Adonis Diaries

US Reporters’ Dean: Helene Thomas

Helene Thomas (Antonios) is now 89 years old and she resigned her post as reporters’ Dean last week.

She was the ultimate reporter since she was selected in 1961 to report on the Whit House during John F. Kennedy who started dealing seriously with “black civil rights” and ended her tenure with Barack Obama, the first black president to the USA.

Helene Thomas remained in that position for 50 years.  Helene Thomas had many privileges: She was to ask the first question to the President and she had a special room in the White House. She was nicknamed “sitting Buddha” for her long tenure as Dean of reporters.

The parents of Helene Thomas are originally from Tripoli (Lebanon); George Antonios and Miriana Elias Arwadi immigrated to Winchester (Kentucky)  in 1903; they had 9 children.

Helene Thomas graduated from Wayne University (Detroit) in 1942 and then joined United Press International.  She said to one of the Lebanese freshman journalists: “Mind this fact; good news are disseminated from the White House; bad news from the Foreign office.”

Bush Junior refused Thomas to ask him questions for 3 years. As the first opportunity came, Thomas asked Bush Junior: “I want Mr. President to ask you a question related to the invasion of Iraq that resulted in the killing of thousands of US citizens and Iraqis and maiming for life thousands others.  So far, all reasons offered to the public on that invasion turned out to be erroneous. What were your real reasons for going to war?  You stated that it was not for oil or for Israel interests.  Then what are your fundamental reasons?”

During Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in July 2006 Thomas said in the White House: “The US is perfectly able to stop this senseless war and we have huge leverage on Israel.  We decided to exact collective punishments on the Lebanese and Palestinians”

On May 27, after the Israeli fiasco on the international “peace boats” convoy to relieving the population of Gaza and killing 20 civilians on the boats and injuring dozens on International sea, Helene Thomas could no longer retain her just sentiments of the apartheid State of Israel and said:

“The Palestinian people are occupied and the land is theirs. It is bound of the Jews in Israel to return to their homelands in Poland, the USA, Germany, and France.” Thomas meant that Israel must stop welcoming new Jewish immigrants and given them the Israeli citizenship as they land at the Ben Gurion airport and encouraging them to colonize Palestinian lands in the West Bank.

President Obama sang “Happy birthday” for Thomas 89 years which coincided with Obama’s birthday too.  Thomas campaigned for Obama because she liked his national health plan to cover all US citizens.  The first question Thomas asked Obama in the White House was: “Do you know one State in the Middle East that own nuclear weapons?”  Obviously, Obama knew that Israel was the sole nuclear military State in that region and Obama tried hard to avoid answering. Obama reprimanded Thomas for that difficult question and Thomas laughed saying: “I wanted to test your courage”

Helene Thomas wrote her autobiography in 5 books and she participated in Michael Moore movie “Fahrenheit 9-11” and the movie “Dave“.

We expect the Lebanese government and the Palestinian authority to honor Helene Thomas, while still alive, for her courage of working toward human rights of all the occupied people and expressing her opinions that mankind agree with.

Note: Helene Thomas died this July 20, 2013 at age of 93. Would be great to celebrate the day of Thomas passing away as “Freedom of Expression Day”