# I pit Juan Cole **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 15, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966 "2004-12-15T14:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/1 "2004-12-15T14:39:15Z")
I pit him for this simple reason. > [@](#): > > The assassin said that he felt that Jones-Huffman “looked Jewish.” The fruits of hatred sowed in the Middle East by aggressive and expansionist Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza against the Palestinians and in south Lebanon against Shiites continue to be harvested by Americans. and the description of the person who was killed by an Iraqi and then was later tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Iraqi court > [@](#): > > KYLAN didn’t support the decision to go to war in Iraq. But he believed that once begun, it was crucial for us to finish the job. He had a running email dialogue with anti-war University of Michigan professor Juan Cole, right up to a few days before his death. What an asshole, not only did this guy know Juan Cole and support some of his decisions on American policies, the fact the guy then gets killed, and then he uses his death to further his anti Israeli and American viewpoints, he might as well pissed on his grave. > **[Press Roundup For Sunday Guerrillas In](https://www.juancole.com/2004/12/press-roundup-for-sunday-guerrillas-in.html)** > > Press Roundup for Sunday Guerrillas in al-Anbar province killed a US serviceman on Saturday. Anthony Shadid reports that Abdullah al-Janabi, fundamentalist Sunni leader of the Muslim mini-theocracy in pre-assault Fallujah, claims that the US military... ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/2 "2004-12-15T15:06:46Z")
Juan isn’tt “anti-Israeli and anti-American,” he’s a critic of wrongheaded Israeli and American policies. But you wouldn’t understand the difference because you are a–oh, what’s that word they kept using in **Shaun of the Dead**? Oh, yeah, a twat! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/3 "2004-12-15T15:11:15Z")
From your cite: > [@](#): > > Some readers have written to say that the Iraqi assassin’s association of all Jews with the misdeeds of the rightwing hawks in the Occupied Territories is outrageous. I, of course, entirely agree. It is the essence of bigotry to blame all members of a group for the actions of a few. IOW, GYAC. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/4 "2004-12-15T15:12:14Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Juan isn’tt “anti-Israeli and anti-American,” he’s a critic of wrongheaded Israeli and American policies. But you wouldn’t understand the difference because you are a–oh, what’s that word they kept using in **Shaun of the Dead**? Oh, yeah, a > twat! He might be, but he doesn’t have to use someones death to justify what he said, especially when that person admired and liked him and was against the war in the first place. and no, I am not a pregnant fish. You are mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/5 "2004-12-15T16:44:13Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Juan isn’tt “anti-Israeli and anti-American,” he’s a critic of wrongheaded Israeli and American policies. But you wouldn’t understand the difference because you are a–oh, what’s that word they kept using in **Shaun of the Dead**? Oh, yeah, a > twat! Can I just step in here and second this motion? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/6 "2004-12-15T16:45:18Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > He might be, but he doesn’t have to use someones death to justify what he said, especially when that person admired and liked him and was against the war in the first place. So what exactly are the standards for legitimate use of anecdotes to support one’s arguments? And why do anecdotes involving (a) friends, (b) dead people, and/or (c) those in the intersection of (a) and (b), fall outside those standards? Gotta admit I’m missing the essence of your argument here. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/7 "2004-12-15T17:39:59Z")
Just another thing to confirm the merit of deep respect and close attention to Juan Cole. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/8 "2004-12-15T18:50:47Z")
Who is this Juan Cole fellow, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/9 "2004-12-15T19:02:29Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Who is this Juan Cole fellow, anyway? A historian and hard-left blogger. Noam Chomsky for the 21st Century, only without the credibility Chomsky possessed in his own discipline. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/10 "2004-12-15T19:04:03Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Who is this Juan Cole fellow, anyway? [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/jcpers.htm](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/jcpers.htm) He has a blog at [http://www.juancole.com/](http://www.juancole.com/) which focuses on current events in the Middle East ( mostly Iraq these days ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/11 "2004-12-15T19:10:35Z")
> [@furt](#): > > A historian and hard-left blogger. Noam Chomsky for the 21st Century, only without the credibility Chomsky possessed in his own discipline. Well, he is something of an expert on Shi’a history and politics. While I wouldn’t accept his informed opinion on everything, some of his commentary on the evolving internal political situation in Iraq are worth looking at. That said, some of his rants do seem to just be rants, though I will admit I don’t read his blog on anything like a regular basis. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/12 "2004-12-15T19:35:50Z")
