Monorail Opposition--A Jewish Conspiracy?

Whoever hired the caterer for the reelection party of Seattle Monorail Board member Cindi Laws, I hope you can get your deposit back.

Laws reportedly made anti-Semitic remarks at a meeting of the King County Labor Council on Wednesday.

There are places in this world where one can make anti-Semitic remarks with impunity. Klan conclaves. Pig-pickins. Germany.

But not labor council meetings.

Marc Auerbach and Neil Safran--both labor council members, both Jewish--took copious notes and recounted them for the P-I:

Laws said that 75 percent of the money spent on last year's unsuccessful monorail-recall ballot measure came from the "Jewish community."

"Without making it sound anti-Semitic, overwhelmingly the Second Avenue property owners ... they are very effective if you get into their group."

"If you get into their group"...is she thinking about converting?

When Laws attempted to backtrack, she made things worse:

Interviewers said Laws apologized and, in trying to explain her remarks, said, "It probably is a poor reference," but that Joel Horn, former executive director of the Seattle Monorail Project, used to joke that he and another staffer were the only Jews who supported the project.

They said she went on to say that Horn would refer to the opposition as "Jews Against the Monorail," but that she was not anti-Semitic and that she once was engaged to a Jew.

Las Vegas will no longer give odds on Laws' chances for winning reelection to the Monorail Board. If being an incumbent on that incompetent panel isn't enough of a handicap, perceived anti-Semitism surely will be.

On the bright side, Laws' opponent, Beth Goldberg, is Jewish, so Laws has surely wrapped up at least one endorsement.

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By Seth in News on August 19, 2005 11:51 AM

Comments [rss]

Matt Silvie

Josh, people with property affected by the monorail's route oppose it so it has nothing to do with Zionist heritage really, except for that part of the Old Testament where the Lord sayeth to Abraham thou shall not ride on a fun monorail.

Hey Audrey, by your logic nobody can accuse me of being an Anti-Bitchist! Ha ha ha (anticipating your smack-down come back)

Josh

Being a Jew but not from Seattle, there's something I don't understand: Why are we (God's chosen people) opposed to this monorail anyway? We made be greedy, shifty, and in full control of banks and Hollywood (sorry about Deuce Bigelow 2, by the way), but since when are we against monorails?

8bit Jake

The monorail lady I mean. Cindy has been spot on and the Anti Semitic quotes were pulled from Rush's butt.

8bit Jake

I would also point out that what she said was moronic and she is shooting her self in the foot repeatedly.

8bit Jake

I would also like to point out that in that simpsons episode Leonard Nimoy was both Jewish and pro-monorail.

8bit Jake

I am not really following this but I would be careful before labeling anyone a bigot.

One of the most desperate smears that the right wing media tried to use against their critics is the call them Anti Semitic. If you criticizes the Neocons in a public media forum the right wing noise machine will call you anti semitic. Hell if you even mention the word Neocon it puts them in an smear attack posture. They went after Cindy Sheehan and called her anti semitic after she dared to talk about PNAC and the Neocons on national TV.

Audrey

Everybody knows that you're not anti-Semitic/racist/homophobic/etc., if you can say that you have a _______ friend.
And/or if you qualify all statements with "I'm not prejudiced, but...."