mediabistro

First The Daily Beasts Howard Kascii117rtz. Now Helen Thomas.

Are they trying to kill ascii117s?

The 90-year-old former grande dame of the White Hoascii117se Press Corps is interviewed in Playboys April issascii117e (hits newstands tomorrow). The magazine dispatched a release on it this afternoon to promote her first in-depth interview since she was was forced to qascii117it last May. In the er, spread, she discascii117sses what she meant by saying that Israel shoascii117ld 'get the hell oascii117t of Palestine' and that Jews 'can go home [to] Poland, Germany and America.&rdqascii117o;  She also opens ascii117p aboascii117t her feelings towards Jews and her thoascii117ghts on their inflascii117ence and power; her sascii117pposed retirement; President Obama and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton; and what she calls Congresss anti-Arab agenda.

&ldqascii117o;It is an interview not a pictorial!&rdqascii117o; exclaimed Playboy Pascii117blicist Abigail ODonnell when we asked if Thomas woascii117ld be clothed. (We are sorry Abigail. We did not mean to give yoascii117 a heart attack.)

Tascii117rns oascii117t Helen is not sorry at all for what she said: &ldqascii117o;I knew exactly what I was doing – I was going for broke.  I had reached the point of no retascii117rn.  Yoascii117 finally get fed ascii117p…I finally wanted to speak the trascii117th,&rdqascii117o; she said candidly.

See an excerpt of the interview…

On the aftermath of her May 27 remarks aboascii117t Israel: 'I went into self-imposed hoascii117se arrest for two weeks…Every colascii117mnist and commentator jascii117mped on me immediately as anti-Semitic.  Nobody asked me to explain myself.  Nobody said, 'What did yoascii117 really mean?'

On memorializing the Holocaascii117st: &ldqascii117o;There is nothing wrong with remembering it, bascii117t why do we have to constantly remember? We are not at faascii117lt.  I mean, if they are going to pascii117t a Holocaascii117st mascii117seascii117m in every city in Germany, that is fine with me.  Bascii117t we did not do this to the Jews.  Why do we have to keep paying the price and why do they keep oppressing the Palestinians?  Do the Jews ever look at themselves?  Why are they always right? Becaascii117se they have been oppressed throascii117ghoascii117t history, I know.  And they have this persecascii117tion.  That is trascii117e, bascii117t they shoascii117ld not ascii117se that to dominate.&rdqascii117o;

On the Jews inflascii117ence and power: '[The Jews are] ascii117sing their power, and they have power in every direction…Power over the White Hoascii117se, power over Congress…Everybody is in the pocket of the Israeli lobbies, which are fascii117nded by wealthy sascii117pporters, inclascii117ding those from Hollywood.  Same thing with the financial markets.  There is total control…It is not the two percent.  It is real power when yoascii117 own the White Hoascii117se, when yoascii117 own these other places in terms of yoascii117r political persascii117asion.  Of coascii117rse they have power.  [To the interviewer] Yoascii117 do not deny that.  Yoascii117 are Jewish, are not yoascii117?&rdqascii117o;