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- Princeton students ‘come out’ for Palestine to overcome shame attached … 0
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- There’s been a sea change in US opinion on the … 3
- Former AIPAC lobbyist assumes weighty mantle (and travel budget) of … 4
- Press Release: Isabel Kershner chosen to reveal future Israeli exonerations 5
- As Israel’s occupation drags on, boycotts are one way forward 1
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- ‘Newseum’ folds under pressure, will not include Gaza cameramen in … 314
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- San Francisco bus ads condemn Israeli apartheid: backlash begins 121
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- International Criminal Court opens preliminary investigation into attack on Mavi … 96
- Barbara Boxer’s visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack 84
- Abulhawa declines to ‘balance out’ several Israelis in ‘Al Jazeera’ … 74
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- Dershowitz should stop lying about Tutu’s record 56
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- RT @WHarkavy: .@Mondoweiss @ggreenwald Right now, at least, column and editor's note aren't on Al Jazeera site. Here's an alt link http://t…, 3 hours ago
- Jim from Newport Township, Illinois asks the wrong question http://t.co/dezeLR7gp1, 3 hours ago
- Princeton students ‘come out’ for Palestine to overcome shame attached to issue in U.S. http://t.co/LCs1vTVK44, 3 hours ago
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The War of Ideas in the Middle East
Antisemitism ended (declined) after the holocaust. Will the Israeli version of the "muslim holocaust" in Palestine also end Islamophobia? Bigotry must always result in blood, it seems.
About F**king time!
I hope that our citizen victim Furkan finds justice finally served.
I think he was referring to the shelling of Iraq from our ships. I believe he said that it required no courage to do that (not unlike the drones of today). I suppose the converse of the terrorists hurling their own bodies at the WTC is courageous by contrast. In the days of "support our troops", that was deemed unpatriotic by the PTB.
Someone took him to the woodshed and "reformed" him after that.
Right after 9/11, Maher was actually critical of US action in Iraq and fairly vocal about it. Subsequently, and perhaps because of that, he was taken off the air.
After a while, he returned. He seemed to have been chastened, and no longer seemed to be the gadfly he once was. It seemed that it was at that time that his anti-muslim tirades began and many of us see him today as a gatekeeper for the lobby.
I wonder what happened to change him.
I think her point is that Israel is in the Eurovision song contest while not being in Europe. Cognitive dissonance.
Stop US aid to *all* countries - Israel and all arab countries.
Keep my tax money at home to feed our homeless and poor. If we cut off the flow of our cash to the ME, matters will sort themselves out. For good measure, no more vetos in the UNSC on behalf of any country. We should not be thwarting the course of International condemnation.
Russia and China will rush in, you say? I don't think they will be supporting Israel. They have much more to gain by supporting the Arabs and Iran. So do we, as a matter of fact.
Enough. More than enough.
Thanks for that, Hostage.
I still don't understand why Abbas hasn't taken the case to the ICC yet. What is he waiting for? It's not as if another shoe is about to drop!
While the UN recognition is fresh, he should make hay. The longer he waits, the more credibility to the suspicion that he is merely Israel's puppet. Well, I guess it is well beyond suspicion at this stage...
@yrn
No drama? All you hasbarites frothing at the mouth and rushing en masse to smear the man? I am sitting here with popcorn on my lap and loving the show!
...and, not to put too fine a point on it, doing it this way has generated a lot more drama and drawn more attention to this noble act, than if he had merely not acceded in the first place.
Judging by the hasbarist firestorm, this is cause for glee.
"The enemy of my friend, is my enemy" - to coin a phrase.
The house of Saud has to align with US/Israel to maintain their precarious perch. Tick, tock - both Israel and the house of Saud and all the other tyrants that we have propped up in the ME will soon fade from the pages of time.
Tick tock.
Just read Henry Norr's article in sfgate ( link to sfgate.com ) - what an amazingly scholarly piece of journalism!
I hope that it is distributed far and wide. Can't wait to see the ensuing lawsuit! I hope it encourages Intel to bring all of those jobs back to the US.
As I had posted earlier, China is becoming a more prominent player in world diplomacy.
