David Brumer is an executive committee member of StandWithUs/Northwest and the Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee. He is one of Seattle’s leading enforcers for the pro-Israel right, making sure that anyone dissenting from the party line gets a good whack in the shins. While I was always under the impression that social workers were practitioners of the healing arts, he also serves in that capacity at the Jewish federation funded Kline Galland Home which, aside from his employment there, actually has a good repuation for geriatric care.
Brumer has made it his business to smear me with epithets like “deranged,” and suggested I may be “fascinated” with gay porn, and that I should be spanked for my supposed hostility to Israel. But now Brumer’s acolytes have gotten into the act. Someone posting here as Brum Speaks has published scores of smutty comments here which I think the world should see. Given the IP address, this probably isn’t Brumer himself (he may be a bully but he isn’t that stupid). But this genius clearly is a devout follower of Brumer and his blog since he gives the impression that he speaks in Brumer’s name and offers a link to that font of Jewish blogging wisdom.
Unfortunately, no one in either the federation or Kline Galland Home leadership seems concerned enough about this to rein Brumer in. Which says a great deal about the quality of local leadership and its willingness to turn a blind eye to such bizarre behavior.
Oh you pathetic little piece of shit.
Brumer is far more intelligent and talented than you.
You simply embarrass yourself when you defame him.
We hope he sues your little tuchis off.
What a mouth on you. You’re a treasure of Jewish womanhood, that’s for sure.
With friends like you, Brumer is in great company.
Isn’t it interesting that these people have nothing to offer by way of argument except infantile name calling.
There are some very sick people in this world. “I was once a man; I know the evil men [and women] do.” Pay them no mind, Mr. Silverstein.
I read the email you posted.
David Brummer smearing you isn’t any different than how you smear others whose opinions you don’t agree with.
Your tone on this blog is just as derogatory as his email.
What can I say? Both of you have anger issues.
I dare you to find any place I’ve ever called David Brumer “deranged” or “fascinated” with gay porn, or wrote that he should be “spanked,” etc. In fact, I have never, ever threatened anyone w. physical violence in my blog or even insinuated such. When you do find such proof then your claim that my approach is just as bad as his might have some credibility. The problem is you don’t like my taking on figures you admire and anything I say that is hostile to their views you take offense. Well, that’s not my problem. It’s yours.
Unbelievable what you have to put up with… It’s very good that you bring this out into the open for everyone to see.
I’m sorry to say there have been a few hundred of these pieces of garbage since I started the blog. They used to bother me personally. Now, I see them as the cost of doing business. You write about the subjects I do with the views I have & this is the price you pay. It’s sad & unfortunate, but true.
So, if someone adopted as their user name and tried to publish on David Brumer’s website “scores of smutty comments” directed at him personally, it would be fair to conclude that those were words directly from your mouth or from those of “a devout follower of (yours) and (your) blog since (they give) the impression that (they speak) in (Silverstein’s) name and (offer) a link to that font [sic] of Jewish blogging wisdom”?! Really, Richard, you gotta be kidding. If not, then you need to get out more and spend less time blogging in your pajamas. Accusations made on the basis of little or no evidence amount to “smearmongering,” the very thing you yourself claim to be the target of.
(You think it a “smear” to call someone “deranged”? How many times have you said similar things here about those with whom you disagree? Though you may not appreciate the difference between defamatory factual allegations and the expression of defamatory opinions, but libel/slander law does.)
And you say of Mr. Brumer, “He is one of Seattle’s leading enforcers for the pro-Israel right, making sure that anyone dissenting from the party line gets a good whack in the shins.” How exactly does he go about “enforcing” what you refer to as “the party line”? Was that private letter that so exercised you recently, the one to Waldman-Atkins of Kadima objecting to tis group hosting Ateek, the Christian cleric who accuses Israel of a campaign of “genocide” against the Palestinians, “crucifying” them in the manner of Jesus’ Crucifixion, signed with other leaders of the Seattle Jewish community, an example of that “enforcement,” the “good whack in the shins”? Do you have other, perhaps more impressive examples of how Mr. Brumer goes about “enforcing the party line”? Do you see the other signers of that letter as “enforcers” too? When you complained to Mr. Brumer’s employer after he signed that letter, were you attempting to “enforce” your own version of the “progressive Zionist party line”?
Finally, when Mr. Brumer said you were “a naughty child who ought to be spanked,” you seriously thought he was threatening violence against you? Did you ask the Seattle Police Department and/or the FBI to investigate him for “threatening” you, as you say you have after “threats” by others?
A judicious person in that situation would immediately examine their comment logs, e mails & IP addresses to determine whether anyone commenting at their blog or sending them e mails might be publishing such comments. I would not want anyone writing such smut in my name even if they thought they were doing me a favor. I would want to tell them, if I knew them, to stop since it only reflects badly on me. That’s what I would do. But apparently, that’s not what pro-Israel rightists like you, Brumer & Jacobs would do.
I haven’t done a Google search but I’d guess I’ve never called anyone deranged. And if I did I certainly didn’t use the term seriously as Jacobs and Brumer have done. I certainly have said of certain individuals that their views are somewhere “beyond Neptune” or some such phrasing. But that’s not meant as an accusation of mental illness. But do a Google search on my site & let me know what you find. I’m curious.
Oh, you mean when he said I should be spanked that wasn’t enforcing the party line??
Thank God out of the scores, if not hundred of leaders solicited only 12 signed. I don’t know all of them. But none that I do know are as mean-spirited as Brumer. So no, he was the worst of the bunch.
Read my comment rules. I’m threatened with violence virtually every week in comments sent to this blog. I take ANY comment that includes violent language seriously including Brumer’s. I don’t make distinctions between those who really want to kill me and those who merely want to spank me. It’s all serious business as far as I’m concerned. And if you were in my position you’d treat it exactly the same way or you’d be a fool. And yes, I have reported threatening comments twice to the Seattle Police Dept. (quite a useless agency) and once to the FBI. As for Brumer’s, no, why would I report someone wanting me spanked to SPD? But if he had expressed a wish that I be beheaded or castrated or a whole host of other tortures advocated by other commenters, then I would’ve reported him in a heartbeat.
This is yr last comment in this thread. You’re welcome to comment again. But you’ve worn out yr welcome on this subject.
Nevertheless, Richard, you reap what you sow. You’re no better than they are – your blog is laced with personal smears and attacks – so bravo that “never threatened anyone w. physical violence in my blog or even insinuated such.” lol, do you expect a medal for that?
I never did anything to deserve being called “deranged” or to have someone claim I needed “help,” or that I should be “spanked,” or that I fabricated abusive comments sent to my blog. You apparently have lost your ability to make morally relative judgments. For you, a progressive Jew who attacks right wing Jews deserves what he gets no matter what smear is levelled against him. That just shows yr own prejudice.
I’ve got a thousand readers a day who say I’m far better than they are. I’ve got one who says otherwise. 1,000 to 1. I’ll take those odds.
You’ve virtually repeated what an earlier commenter said. It would be nice if you could offer something new to the discussion instead of treading old ground.
I never get the impression you “attack” the way your right-wing attackers do. You level pretty hard-headed criticism at the pro-Israel right, even excoriating, on a fairly regular basis. But there’s a big difference between reasoned, if quite intense, criticism, and smearing someone (as they do to you). Sadly, since they can’t win on the level of ideas and rational thought & argument, all they seem to believe they have is empty character assassination. I bet most of your readers observe and recognize the very big distinction, there.
Also, their claims pretty much, ahemm, never or very rarely correspond with reality. That’s also an important distinction, even in this “post-modern” world we live in.