Maureen Dowd, "Gaelic Guerrilla": Galway Considers a Memorial in Honor of Che Guevara

"If the missiles had remained we would have used them against the very heart of America including New York. We must never establish peaceful coexistence. In this struggle to the death between two systems we must gain the ultimate victory. We must walk the path of liberation even if it costs millions of atomic victims."

Che Guevara, reminiscing about the Cuban Missile Crisis

In her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Gaelic Guerrilla" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/opinion/gaelic-guerrilla.html), Maureen Dowd describes efforts in Galway, Ireland to erect "a three-dimensional, interactive work of art that would be 'a total homage' to 'man, image and ideal.'" Forgive me, but I think I'm about to lose my breakfast.

Regarding the project in honor of a man willing to spill the blood of countless innocents, Dowd concludes near the end of her opinion piece:

"And therein lies the rub with the bizarre idea. Just because Che became a chic brand for the capitalism he tried to destroy, it doesn’t mean he’s worth honoring on Galway Bay. And just because Ros-Lehtinen can be grating, it doesn’t mean she’s wrong this time."

Thanks for this acknowledgement, Maureen. However, you would have us believe that only Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen can be "grating"? How about a quick look in the mirror? How about an apology for your April op-ed, "Men in Black" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/opinion/dowd-men-in-black.html) in which you wrote of the US Supreme Court, prior to its decision upholding the constitutionality of Obamacare:

"This court, cosseted behind white marble pillars, out of reach of TV, accountable to no one once they give the last word, is well on its way to becoming one of the most divisive in modern American history.

It has squandered even the semi-illusion that it is the unbiased, honest guardian of the Constitution. It is run by hacks dressed up in black robes."

Yes, you might be laying low in Galway, but an apology is still in order for this venomous denunciation of the Supreme Court, which Che would have much admired.

Roger Cohen's "Lo, the Mideast Moves" or "How Low Can The Times Go"?

Do you remember the 1962 Chubby Checker hit song, "Limbo Rock", which asks "How low can you go?" It's now 2010, and I would like to know, how low can the New York Times go? Today, Passover, The Times published a Roger Cohen op-ed entitled "Lo, the Mideast Moves", which compares Netanyahu with Khrushchev, the Soviet dictator who threatened to destroy the U.S. during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. My online response, if The Times deigns to post it (yesterday I was a New York Times "Highlight", but let's see if The Time's "moderators" today decide to "protect the quarterback"):

Do you remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? Cohen begins his op-ed by comparing Netanyahu with Khrushchev, a man who threatened to rain nuclear hell down upon the U.S.

You can oppose Israeli settlement activity (as I do), but how does one possibly compare America's former archenemy, the Soviet Union, with Israel, which votes together with the U.S. in the U.N. more often than any other country in the world?

Cohen claims that Obama is demonstrating his newly found toughness by beating up on Israel. A pity Obama can't show his gumption by discussing human rights with China, or by advocating on behalf of women in Saudi Arabia. A pity Obama cannot hold his own with Putin and protect the interests of U.S. allies Poland and the Czech Republic.

Do you remember how Obama, as a presidential candidate, promised to "recognize the Armenian Genocide"? In the face of Turkish opposition, Obama has forgotten his pledge.

Do you remember how Obama promised throughout the presidential campaign that he "would never take a military option off the table" regarding the threat of a nuclear Iran? Not only has Obama proven unable to enforce any of the deadlines that he has set for Iran, his inability to take the case of Iran's dissidents before the U.N. has ensured that Iran will indeed go nuclear.

Cohen's motivations? I can't even guess what goes on in his head. The man who spent the better part of 2009 telling us that "Iran is not totalitarian", who does not speak Farsi, who - unbeknownst to New York Times readers - conducted interviews in Iran with an Iranian government appointed translator, is again obsessing about Israel. I can't remember the last time Cohen visited Israel, and I find it peculiar that Cohen ordinarily writes op-eds about the countries he is visiting, but denies Israel this "privilege".

Bottom line: You can dislike Netanyahu and you can oppose Israeli settlements, but there is no comparing Netanyahu with Khrushchev. I am shocked that The New York Times would agree to publish this loathsome notion on Passover or any other day.

I sent Andrew Rosenthal, with whom I have corresponded in the past, an e-mail asking how The Times could publish on Passover this op-ed, which amounts to fodder for anti-Semites. Rosenthal has not replied.

Query: Will the ADL, which states on the home page of its website "This Passover you can count on ADL to defend the rights and freedoms of the Jewish people", take action?

[After complaining to various departments at The New York Times, I received an e-mail from their Web Editor stating, "I'll forward this to the editors."]