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Posted by Al Gordon on 09:21:18 2005/03/31
In Reply to: Re: U of T protests over Pipes fail to materialize posted by National Post
Just don't call him a warble fly
National Post
Thursday, March 31, 2005
A headline in Wednesday's Toronto Star, describing a local lecture by U.S. scholar Daniel Pipes, read as follows: "Protests muted as pro-Israeli gadfly speaks."
That's an interesting word choice. According to the Oxford Concise English Dictionary, a "gadfly" is "an irritating or harassing person." (It also means "a cattle-biting fly, esp. a warble fly, horsefly, or botfly." We doubt that's what the Star meant, however.) Yet far from being a bothersome troublemaker, Mr. Pipes is a distinguished, mainstream scholar who has authored 12 books and countless articles about the Middle East.
But, of course, there is also the fact that Mr. Pipes is a critic of militant Islam who has often written in support of Israel when it has been attacked by Palestinian terrorists. Could it be that the Star regards anyone who supports Israel as "irritating"?
© National Post 2005
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