At 01:11 AM 05/10/00 -0700, James A.. Donald wrote:
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This is a calumny. I have personally checked hundreds, and I do mean hundreds--probably over 500--Chomsky citations to original texts and documents, and have never found any error that was not an obvious typographical error, a misprint or something like that.
It would take you years to check five hundred Chomsky citations. His citations are at best obscure and hard to find, at worst impossible to find.
The timescale for checking these quotes was not specified, I think it's safe to assume that years did transpire.
Almost every Chomsky citation that I have checked was at best somewhat misleading, and at worst a lie.
We've already seen how you picked up an extra word in that massacre quote, is it safe to assume you've made other errors?
Chomsky's citations are usually false in one of three ways, sometimes false in all three ways at the same time.
1. Chomsky misrepresents the authority of the sources. For example in "Distortions at fourth hand" quoted in full in <http://www.jim.com/jamesd/chomsdis.htm>
jim.com? jamesd? this is your personal website? O-kaaaaaaay,,, *there's nothing like citing an impartial source, is there?* Just the same, I'll take a look. If it's more than what, 200 words(?), I wonder if Chomsky would be interested, along with the calumnies et al.? *empty threat, I've no time and really don't care - but I wonder if the page will still be up, tomorrow, when I check*
2. Chomsky misrepresents the content of the sources:
A-HEM,,, THE content of THE quote is highly contentious, is it not? ^^^ ^^^
3. Chomsky claims sources that just cannot be found. In particular the article "Distortions at fourth hand" first leads up to the purported citation of "repeated discoveries that the massacre reports were false",
News flash for ya goodbuddy - that quote of yours has already been repudiated. Got anything better? Something more recent, perhaps? Like, within the last decade or two? And hey? Rather than a generic "Chomsky quotes..." give us a specific one, like that other one we've sliced and diced and shoved back down your throat. 20 years old, or less. Reese