Nobel Cause

A letter to the SMH:

David Hicks shouldn't be too troubled by being labelled a ''terrorist'' (Letters, May 25) because it is generally a short-term arrangement. Yasser Arafat was a terrorist who went on to win a Nobel peace prize, Menachem Begin was a terrorist who would be prime minister of Israel, and Nelson Mandela was a terrorist who went on to become one of the most admired men in the world. Being called a terrorist just means you will be reclassified as a hero at a later date.

Andrew Worssam Bondi

Arafat was no Mandela. I'd say the Nobel Prize has jumped the shark. Let me now state for the record, that should I win one, I'll be handing it back until they posthumously strip Arafat of his. One can only hope others more deserving of the prize than me, adopt a similar stand in the future.

I should disclose that Worssam doesn't like me very much. A few months ago, he sent this letter to the editor of my local newspaper:

It seems barely a month goes by without some provocative hate filled letter by Daniel Lewis of Rushcutters Bay appearing unchallenged in the Courier or Sydney Morning Herald. Daniel’s favourite topic seems to be Muslim baiting and/or apologizing for Israel. In his world, Muslims are part of the same amorphous threat. They exist to kill us all. One only has to swap the words’ Jew’ and “Muslim’ in his missives to see who offensive his writings are. Contrast his rantings with the reasoned arguments of Greens’ member Sam Bauers on the same page. The lunatic fringe is alive and well in the Eastern Suburbs.
Andrew Worssam, Bondi

The following week, he would have read this:

Andrew Worssam (Wentworth Courier, Letters 23/3) disgracefully attempts to smear me, claiming one need only swap the words “Jew” and “Muslim” to see how “offensive” my letters are. Let's see.

"19 Jews hijacked aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Centre". "Militant Jews released video of them sawing the heads off journalists". "Jewish rabbis condemned a 16 year old gay man to be stoned to death". "A Supreme Court Jury convicted three Jewish men for conspiring to plan a suicide terrorist attack on Holsworthy Army Base".

Gosh, I totally see Worssam’s point. It's nothing to do with Islam at all.

Daniel Lewis

I'm sure I ruined his breakfast.