Helen Thomas Says America 'Owned by the Zionists'

Veteran journalist Helen Thomas isn't content merely to stand by the comments she made earlier this year that led to ouster at Hearst Newspapers. Thomas resigned shortly after telling a rabbi in June that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to "Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else."

Thomas went further during remarks in Dearborn, Mich. on Thursday, in analyzing "the whole question of money in politics."

"Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion," she told 300 people gathered at a community center. "They put their money where their mouth is . . . We're being pushed into a wrong direction in every way."

"I can call a president of the United States anything in the book, but I can't touch Israel," Thomas said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.

Arab-Americans and Islamists reacted in a variety of ways to Thomas' prior slurs. In October, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) gave her its 2010 "Lifetime Achievement Award." CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper asserted at the time that Thomas had apologized for the June comments urging Israeli Jews to "get the hell out." (Neither Hooper nor CAIR appear to have said anything about Thomas' comments in Dearborn.)

Last month, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) gave Thomas a "courage in journalism" award.

At least one institution is backing away from Thomas after this latest rant. Wayne State University is dropping its Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award. As a public university, Wayne State encourages free speech and open dialogue, and respects diverse viewpoints," a school statement said. "However, the university strongly condemns the anti-Semitic remarks made by Helen Thomas …"