According to VT, it was China's pressure on Netanyahu rather than of the US that led to the settlement freeze (emphasis mine):
link to veteranstoday.com
Not his own boots or those of any of his offsprings, however. Few people know the dark side of his performance in Vietnam and betrayal, and his subsequent pardon. They only tout his imprisonment, and not what he did as a POW.
Except, there is special dispensation if you are able to convert your spouse to Islam (not by force, I agree).
Can't wait for the guillotines to be rolled out for Marie "Boxer" Antoinette. She will never get my vote - ever.
@asherpat
I wouldn't know how to find the statistics for the entire world although someone here might, but given that freedom fighters are now labelled as terrorists, and given the huge amount of terrorism enacted by Israel on Palestinians and our own military on civilian populations in muslim countries, I doubt if the percentage would be much different than that for the US, and would certainly not be inverted.
In any case, we are talking about the (deliberate) increase of Islamophobia in the US, and these statistics knock out the scaffoldings that support the distributors of that myth here, along with crap like Sharia law replacing the US constitution.
Interesting statistics on terrorism from the FBI:
Non-Muslims Carried Out More than 90% of All Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil
link to washingtonsblog.com
@ radii
...when conspiracy theories become conspiracy facts ... and the walls come tumbling down.
@ ivri
An FBI report shows that only a small percentage of terrorist attacks carried out on U.S. soil between 1980 and 2005 were perpetrated by Muslims.
link to loonwatch.com
@ miriam6
Oh, cry me a river! When you stop spending our tax money to subvert our government by bribing our politicians to fight your wars and protect you in the UN from sanctions, then you get to make demands on whether we get to impose our will on you - which is laughable anyway, considering you have been thwarting our will for decades.
Oh, yeah - good deflection to Gitmo! Most of us are against Gitmo, but it is blocked by the same aforementioned politicians. I am, and I am pretty sure annie is, very much for closing down Gitmo and affording civilian trials to all its occupants for whatever crimes they are being held for.
@ miriam6
Rather stupid of you to take that tack, considering Israel is well on its way to doing that itself with forced sterilization and coercion to leave.
link to mondoweiss.net
@ mondonut
Good! It shows that they are not fooled by this scam.
Oh, it shows up on Jpost now:
link to jpost.com
I am in Beijing this week while they celebrate a 3-day Labor Day holiday. While listening to news on one of the English stations on my car radio, I was surprised by the lengthy discourse on the Middle East in a city where most people outside of government know little and care less about what happens in the Middle East, except for the vague knowledge that much of their gasoline comes from there.
What was being discussed was the impending visit to China by Abbas on May 5th, followed by a visit on May 6th by Netanyahu. It seems that China is providing a forum for discussions on the course forward for both parties. The Chinese government reiterated how much import they were lending to this occasion and their desire to be the catalyst for peace in the ME.
What struck me as odd was that I have not read about this visit anywhere in the Western Media (TM). I remarked to my Chinese companion that this highlighted the rising prominence of China and Russia in world diplomatic affairs, in contrast to our own declining importance and credibility.
Over the past few years, China has been quietly forging trade alliances with countries across the globe and ensuring a steady supply of necessary resources from them as well as engendering their goodwill and cooperation. In contrast, we have been trying to (unsuccessfully) obtain our resources by bombing people all over the globe at great cost to our blood and treasure - not to mention what we are doing to them!
As an American, I am confounded as to why we would choose this horrific path for our resources, when China has clearly demonstrated a much more desirable alternative and a successful one at that. Well, maybe I am not that confounded and know full well why this is so.
The Israeli hold on our government has to end, or we as a people will end. It is more than high time that we put our own self-interest and well-being ahead of those of that shitty little country (sic).
Sitting in my car in Beijing yesterday with my Chinese companion, I felt embarrassed to be American.
I have to agree with Donald that this is wishful thinking. Most Americans have no idea about what our Chechen involvement has been, or where to even look on a map. Meanwhile, Israel and its supporters here are filling the airwaves with Islamophobia.
Just take a look at the comments section of Huffpo - Israeli hasbara and stoking Islamophobia at its worst. Seems Israel is redoubling its propaganda foray.
I fear this is not going to end well. It will either destroy the fabric of our society and be the death knell of of American values, or, it will result in a worldwide backlash against jews that will be equally unfortunate - most notably, right here at home. It may not be too late to turn back the clock, but it requires a political will that is not evident at all.
