The Demons of David Horowitz
During the week of October 21, far-right wing operative and former communist agitator David Horowitz deployed his allies to college campuses America to spout crude anti-Muslim invective. He called this event "Islamofascism Awareness Week." Among Horowitz's stable of campus speakers were noted Islam experts Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity.
"Islamofascism Awareness Week" was, from the beginning, little more than a marathon fashion show for the paranoid style. But it was not until Horowitz muscled his way onto the campus of his alma mater, Columbia University, on October 26 that his event attained the commanding heights of reactionary hysteria.
Pacing the stage like a drunken circus clown impersonating some bygone demagogue, and standing beneath a massive image of a woman being shot in the head, Horowitz launched into a long, frenetic rant about his own persecution at the hands of a shadowy liberal conspiracy.
Though Horowitz devoted portions of his tirade to attacks on the Muslim Students Association, which he sought to paint as a front for virtually every Islamist group that strikes fear in the heart of his culturally deprived conservative peanut gallery, he seemed more comfortable lashing out at his perceived oppressors -- liberal professors, leftists, and the Democratic party -- than he did at any so-called "Islamofascists."
When I asked Horowitz about his weird comparison of his own father to 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta in his book, "The End of Time," his hysteria peaked. My question provoked him to link Jerry Falwell, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and "Jerry Springer and all his guests" together in a plot to bring social justice to the world "at the point of a gun."
Listening to Horowitz was like being trapped in a subway car with a raving derelict for an hour and a half. But unlike in the subway, where the transit police usually arrive to remove the derelict, the police came to Columbia to protect Horowitz from the non-existent security threat he had invoked in fundraising appeals for days leading up to his speech.
Horowitz's performance had to be seen to be believed. Luckily, despite being forbidden to film by the president of the Columbia College Republicans, my co-producer, Thomas Shomaker, and I managed to smuggle a camera into Horowitz's speech and record it all.
Take a look at our latest video, "The Demons of David Horowitz":
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One wonders who has more issues with who he is, Mr. Horowitz or Mr. Blumenthal. Mr. Horowitz has a set of beliefs and understandings for which he is an energetic advocate. One assumes the same for Mr. Blumenthal. It would be more edifying if Mr. Blumenthal dealt with the message and not the messenger.
I got it...Horow
I would have pictured a sad clown in an alley drinking booze in his spare time. Its quite something that someone so twisted can find his way to a speaking engagement. If theres enough money in our economy for jerks with absurd ideas to be public speakers, how can anyone be unemployed? We have truly emerged into the information age when people who should be pumping gas speak at prestigious universities.
Horowitz needs a straight jacket, not a stage!
He's a paranoid lunatic. He, like others claim free speech as their Constitutional right, yet don't see a problem with torture, illegal wire-tapping and other un-Constitutional actions taken by our government. He's nothing more than an AIPAC, PNAC, Neo-Con mouthpiece. He should be on FAUX with Bill-O and the other nut-cases.
What a weak video. It fails to make the author's point in that Horowitz is presenting a rational, reasonable and logic set of points and the video makes no attempt to refute Horowitz' claims. Blumenthal may disagree, but he certainly doesn't make creditable counter argument in the video. Rather this author is attacking Horowitz' character rather than answering his argument.
How is it that Mr. Horowitz doesn't have his own show on Faux News?
It's unbelievable: David Horowitz maybe a lousy speaker, but he talks about a real threat of Islamism and the incredible union between the Left and Islamists. Max Blumenthal will sure change his mind when he (G-d forbid) is in the hands of his "best friends" ready to blow his head off.
It is the great eternal puzzle: why most of Western Jews are so attached and ready to help their mortal enemies ?
Wow. Just wow.
Horowitz has really jumped the shark re: crazy. This is definitely eat-my-own
Thank god you didn't ask him about his pet pomeranian fifi and the horrible "accident" otherwise he'd still be on that stage.
This Horowitz character is simply another mouthpiece for the right-wing nuts who want to discredit, and even silence, those who would dare to speak the truth -- ugly though the truth may be -- about America's foolishly biased and incredibly destructive foreign policies. We can blow these people off as being bags of hot air; but unfortunately, these fascists are gaining power and influence who can force their warped agenda upon us all, damaging our reputation (or whatever's left of it) and trampling upon the constitution in the process.
One need only look at the Ward Churchill affair. Churchill (Horowitz's arch nemesis) courageously enlightened us on not only the true causes of 9-11, but also the reasons for the ever-increasing global hatred for this country, America: a disturbingly ethnocentric, Judeo-Chri
If you observe some of those conservative shows on Fox, you will see them airing video of Horowitz being shouted down at Columbia, with the hosts bemoaning his right to free speech being denied. What they won't show is what the man said that prompted such a reaction. One can push someone only so far with hateful, prejudiced and false rhetoric before that person will push back -- even in a country with free speech.
ROFLMAO!!!
Another excellent post Max!!
If you and wackjob Horowitz keep this up, American Big Oil will have to find another excuse to invade the remaining oil rich nations in the Middle East. The nutcase Arab hating zionists like Horowitz are getting so desperate, they're losing what little credibility they had to begin with. Exxon/Mobile, Conoco, Hunt and the rest of the theives will have to go back to the drawing board to find a partner that will do their dirty work and possibly take the blame when their plans for domination turn to shit like they did in Iraq......
This guy makes Lieberman look normal. What a nut case. It's like turett's without the cursing.
Haven't read the comments. Wish Blumenthal had mentioned how many people came to hear Horowitz & co. at Columbia and elsewhere, so we'd know how seriously to take his effect on the (student) body politic. Tell you this much: If there weren't grains of truth within even such right-wing hysteria as Horowitz's, the right would never have had the success it's had. In fact, they are more than grains, and if we on the left fail to address them more seriously (than, for example, Blumenthal's report does), the more fools us.
People like Horowitz are the reason the straight jacket was invented.
Horowitz has figured out where the $$$ are. Let's face it looney righties make more money than looney lefties.
These people like HORRORWITZ & COULTER_GUIST and HARM-ANTIY are DANGEROUS.
You listen to them and know how much they hate you--your children and how much they don't want free-thinking or anything not done according to their notions. Hate-monger is their signature.
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