> [@furt](#): > > A historian and hard-left blogger. Noam Chomsky for the 21st Century, only without the credibility Chomsky possessed in his own discipline. And you say this based on _what_, exactly? As an avid Juan Cole reader, I’d agree with **Tamerlane** that he can sometimes be quite passionate in his arguments, but by and large, not only is he a member of the reality-based community, but he has largely been quite on target with the majority of his comments. And remains so to date much to the chagrin of his warmongering detractors, whose time-tested technique is to attack the man and not his arguments. As for the OP, not worth replying to. A pissant is a pissant is a pissant. That some are able to marginally string words together does not a difference make – pissants they remain. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/13 "2004-12-15T19:45:19Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Asked of **furt** : > And you say this based on _what_, exactly? Obviously his membership in the herd right. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/14 "2004-12-15T22:05:35Z")
> [@](#): > > As for the OP, not worth replying to. A pissant is a pissant is a pissant. That some are able to marginally string words together does not a difference make – pissants they remain. Then don’t reply in my thread then Pissant. What am getting at is not the notion that its wrong to use a dead person, even who may be friends, to support your argument. But this asshole used it to support his agenda on attacking Israel and to portray the Arabs there as the innocent people being oppressed by an imperialist racists and predujiced Westerners Israelis hellbent on destroying Arab culture and traditions Which brings about a larger argument, why are people like Juan Cole so vocal about the injusticies of American and Israeli policies in general, but yet remain so silent on the injusticies countless Islamist terrorists have carried out? Where the disdain for them? Wheres the protesting? Wheres the accounts of this? I don’t see it in his site. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/15 "2004-12-15T22:49:09Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Juan Cole so vocal about the injusticies of American and Israeli policies in general, but yet remain so silent on the injusticies countless Islamist terrorists have carried out? Where the disdain for them? You need to read more: > [@](#): > > Arab newspapers don’t usually say so, but the other side of the story is that **Muqtada’s militiamen are narrow-minded, thug-like puritans who impose their power on civilians by coercion.** I don’t think it is a decisive datum that the people of Najaf largely despise the “Mahdi Army” and Muqtada and want them out of the city, because Muqtada’s social and political base lies elsewhere. It isn’t that he doesn’t have one. [posted by Juan @ 8/15/2004 07:40:47 AM](http://www.juancole.com/2004/08/thousands-stream-to-najaf-thousands-of.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/16 "2004-12-15T22:52:58Z")
And the Sunni insurgency? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/17 "2004-12-15T23:20:36Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > And the Sunni insurgency? Do you have access to google’s advanced search? Type in a few keywords you like, and limit the search to [juancole.com](http://juancole.com). What you seek is there, it’s just that, in the interests of actual _content_ Cole doesn’t froth it at the mouth at every opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/18 "2004-12-16T02:36:39Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Then don’t reply in my thread then Pissant. I’ll post wherever the fuck I feel like doing so, thank you very much. Doesn’t mean I have to take ignorant insignificant cumstains such as yourself seriously. And I don’t. You’re one load your momma should’ve swallowed. Too bad for both of your parents she didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![annaplurabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@annaplurabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annaplurabelle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/19 "2004-12-16T03:01:55Z")
> [@furt](#): > > A historian and hard-left blogger. Noam Chomsky for the 21st Century, only without the credibility Chomsky possessed in his own discipline. I’m not singling out **furt** here, but IMO not everything is strictly a left v. right issue. Especially affairs of the Middle East. The “hard” left furt refers to says nothing about Cole’s placement on the _perpendicular_ political axis. Or yours, wherever that may be. And if you have no idea what I am saying by this, perhaps a closer look is in order… In any case, notice that no one is saying Cole is a know-nothing, an ideologue or a known liar… ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966/20 "2004-12-16T09:35:26Z")
Is it even possible to be ‘Hard Left’ in foreign policy prediction and analysis? What does that mean. Juan C is like a good scientist. A sound record of accurate predictions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-juan-cole/279966.md?page=2)