But, as it is, one will not even find the issue of the Israel Lobby/Zionist Network on the program of any of the many conferences that have been held here by either Palestinian-Americans or their supporters. That is the disgusting truth. Quite apart from problems caused by closet zionists in their midst, they suffer from the fact that the political line of the organized opposition to Zionism in this country has been set by various varieties of self-styled Marxists, Trotskyists whose political viewpoints do not allow consideration of the role played by domestic pressure groups, regardless of their size. The same problem one finds when listening to the talking heads besides Chomsky and Zunes, such as Tariq Ali, Phyllis Bennis and Norman Finkelstein, all, let’s call them for what they are, “Zionist Lobby Deniers.” An illustrious crew to go up against. And that’s just on OUR side.

The only thing I am doing here is discussing the nature of the challenge and what it will take to stop the current course. In fact, I would be interested in your proposals of “local pressure if intelligently applied,” I just do not want a repeat of the never ending saga of local activity which amounts to nothing. The genius of an effective local remedy is in replicating it and creating a national ground swell, so effectiveness does not need to be measured by a hard and fast rule of local / national. However, the nature of what is addressed, and this strand alone, causes some concern.

I have long asserted, in reference to your statement –

“…the global lobbying arm of the organized Jewish community in the US which is primarily directed by the American Jewish Committee…”

– a course of direct on the floors of these organizations, toe to toe if you please. Something a little more aggressive than just occasionally holding signs outside of stated meeting, etc.

I just wanted to make this clear (above). The primary difference between Zionism and its opposition is state apparatus, not only access to it but control of it. In fact, it is the same advantage during the Mandate period and afterward, that caused the demise of the Palestinian people. What we do not want is a repeat in the states of the same situation (of what happened in Palestine). I am convinced that it is the unity of all parties concerned in Palestine (West Bank, inside Israel, Jerusalem, scattered diaspora) in many acts of resistance is the winning ticket, and I don’t think it is any different for the average American that wants to stop the course of this current system here.

To prove my point, I would tell them to try and find an office for either party in the entire San Francisco Bay area. All they came up with was telephone numbers with answering machines at the other end.

That does not mean, however, that the system is impervious to grass roots action, and that members of Congress are not susceptible to local pressure if intelligently applied on any issue. It worked in the 80s, when Reagan was president, to get Congress to vote against aid to the Contras which led, of course, to the Iran-Contra scandal in which Israel’s role remained unspoken.

The problem is that what passes for a progressive movement in this country, or particularly its leadership, has not made a serious attempt to do that with regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Given his stature in within the movement, Chomsky’s role in that is undeniable but I am not trying to put all or most of the blame on his shoulders. The movement’s leadership has a long and sordid history of cozying up to local Democratic politicians and politically bankrupt union officials which rarely if ever catchs the attention of the movement’s rank and file. This may be attributed to the relatively low level of consciousness and anti-intellectualism that permeates American society across the board in which people tend more to operate from their gut than from their head. It is also a lot easier to focus anger on the criminal elites in Washington when opposing them requires no sacrifice.

The irony, as you mention, is that the only serious political action being taken today is by the ultra-right wing of the Republican party whose public talking heads have fed a potentially dangerous populist backlash that began with the immigration issue and has grown by leaps and bounds with the bailing out of the banks and Wall Street that began with Bush, reached full steam under Obama and has been carried over into the campaign by the “know-nothings” against “socialized medicine.”

You suggest that my example of how members of Congress who have a history of putting pro-Israel issues first chair the House Foreign Services Committe and several of its key subcommittee chairs illustrates how “embedded” they are in defending US imperialism. Although there is truth in what you say since Israel has obviously enjoyed the benefits of US imperialism, I will argue that that is not their primary interest. Rather, those members of Congress are part and parcel of the global lobbying arm of the organized Jewish community in the US which is primarily directed by the American Jewish Committee, which could be said to serve as the State Dept. for the Zionist network.

It has institutes that are devoted to lobbying activities in Latin America, Africa and Brussells and its officials meet regularly on Israel’s behalf with the heads of state and their highest ranking military officials and entertain them when they are in the US. None of this is ever reported in the mainstream media but it readily available on its website. Moreover, they are just one of a number of Jewish tax-exempt organizations that routinely send public officials on week-long all expense paid trips to Israel where they meet with top officials of the Israeli government, tour Yad Vashem and Masada, and return home, thoroughly indoctrinated and under considerable obligation to their hosts. The American Jewish Committee’s travel program is called Project Interchange and it largely targets people of color who have influence in their communities here like Judge Sonia Sotomayor who made the trip a few years ago.

