Re: charles johnson

Ah, a friend of Jeremy's!

Johnson is a propagandist for Israel, pure and simple: that's the only
consistent message that he's projected in all his years of blogging. A
recent post touts a commendation from the Israeli government about the
"services" he's rendered to them. That this particular Israeli
government finds his activities and writings so commendable should
tell us a lot -- if not all -- we need to know about him. Yes, he
hates religious fundamentalism -- but we hear nothing from him, or his
somewhat more talented doppelganger Christopher Hitchens, about the
rising tide of fundamentalism and religious fanaticism in Israel. Some
"secularist"!

He also pushes an obnoxious form of militant "centrism" -- anything
out of the box is smeared as "extremism." The only change is that he's
now focused on the "right-wing" variety instead of the "left" variety.
His whole method is guilt by association" his treatment of Ron Paul
and the campaign to audit the Fed is particularly offensive,
especially for someone who knows nothing about economics.

And I might add that he is still pushing the same war-mongering agenda
he's always pushed: war with the entire Muslim world. Is that what
"secularists" really want? I don't think so.

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 2:25 PM, Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> wrote:

Justin-
Good to make your acquaintance; I've read a number of your articles over the
years. I believe we have a mutual friend in Jeremy Sapienza.
I've spoken with Johnson at some length over the past couple of months and
have found him to be a reasonable and intellectually honest person; that he
has abandoned the conservative movement and repudiated his past mistakes
leads me to admire him to that extent, largely because none of the nation's
more "serious" commentators seem to be in the habit of acknowledging their
extraordinary errors, whereas he himself has been willing to go where his
observations take him.
I don't think Johnson "hates" Muslims. He is very hostile towards Islam and
all forms of religious nonsense, as am I; the big three monotheistic faiths
are all fascist and patriarchal to the extent that they are actually take
seriously, and we happen to be at a point in history in which Islam tends to
be taken more seriously by its adherents than does Christianity or Judaism,
both of which still manage to do great violence to the proper aspirations of
humanity even in the twilight of their influence. I'm assuming he has
contempt for many religious practitioners who infringe on the rights of
others in reference to their particular deities, and so do I.
I am working with Johnson on the project mentioned in the Vanity Fair piece
because I am tired of simply writing books and articles pointing out the
nonsense put forth by the nation's commentators without having any real
effect on the system that has brought such commentators to prominence. I
hope that you will consider working with me as well after such time as the
project is made more explicit.
Thanks,
Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY



On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 4:40 PM, Justin Raimondo <raimondo.justin@gmail.com>
wrote:


Your fawning profile of the Muslim-hating Charles Johnson overlooks
the really awful stuff he posted in the run-up to the Iraq war and
afterwards. He was shocked -- shocked! -- that the "movement" he
helped start made alliances with European fascists and other unsavory
types here in the US, but that's because Johnsonian anti-Muslim
rhetoric and its fascist equivalent are nearly identical. Oh, but
since he's a "secularist," I suppose that makes it okay in your book.
Or, conversely, maybe you just didn't research Johnson's past
writings. In any case, his assertion that he's a "classical liberal"
has got to be one of the biggest jokes ever.