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As an added bonus–Dan Seals position paper on Israel which is solid.

The continuing issue of attacking Kos for a limited number of comments compared to millions made is getting sillier every day.  James Boyrce Responds in a diary at Kos

One of the many things wrong in the world today is that some people, in this case supporters of Congressman Mark Kirk (Republican Illinois) are quick to wave the charge of racism without a thought in the world as to whom they are charging, and how those charge might feel.

During the Kerry Campaign in 2004, I spent quite a bit of time traveling with Cam Kerry, John’s brother, who converted to Judaism when he got married. Many of those trips also involved my friend Jay Footlik, who was the campaign’s Middle East Advisor.

The times I spent learning about this issue was the deepest and most personal exposure I had ever had to the historical and present challenges facing members of the Jewish faith and the country of Israel

I recall, vividly, as I sat there speechless, in a Holocaust Memorial service in New York City with Cam, Jay and his wife, a native-born Israeli as I watched Holocaust widows shuffle past us; small, frail, yet immensely powerful women – each and every one of them.

As such, I take the charge leveled by a supporter of Mark Kirk’s very seriously. And I find it very disturbing that it would be so easily bandied about.

Almost immediately as YearlyKos ended, one of Mark Kirk’s biggest supporters, a gentlemen by the name of Andy Lappin sent an email out to a very large list and it is making its way around the Internet.

Here are some of the quotes and charges that Mr. Lappin felt he needed to make about Jay, and Dan Seals, Jay’s primary opponent in the Illinois 10th, and their appearance at YearlyKos.

What’s troubling is that Seals and Footlik speak to our community with one mouth and then run to a convention filled with anti-Semitic bloggers.

The charge of being an anti-Semitic is one that should never be made lightly and certainly one that should never be made of a group of 1,500 people – many of whom, like Jay, are Jewish.

On what does Mr. Lappin base his charge of racism? A collection of quotes pulled from comments from old diaries from the site. What he is suggesting is that these comments – made in some cases years ago, mean that YearlyKos was full of anti-Semites.

Here’s one Mr. Lappin used:

“Once we lock up a Majority, where we don’t need Lieberman, I hope they will kick him to the curb like the dog he is.”

Not the politest post I have ever seen, but I fail to see anything anti-Semitic in this.

Some of the other quotes that Mr. Lappin noted were, actually, inappropriate. However, as Mr. Lappin gleefully claims:

Many times posts are left up for weeks or months until watchdog groups raise concerns over anti-Semitism–at that point, Kos removes the blog pages.  Fortunately, there are other savvy bloggers out there who keep archived copies.

Damm right. If anything is posted that’s wrong, it gets pulled. That’s the right thing to do.

So why would one of Congressman Mark Kirk’s largest supporters attack especially Jay Footlik on the issue of his faith and Israel?

Simply politics as usual. Kirk’s, and soon Jay’s, district is 18% Jewish and for all practical purposes on Election Day, the number is closer to 23%.

If Mark Kirk can’t run on his support for Israel, what can he run on? His continued support for the war in Iraq? His rubber stamp votes to support George Bush?

Ah, now you see the problem.

It’s far easier to paint me, and you, and everyone else at YearlyKos as an anti-Semite. It’s far easier to wave the flag of racism. It’s disgusting.

Mr. Lappin:

Don’t call me, and my friends, and my fellow bloggers and attendees at YearlyKos anti-Semitic ever again.

Because I will sue you for defamation and libel.

Are we clear?