@ Menachem
What utter rubbish! Show me the polls that show that 66.7% of the US supports Israel and qualify that with what the actual question was that was asked and how it was couched.
Seems you crawled back out from under a rock since June 2010. You must think we are all idiots here.
I am happy to accept every baby step that comes our way. Drip, drip, drip, and the walls come tumbling down.
I knew cal wouldn't let me down!
After Boston, we should put Muslims under surveillance, says Rep. King
link to refreshingnews99.blogspot.in
Bangladeshi man beaten in Bronx for being "Arab" after Boston bombing...
link to refreshingnews99.blogspot.in
Much as I love Jon and Steve, my peeve with them both (more Jon than Steve) is that despite being fully aware of the situation in the ME as they frequently demonstrate in skits like these, they continue to toe the zionist line and pull their punches on all matters Israeli, while being brutally direct about everything else under the sun. They have come close, on some occasions, to taking a light jab at Israel and its support in congress, but too subtly for it to have any impact on the general public.
An International backlash against Israel is imminent. I can feel it in my bones - and it can't happen soon enough!
Way to go, bears!
@ American
I think it has been argued that a "lobby" is an organization of citizens, and so, has the right to petition. But, a foreign (unregistered) lobby has no rights - even if they register, and even if they include citizens in their organization.
It is a slippery slope as that same argument was used to make corporations into "people", since they are comprised of people - something I vehemently disagree with.
I agree with the rest of your points, and I would love to see lobbies go away.
@ American
I am not against lobbies - the constitution permits them to petition. I am against specific lobbies that subvert our system to the detriment of our people. Many would argue that the gun lobby does that - I don't, but I am not going to debate that. However, the Israel lobby hurts me personally. Our government gives my tax money to Israel without my blessing, a part of which comes back to the Israel lobby to fund/bribe our pols to re-appropriate more funds (bribe) for Israel and to re-elect those same pols, and it all comes out of my hard-earned income. Moreover, AIPAC and others are unregistered agents of a foreign government and the sabotage of our government has allowed them to stay unregistered.
That's what I want destroyed.
@bpm
God may. The victims won't. Nor will their compatriots.
Karma is a bitch.
Shadows of giants in the valley of the damned.
@ Donald
Well said. It is assumed that *all* arabs and *all* persians are muslims, not to mention Pakistanis, Indonesians, and other brown-skinned members of the populace. In fact, anyone wearing a turban, including sikhs, can be shot as a muslim terrorist, as we have seen.
It is not as if these hate-mongers are engaging in academic debate about the fine-points of Islamic faith. It is a clear (and reasonably successful) effort to demonize an entire people that is viewed as enemies of Israel, and thus, should be enemies of the US.
Poppycock! Show me the proof of that assertion!
Nope. Wrote in "Ron Paul" in 2008 and in 2012. I never vote for anyone who panders to Israel or AIPAC.
Also in the above article:
From Lobelog:
Could it be that we have finally scared congress to the point that they are not as eager to kowtow to Israel? I would credit the Hagel nomination process as contributing to this.
link to lobelog.com
Hardly.
It shows that she is human like the rest of us who are frustrated by having to listen to the same crap over and over and over again, and then some more - like the drip-drip of water torture. It is not as if new information is being provided, or even honest information. It is the constant repetition of the same tired and hackneyed hasbara that has been debunked over and over and over again.
When the intent of diversions and thread-jackings such as these is to stifle debate, it can hardly be pronounced as representing "free speech". The opposite, in fact.
Does the kid at least get access to the US Embassy?
...and, lest we forget who owns and proliferates nukes,
link to guardian.co.uk
Secret South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to the apartheid regime, providing the first official documentary evidence of the state's possession of nuclear weapons.
Birds of a feather...
(hat tip to WhatReallyHappened.com)
Typed a little too fast. I meant to add "I presume" to my attribution of motivation to the author.
At least in the case of the author, so that he can write about it and let the world know about the hell-hole that is Israel and inflame passions among the populace of his country to the point where they apply pressure on their government to cease all support of the zionist entity.
Seems like a good reason to me.
@ American
Biting the hand that feeds you - and then stealing their land and murdering their children. How dare they respond violently to that!
@ asherpat
So you are recommending that the Palestinians should abandon their non-violent protests and resort to armed violence, based on your observations of the concentration camps?
Duly noted.
@Cliff - In Hebrew, unfortunately...
Very interested in how this plays out. If they end up releasing the names of agents and sayanims in the US - and they turn up names like Jane Hartman et. al., the outcome would be nothing less than seismic! I hope this is real.
OT: Holy cow!
link to 12160.info
@Ramzi Jaber
A thought just crossed my mind - if israel/Palestine did become one state with one person/one vote, and the arabs became the majority, would the US then trust that country with Dimona and its nukes, or would we want to bomb it like we want to bomb Iran?
Yes, Judeophobia is real, although I have not personally witnessed it (perhaps I am just not sensitive enough as a non-jew). OTOH, Islamophobia is very evident all around us these days, and it would be good to see more articles denouncing it and the likes of Pam Geller. I don't hear ADL saying much about it either (it is denounced here on MW, however). Not too much is said about Mormon-bashing either, for that matter.
Every time I read an article on Ynet, I try to avoid the comments section. The vitriolic bile that represents the viewpoints of the Israelis who post there is terrifying to say the least. It is not hard to predict how Israel will end, and it won't be a pretty sight. All that remains to be seen is when - and whether it will affect the US as well.
I am going to sit on the fence a little longer on this one.
I have been a strong and vocal Ron Paul supporter for many years, and in my heart, I want to believe that Rand will follow in dad's footsteps. Unfortunately, he has made several statements, including some senate votes he has cast, that have given me pause. I want to believe that he makes these statements for political end and doesn't actually believe them - that these are mere ploys that he uses, having seen how the I-firsters and the MSM have treated his father's direct and honest phrasing of the issues.
Rand is not a stupid man. Having observed his father's career and detractors, he may well have chosen a different path to the same end. What a grand surprise if, indeed, he turned out to be the savior of the nation!
Only time will tell. Hope springs eternal.
I think that we are looking at this the wrong way. The perceived victory or defeat of the lobby is irrelevant in the scheme of things. The only question is whether the confirmation of Hagel to the role of SOD will have any impact vis-a-vis Israel and I-firsters in our government.
In this grand game of chess, sacrificing rooks and bishops in order to queen your pawns is all part of the strategy.
Here is what we know:
- Obama wanted Hagel as SOD. He knew all about his past. His team vetted Hagel and must have anticipated the outcry from I-firsters everywhere. His team knew about the howls of protest that would emanate from congress and the tough fight that would ensue. They knew that there would be opposition from the ranks of the Democrats themselves, and certainly the Republicans, and yet, the WH did not once waver on continuing to push forward when the outcry began. Clearly, it was critical for Obama to appoint Hagel. He could have chosen a number of others that were proposed by I-firsters, who would have been easily confirmed - yet he stuck to his guns behind Hagel. Why?
- *Every* Democrat in the senate, including Schumer, supported Hagel despite the misgivings of the I-firsters. We don't know what was said to them in private or what was promised to them. We don't know if a public recantation by Hagel was demanded in exchange for their support - kissing the ring of Mordor, if you will.
- Even several of the more violently opposed Republicans toned down their objections towards the end of the hearings - either because they felt that they were losing and didn't want to dig a deeper hole, or because they were assured in some way that Hagel was not a threat.
- Hagel repented in public. Hagel groveled before the senate. Hagel did a complete Galileo. Hagel was confirmed.
- Some say the lobby won because Hagel was defanged in the process and rendered ineffective to do anything of substance in the future. Some say the lobby lost because despite their best efforts and marketing, they were unable to prevent Hagel's confirmation.
- Hagel is now Sec. Defense and rules the Pentagon and its vast budget.
Here is what I believe:
- I don't like Obama, but Obama is not a stupid man. He was naive and inexperienced when he seized the mantle of the presidency and delivered his wonderful Cairo speech. He soon found out that the dark forces were too powerful to defeat in open conflict, and he had to retreat from his grand offensive with his tail between his legs, whimpering and cowering. For the rest of his first term, he was repeatedly humiliated and it was never clear if he would get a second term, however, being an intelligent man, he learned from his defeat.
- Obama knows that he cannot defeat the I-firsters out in the open. In a fight of rhetorics and media campaigns, they would sweep the floor with his carcass. If he is to make any difference, whether out of patriotism to this country, or to his own selfish desire to leave a legacy, he must do this by stealth. He has to steal a page from the lobby's own book.
- He needs to have people who have the same desires as he does in key roles in the machinery in order to effect change, stealthily and in the cover of darkness.
- Words and rhetorics mean nothing. He can swear allegiance to Israel vocally and frequently. He can threaten war on Iran at every turn. He can even promise the continuance of aid to Israel despite budget shortfalls, after all, it is congress that holds the purse strings.
And while everyone's attention is fixated on the conjurer's attractive assistant on the stage, a great game is afoot, hidden from the view of the spectators.
Stay tuned.
This makes me very happy indeed! I hope they manage to free Pollard. At the very least, I hope they make a very noisy and odiferous stink about it in public. I hope it makes the headlines of every newspaper in the country. Oooh - and make sure to publicly rub Obama's face in the dirt while doing it!
Come all ye I-firsters, out of the closet and into the bright sunlight. Display your plumage in all its resplendent glory.
And that is how it should be.
It is in our best interest to be friends with Iran. It is in our best interest to be friends with all arab countries. It is in our best interest to not be constantly at war with someone or another when our security is not threatened, at great loss to blood, treasure, and reputation.
Our foreign policy does the exact opposite of these things because of Israel and our I-firsters.
But we are waking up.
@ Taxi
You were right about Iran but wrong about Syria (although our war is covert).
@ Taxi
Small is a good thing (who wants urban sprawl?) - and it is only cold in summer! :-)
Hope you are right.
I am not either, however, charity begins at home. We have so many homeless people in this country, and even people starving to death in this land of plenty. Some homeless guy just froze to death outside an abandoned home because he was too scared to break-in! That makes these I-firsters murderers in my book. How can anyone send a single dollar to Israel while our own people sleep on the streets and starve or freeze to death?
Hang 'em and let the wolves feast.
@ annie
I vaguely recall that you were looking at P5+1 talks last May as being a turning point, and my predicting that Israel would sabotage it before it happened. I claimed partial credit for that prediction because Israel did sabotage it, but the talks did happen, and ended up being of no consequence because of the sabotaging.
This year, however, the upcoming talks look more promising, and Israel is not in as strong a position to derail it.
Tipping point.
@ Taxi
Happy to provide as much alkee as you can stand in the Bay Area. Not likely to go to LA as I avoid that armpit of a city like the plague (no offense). Going through LAX is two notches below going to the dentist. SFO is so much friendlier in comparison!
Stay safe wherever you are in the ME.
@ American
This is wonderful news! The fact that he was invited to speak to the State department is nothing short of a temblor! Just a year ago, one could not have predicted such an event.
As I have stated elsewhere, we have reached the tipping point. Information is breaking out all over the place and the lobby is losing its game of whack-a-mole every day.
I can't wait to see what new revelation unfolds in the days ahead!
@ American
Most of us just want to raise our families and enjoy the fruits of our labor - not have it redirected to foreign countries for use in oppressing their families.
Damn those I-firsters all to hell.
@ Taxi
Yes you did predict that last year and I promised you a crate of Napa Valley's finest if your prediction was correct.
The next time you are in the Bay Area (or Beijing), I will deliver on my promise (just can't get myself excited about going to the ME to find you). Well done!
@ Jan
Could be fun. We could even rent a few donkeys:
link to ponyparty.com
@ Blank Slate
If I recall correctly, you had asserted fairly confidently that Hagel would not get confirmed. I would ease up on the assertions if I were you.
What's the current fashion for a-holes?
@ Woody
Between +0 and -0
I disagree. Treason is exactly the right descriptor for what we see here.
Hang 'em high.
Poll me! Poll me!
1. I want us to favor neither Israel nor Palestine. No more foreign intervention. If we withdraw from the ME, the problem will resolve itself in less than 1 year.
2. My sympathies are more with Palestine
3. No lasting peace is possible between the Israelis and Palestinians. Only the disintegration of Israel will result in peace in the ME.
From the Chicago Tribune:
link to chicagotribune.com
The non-interventionist is peeking through the covers! "Engaging the world" could include direct talks and reconciliation with Iran.
