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| * Schlussel achieved some notoriety because of an editorial in the ] accusing ] of the documentary series ] and film ] of unbalanced practices in achieving the results for the television show, mirroring many criticisms that people have of his movie. Spurlock has not responded. | * Schlussel achieved some notoriety because of an editorial in the ] accusing ] of the documentary series ] and film ] of unbalanced practices in achieving the results for the television show, mirroring many criticisms that people have of his movie. Spurlock has not responded. | ||
| * Schlussel has also attacked the phenomena that she refers to as the |
* Schlussel has also attacked the phenomena that she refers to as the "Holocaust Industry." Like ] she criticises attorneys and others who did not suffer under the holocaust yet financially gain from it, while many holocaust survivors live in poverty. | ||
| * She has made what some considered to be ] and ] remarks centered around all female professional basketball players in her editorials on the subject, especially the ]. This is in regards to her criticisms of women's pro sports in general. | * She has made what some considered to be ] and ] remarks centered around all female professional basketball players in her editorials on the subject, especially the ]. This is in regards to her criticisms of women's pro sports in general. | ||
Revision as of 17:36, 16 December 2005
Debbie Schlussel (born 1969) is an attorney, radio talk show host, columnist, MENSA member, and, since May 2005, blogger.
Early life
Schlussel was born in 1969. Her grandparents were Holocaust survivors, her mother born in a concentration camp, and her father a Vietnam War veteran, which helped form her views.
Her teenage activities included representing the United States in the Maccabiah Games were she won a number of medals. She got her political start, however, as a Young Republican, winning the title of “Outstanding Teen Age Republican in the Nation” in 1987. She later became the youngest female and youngest Jewish delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1988 and worked on many campaigns, including her failed run for the Michigan House of Representatives, which she lost by one vote (had she won, she would've been the youngest person to win the post).
Professional life
Aside from her political campaigning and actions, Schlussel has become best known for her journalistic endeavors, especially her conservative-oriented columns. Her most notable achievement occurred while with the Detroit Free Press, where she went undercover into a mosque and reported on her findings, many of which angered the Muslim community as she presented examples of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. She particularly targeted the Detroit regional office of the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; especially its head, Brian Moskowitz, accusing him of overlooking obvious terrorist ties within the metro area's large Arab/Muslim community as well as disproportionately arresting/deporting Asian and Hispanic immigrants vs. those from the Middle East. She continues to be published in the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Detroit Free Press.
Her journalistic endeavors also made waves with columns she wrote about Russell Simmons and his ties to Palestinian terrorism, the "radical Islamic ownership" of Caribou Coffee, and the awarding of an American citizen with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, causing then-FBI Director Robert Mueller to revoke the award.
She also hosted a radio program, "The Debbie Schlussel Show" in 2002 and 2003. She became a regular guest on other radio programs as well, ranging from Howard Stern to Sean Hannity.
Controversy
Schlussel receives criticism from a variety of areas due to her rheotorical style.
- Schlussel often targets Muslims for her political columns, causing many to view them viewed as anti-Muslim. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee considers her work racist hate speech and has a section on her in their 2002 Hate Crime report in the section: "Media Bias and Defamation: Hostile Commentary in Print." She wrote what some consider to be derogatory remarks about Marla Ruzicka, the founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, when she was killed in Iraq on a refugee mission helping the civilian victims of the war. She has also labeled people who support Palestine, or others who disagree with Israel on the issue of Israel and Palestine, "terrorists", though she has never actually done so to a person who advocates peaceful support or disagreement. In a more extreme example, she equated being a fan of either Michael Jackson or soccer with supporting terrorism on her blog, using the loose association that a majority of Americans do not support either, whereas both are quite popular in many Islamic nations.
- Schlussel achieved some notoriety because of an editorial in the Wall Street Journal accusing Morgan Spurlock of the documentary series 30 Days and film Super Size Me of unbalanced practices in achieving the results for the television show, mirroring many criticisms that people have of his movie. Spurlock has not responded.
- Schlussel has also attacked the phenomena that she refers to as the "Holocaust Industry." Like Norman Finkelstein she criticises attorneys and others who did not suffer under the holocaust yet financially gain from it, while many holocaust survivors live in poverty.
- She has made what some considered to be homophobic and sexist remarks centered around all female professional basketball players in her editorials on the subject, especially the WNBA. This is in regards to her criticisms of women's pro sports in general.
External links
- Debbie Schlussel's Homepage
- Detroit Free Press - 'Debbie Schlussel of Southfield amps up the conservative volume.'
- Wall Street Journal - 'Unreal for 30 Days,' an editorial where Schlussel criticizes Morgan Spurlock's methods for his documentary program.
- Don't Judge the Criticism by the Critics