Muzzle Watch - watching what?

I've discovered recently a hit coming from a post titled Notorious Masada2000 site taken down, time to call the FBI? in a blog named Muzzle Watch. Apparently some commentator linked one of the posts on Simply Jews for some reason. Anyway, I was in a hurry and assumed that this Muzzle Watch blog is geared to be gleeful about some other blogs being taken down. Since this time the post was about Massada2000, which is a nest of some mentally challenged folks indeed, I shrugged the incident off and resumed the usual Elders' mayhem.

Today, though, I have found that I left the page open in one of the tabs and decided to give it another look. The masthead says: "Tracking efforts to stifle open debate about US-Israeli foreign policy." It sounds interesting: after all, stifling debate is all we, the bloggers, are notoriously against. Although one may want to inquire what kind of animal is "US-Israeli foreign policy", when it roams free and unfettered? Or is this expression some kind of a hint?

So I've looked into "About Us" tab of the blog:

MuzzleWatch is dedicated to creating an open atmosphere for debate about US-Israeli foreign policy by:

• shining a light on incidents that involve pressure, intimidation, and outright censorship of critics of US-Israeli policy
• showing that there is a real environment of intimidation that keeps people from speaking honestly and openly
• making groups that use silencing tactics accountable

While the site encourages people from across the political spectrum to debate freely and vigorously, personal or excessively abusive attacks will not be tolerated. Repeat offenders may be banned from the board.

Oh, and the blog is affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that displays on its Facebook profile this strange picture:

Refusing to occupy is perfectly fine with me, but why would a nice Jooish meidaleh paint half of her face blue? Is it some kind of Braveheart disguise? Strange, that...

Anyway, starting with that strange gleeful post about Massada2000, something didn't seem quite right with this blog. If it is concerned with open unmuzzled debate, why so much happiness about some folks, wacky as they are, being muzzled? So I have started to page through the blog, trying to understand what it is about and to find where it uncovers cases of "pressure, intimidation, and outright censorship", "real environment of intimidation" and "groups that use silencing tactics".

To start with, a long, muddled and unpersuasive explanation of why Muzzle Watch doesn't allow comments. Sounds even stranger, does it? Muzzle Watch that doesn't allow comments... mmm... there is an internal something in this sentence, something that doesn't jibe...

And you know what: after paging through few tens of posts on that blog, I have found everything you want, especially sharp criticism or pro-Israeli that or pro-Israeli another, refusal of this or another (obviously pro-Zionist in a sinister way) organization to host this or another anti-Israeli speaker (no explanation why it does constitute "muzzling"), a lot of names that made my poor head dizzy. But no proof of muzzling. Accidentally, no mention of why many a Israeli (or pro-Israeli) speaker is being heckled off the scene in some choice universities in US - which, in my book, does constitute muzzling - but let's leave it alone. And all in all - a lot of anti-Israely hooey mixed with some real facts and lots of propaganda.

But then, I have stumbled on something even more amazing in this post, where the author, Cecilie Surasky is explaining about the "battle of language and images":

This battle is actually global, though the stakes in the US are obvious- unconditional diplomatic and financial support for Israel while it pursues its dream of a Greater Israel [emphasis mine].

Uh-uh... that's not cool, Cecilie. It's year 2010 when you have written this, and hardly a right-wing dreamer still pursues that specific dream. It's five years since that Israel, which in your description is akin to a single-minded monolith that pursues that or another dream, left a part of that "Greater Israel" called Gaza, it's more than 30 years since it left another part called Sinai, and the list is not final, I suspect. You know what I mean, Cecilie?

Another point or two, Cecilie: besides being somewhat libelous and somewhat absurd, that statement a) displays your, how to say it gently, innocence re the term "Greater Israel" - look it up at an opportunity; and b) is very well in tune with one of the Hamas chief propaganda masters, one Mahmoud Al-Zahar, who still blames Israel in designs to get it all between Nile and Euphrates. And Mr Al-Zahar is not a nice bloke, Cecilie.

And how does that misleading, libelous and hate-promoting statement match what you say about yourself here:

...within Jewish Voice for Peace, we strive to use a language that does not dehumanize or promote hate, but rather illuminates complex moral issues.

Well, striving is good, but in that case, Cecilie, you clearly gave in to your desires without striving. Unless I am confused. And I readily confess that Muzzle Watch is very confusing...

Or is it?

P.S. Time to air and display that confusion sign again. Aha, here it is: