicament. We can draw significant conclusions about him and his movement from that, whether or not he actually managed to get the address right. Karieva also insists that he is in no way anti-Semitic, being himself part Jewish. Stephenson, meanwhile, treats us to some rambling anti-Palestinian rhetoric in order to prove his own pro-Jewish credentials. Again, such an allegation was never made by me, although Karieva's lack of concern about the family having been allegedly subjected to anti-Semitic abuse is telling. There does seem to be some surprising anti-Semitism in the USA (currently being dredged to the surface by Sacha Baron Cohen), but in this case Karieva was simply unlucky that his target was Jewish. Had an atheist family been run out of town, no doubt it could be "justified" (to some) on the grounds that atheists are either Communists or extreme moral relativists. Pagans could be dismissed as devil worshippers, Muslims as America-haters, Hindus and Buddhists as stroppy immigrants. Christians who prefer private devotion over officially-decreed piety would simply be baffling. But, for obvious historical reasons, picking on a Jewish family throws the unpleasantness of certain actions into sharp relief; hence the popularity of the term "Judeo-Christian" on the US right.
Now, it seems, Karieva has decided to end his campaign against private individuals: It was suggested, NOT compelled or mandated, by our legal counsel to delete the content and thus take this page out of your [sic] arsenal. In its place, we will continue to post ACLU supporting lawyers and companies like Progressive Insurance and the Ford Foundation so that we may boycott them from ever getting our money and business. Karieva addresses himself to "The Daily Kookoos (KOS with 3 extra O's), Jesus (Armchair) General, (Hair) Salon and others." I assume the last reference is to me, since my blog is hosted by Salon magazine, but readers should be aware that I do not work for Salon itself. Alas, we are not treated to a mocking pun based on the words "Talk to Action".
"Stop the ACLU" Update | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
"Stop the ACLU" Update | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
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