# Helen Thomas retires, sooo.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293 "2010-06-07T16:47:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/1 "2010-06-07T16:47:23Z")
A.) It’s about time. The crazy aunt of the WH Press Corp finally jumped the shark. or B.) _hangs head_ Another victim of The Israel Lobby. or C.) Hi, Opal! / Fill in the blank > **[Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas retires over controversial remarks](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/veteran-white-house-reporter-helen-thomas-retires-following-controversial-remarks/1)** > > Veteran reporter Helen Thomas, who has covered the White House since the John F. Kennedy administration, is retiring immediately following her controversial statements about Israel, Hearst Newspapers reports. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100607/ts\_ynews/ynews\_ts2427\_1](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100607/ts_ynews/ynews_ts2427_1) I was always amused by her, even as I totally disagreed with her and I did respect her longevity in the field, but there’s just funny crazy & then there’s stupid crazy and she has crossed the line. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/2 "2010-06-07T16:56:40Z")
**A.** Her comments went far beyond criticizing Israel’s actions. She clearly has Pat-Buchanan-levels of bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/3 "2010-06-07T16:59:21Z")
“Go back to Germany” dosen’t sound like a well thought out plan for the millions of Israelis who were born in Tel Aviv or Haifa since 1948 (or anytime for that matter) to me… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/4 "2010-06-07T17:04:04Z")
A, with a tiny helping of B. I mean, I’d have fired her too. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/5 "2010-06-07T17:09:32Z")
Damn shame. I wonder if age has something to do with it. I mean, the woman’s 89, and she’s been doing this for so long that she never should have even considered saying something that crazy. Perhaps she’s starting to decline a bit. Whatever it is, though, she clearly did have to go. Even if it was just a brainfart, the sentiment Thomas expressed is so far out of line that her credibility truly is damaged by it. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/6 "2010-06-07T17:13:19Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > A.) It’s about time. The crazy aunt of the WH Press Corp finally jumped the shark. > > or > > B.) _hangs head_ Another victim of The Israel Lobby. > > or C.) Male escorts and piña coladas. Plus a really, really big hat. Helen’s gonna live it large! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/7 "2010-06-07T17:17:01Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Even if it was just a brainfart, the sentiment Thomas expressed is so far out of line that her credibility truly is damaged by it. “The thirteenth stroke of the clock is not only clearly wrong itself, but casts grave doubt on the accuracy of the preceding twelve.” ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/8 "2010-06-07T17:23:49Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > “The thirteenth stroke of the clock is not only clearly wrong itself, but casts grave doubt on the accuracy of the preceding twelve.” OK, I Googled this and couldn’t find the author. I must know who said this so I can misattribute it in the future. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/9 "2010-06-07T17:29:54Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > OK, I Googled this and couldn’t find the author. I must know who said this so I can misattribute it in the future. [A.P. Herbert](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A._P._Herbert) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/10 "2010-06-07T17:39:59Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > “The thirteenth stroke of the clock is not only clearly wrong itself, but casts grave doubt on the accuracy of the preceding twelve.” Though it may be unwise to express such doubts publicly - or even think them. “It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen …” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/11 "2010-06-07T17:42:21Z")
It’s about time. I know how much some people appreciate her defiance of the Bush administration at a time when the press corps was generally falling on its ass and embarrassing itself, but she really did have a habit of saying dumb stuff that made her and the White House press look bad. [Here’s another example.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327730) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/12 "2010-06-07T17:54:52Z")
The good news is that now Helen Thomas will have time to put together that (all anal?) three-day three-way lovefest with Mel Gibson and Pat Buchanan (and maybe that tattooed Nazi stripper who Sandra Bullock’s husband likes to get at could fill in for Helen when she needs her nap-That is if Mel and Pat want female company) that she has been planning… ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/13 "2010-06-07T18:01:56Z")
How hard would she have reamed a random politician for similar remarks? Got her foot caught in her own meat grinder. Few people get the kind of access to the powerful that she has enjoyed for decades and that can’t be good in a democratic society. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/14 "2010-06-07T18:07:41Z")
If she had just said something to the effect that she is very pro-Palestinian and then retired, then you might have an argument for B. She went way beyond that. Probably because of age, she is out of her scope. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/15 "2010-06-07T18:43:44Z")
Well, I don’t agree with the “go back to Germany and Poland part” which is rather cruel. But I do rather agree that if Israel cannot treat the Palestinians like full fledged human beings that we should abandon all our support for Israel, even if it means no more Israeli state. All in all she has said nothing worse than Pat Buchanan, who has said similarly cruel things. If she is fired/retired, then he should be too. Jews are welcome to move into my neighborhood in droves. The sort of Nazi Israelis that support oppressing Palestinians are not welcome. Perhaps Arizona. Oh, and let’s remember that Richard Nixon was a full on Anti-Semite, whom most of the same people didn’t mind being President, and many Jews actually worked for and continued to work for after they found out about his predilections. The Second Stone. Half Jewish and proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/16 "2010-06-07T18:47:22Z")
She’s still bitter that Lord Balfour stood her up at her junior prom. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/17 "2010-06-08T04:33:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > She’s still bitter that Lord Balfour stood her up at her junior prom. The scoundrel promised two different women he would take them. I guess he ended up going with Golda Meir instead. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/18 "2010-06-08T14:13:51Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > The scoundrel promised two different women he would take them. I guess he ended up going with Golda Meir instead. Everyone knows he’s supposed to take them both and have to go to the bathroom a lot… ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/19 "2010-06-08T16:00:37Z")
19 posts (including this one) in 24 hours. Empires tremble. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293/20 "2010-06-08T16:08:25Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > B.) _hangs head_ Another victim of The Israel Lobby. Is this tongue-in-cheek? Because, if not, I really don’t see it in this case. When she was asked to clarify, she could have said something to the effect of “the Palestinians deserve a state of their own, too, and Israel should stay out of Gaza and the West Bank and let them get on with their lives.” In other words, distinguish between the trying-to-be-formed state of Palestine and the historical land/region of Palestine (of which Israel is now a part). That would have been controversial, but fully defensible. (Then she could have simply apologized for her vehemence about the subject, attributing it to anger over the recent tragedy of the ship raid, etc. etc.) But telling them to go back to Poland and Germany? (Because it worked out _so well_ for the Jews in those countries last time…) Give me a break. No conspiracy here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-thomas-retires-sooo/542293.md?page=2)