User talk:Kaibird4263

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Kai Bird

Dear Wiki editors, My biographical entry has once again been modified to add a libelous comment by the Israeli historian Benny Morris about my memoir, Crossing Mandelbaum Gate. I thought we had resolved this issue last summer or spring. Whoever recently edited the entry tried to balance the Morris quote with a quote from Christopher Hitchens. It does not work and it is not fair. Morris is saying that "practically nothing" I have written about the Arab-Israeli conflict conforms to factual history. This is a libel against any historian--and a rather ridiculous statement at face value. I have posted Morris's critical review of my book on my own web site www.KaiBird.com but I also post my lengthy rebuttal which shows that the "facts" Morris says don't conform to history are drawn largely from his own books. If Wiki's editors think a quote from the Morris review is warranted in my bio entry, I think the least you can do is provide a link to my rebuttal published in the New Republic. Also, whoever reinserted the Benny Morris quote--a quote that was taken down by your editors last summer--also deleted the fact that my memoir was a Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Why? We all know the Arab-Israeli conflict is an emotional hot button. Most reviewers however found my memoir balanced and emotionally sympathetic to both sides. So it is tiresome and distressing to see my book so mis-labeled on Wikipedia. Sincerely, Kai Bird — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kaibird4263 (talk • contribs) 16:06, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

Hi again Kai. I've reverted these latest changes to the article. I'm going to be away for a while, but in the meantime I've asked at Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard#Kai Bird for other editors to keep an eye on the article. You may wish to keep an eye on that discussion as well. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 23:31, 22 January 2012 (UTC)