Even then, the Zionist network realized that it had to woo the burgeoning Latino community with its huge voting bloc to Israel’s side and it has been very successful in doing so. When was the last time or even the first time anyone reading this heard a discussion or even a report on that?

Oh, is that so Dan? I think it is more apparent what takes place when someone is an author on a site as opposed to an average poster, easy to side with bequeathed authority, but whatever.

However Dan, lets cut to the chase. What you and Jeffrey propose is that this is still a working system, through normal channels of influence – totally ignoring the bankrupt nature of the beast. However, you keep writing letters and sending small checks, get a few thousand people to do it, see what happens. Than the next discussion we can can have is the one about the failure of the” Blankfortites.”

What I believe is occurring here is a deep undercurrent, both of you (Jeffrey and Dan) do not want to let loose the delusion of some functioning system that has never existed. I am clueless as to what you’re major malfunction is, perhaps you think there is a chimera of an “American Dream” (American Scream is more descriptive). I am not adverse to some of the things mentioned at the inception of this nation (the only difference is that I mean it for all of the people, rather than just the few that the “founding fathers” meant it for) –

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

You two, even after all that has happened, do not know when to apply this plea (and I do it not being any right wing patriotic die-hard). Quite frankly, not even what Chomsky recommends either.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

This is just one of innumerable examples of how the Zionist Power Structure is much larger than just another group that happens to be aligned with, and gaining from, U.S. imperialist interests. Peace groups are by definition against war and imperialism and the funding for it. Yet in the U.S., almost every single one makes an exception for Israel. This cannot be explained by the theory that the Israel “Lobby” is just another group that happens to benefit by being aligned with U.S. imperial interests. These peace groups are against all forms of U.S. imperialism. Except, apparently, when it comes to Israel.

link to ifamericansknew.org

You say they can be reached on a local level, but when this same local level addressed these individuals zero happened, this activity was present and your implication that says it did not take place is not true.

Where is the evidence for this?

For those reading who feel further isolated and helpless after reading v…’s comments (much as reading Chomsky can leave one feeling at first greatly informed, then ultimately completely helpless), please know that local officials can be reached through coordinated efforts and, of course, money, as the Zionist Power Structure has proven time and time again. If every single person in a given Congressional district wrote a short letter to their representative indicating that they would not be voting for the person unless he or she changed his or her votes vis a vis U.S. taxpayer funding for Israel, and with the note included a check for $10 or $20, I can assure you we would start to see change.

We can coordinate and get going, or we can write letters to our editors and come on blogs like this and moan about imperialism. The choice is ours.

(I don’t mean to entirely dismiss the idea of writing to newspapers – it’s important).

link to ifamericansknew.org

link to cnionline.org

“If Chomsky, the most influential individual in the left spectrum had directed people’s attention to what they could do locally in their Congressional districts, rather than concentrating on the elites in Washington who were beyond the reach of protesters in the streets that excuse would not have been acceptable.”

Yet your whole argument shows these same individuals you talk about embedded deeply in the system of American Imperialism –

“Foreign Affairs Committee chair – subchairs dealing with the Middle East and South Asia – Europe – the Western Hemisphere – Terrorism, Proliferation and Trade” etc.

You say they can be reached on a local level, but when this same local level addressed these individuals zero happened, this activity was present and your implication that says it did not take place is not true. Maybe you mean that while they addressed these things people should have said – “you damn Israel-first Jewish Zionist,” than maybe it would have been effective? Hell Mr. Blankfort, people cannot even get a glance about minor issues by addressing their local representatives, and you want them to stem the major thrust of imperialism by saying they are Zionists? I would say that this system is meant to isolate the people from their own government, that representation at this juncture is a joke (even though you strongly invoke it) – the system is not set up to listen to the people local or national. You imply that something works when it does not.

You are fond of saying this is all the fault of Chomsky and his sidekicks, but miss that fact that it just might be the will of the people that is the problem, and their determination to continue and turn up the pressure (of course this is hard to do when the media turns on and off at the behest of the status quo and moneyed interest – in fact it virtually ignores the public protests by not even covering them, something that was not done previously and it is difficult to get a ground swell when you can hear crickets in regard to the activities). You also bypass the complete electoral charade with the change magician Obama (who has done nothing but increase troops but have them walk “next door”, have the media virtually shut off on what is happening) and how people were disarmed by placing their hope in that ineffective windbag. However, we can just chalk it up to the “myopic” view of Chomsky (I have always wondered how you get myopia from looking at the entire system).

You can rest assured Mr. Blankfort, that nothing has ever moved this wretched system except the fear of losing it all. This time their fear will be founded, and it won’t be just a means of pressure for change either local or national, the fuel of discontent is there and building like never before (just in case you did not notice) and the moment must be seized to take it away from fascists and people who are on the dead end street of mere reform.