No Phil, this is a good day. Don't expect public proclamations. The disembowelment of Israeli spies and treasonous donkey-fellators in the Pentagon will not be televised. You may not even perceive the changes as they occur - and neither will the lobby. It will all be clear one day.
Rejoice.
If we can make videos such as these go viral, it would wake America up quickly.
It is evident that these people have descended to depths hitherto uncharted. I see no redemption in sight. This story will end tragically. I don't see a happy outcome here. When that happens, it will be unfortunate for us too. Suddenly our neighborhoods (Europe too) will be swarming with "settler" emigrants as they are expelled from the ME, and they will be polluting us with all the vile hate that they will bring with them.
Peachy.
Makes me cringe that our government is so subservient to the will of a foreign nation that only survives because of our protection, that the same government fails to discharge its primary duty of protecting the rights, security, and well-being of our own citizens.
Treason. Hang every I-firster.
@ atime forpeace
I think that Tobin is delusional and attempting to will his wishful thoughts into reality. If other I-firsters and donkey-fellators also believe as he does that this has incapacitated Hagel, then so much the better. It will give Hagel more room to effect change after he is confirmed.
Mark my words - this is a significant turning point for America. The tipping point has been reached.
@ American
I guess we are about to find out, now that he has been confirmed.
@ American
I think it was annie who had speculated that what we are seeing of Hagel is a scripted act prescribed by the WH. I tend to agree with that viewpoint. Like you, I don't read Hagel as a flip-flopper or a soul-seller. Instead, I believe, he has agreed to play along with the guidance of the WH advisors to play possum for the invading huns, without which, he has no chance of getting confirmed. I am still hoping that he does, in fact, get confirmed.
What remains to be seen is what happens after he is confirmed. Some have speculated that he is mortally wounded by this episode, and having avowed his fealty to Israel, has no room to maneuver later. I disagree.
It is possible that, because of his public capitulation to the dark forces, he will be limited with what he is able to declare in public - but why does he need to be public? He can do significant damage to the I-firsters and the MIC at the helm of the pentagon without uttering a single syllable in public. The structure that the I-firsters have built in silence and in darkness, which permeates the bowels of our government, is best disemboweled silently, and in darkness. I can see lots of petty officials suddenly being laid off - the hidden support behind their more visible superiors, and even those superiors themselves. I can see plans devised to assist Israel in one way or another, quietly being shelved or put into the circular file. Knocking out a few of the key pillars of this infrastructure could bring the entire edifice crashing down - and all without a single shot being fired in public. This is the same Pentagon from which 2 trillion dollars vanished on the eve of 2001 without a single audit or a follow-through.
Wishful thinking? Maybe. But, this looks too easy - and even stupid for the WH to have nominated Hagel, knowing full well to expect exactly this reaction from the denizens of the lobby. So why would they do it?
They did it because they knew this was the only way they could get him confirmed. Once confirmed, I expect them to set him free to bring down the house of Mordor.
...And fast being overrun by hasbarists calling this a non-newsworthy, non-discriminatory, non-event, indistinct from the treatment of other non-citizens.
Nonsense.
In contrast, the hasbarists in the comments section for this story on HuffPo aren't faring quite as well. Not that I consider HuffPo as anything more than trash journalism.
The comment section for that article on Yahoo! is completely overrun by hasbarists. I have noticed that most stories on Yahoo! that mention Israel (or muslims) gets overrun by them. You can tell who the authors are by the anti-muslim hate-filled tripe that they spew.
Or, as MRW asserts above, 9/11.
Not so sure about that annie. This smells more like a battle for self-preservation than one of vengeance.
I think that this is the single most powerful reason that gives me hope for progress. The lobby depends on the support of the diaspora for their existence (and money from some billionaires). Were that support to disappear, so would they.
One of my favorite speeches of all time. The whole concept of avoiding "tangling alliances" became the hallmark of the Ron Paul movement - and the veracity of that assertion is so evident today.
@ bilal a
Thanks for the link to a very interesting article. The following excerpt was remarkable:
We need a Lowenstein here to urge American jews to publicly disavow Israel, although, were it to happen, it would get scant coverage in the MSM, unlike Australia. If it did happen, the abundant supply of sayanim would shut down quickly, and with it, the effectiveness of Mossad spies in the US.
@ annie
Your thesis is plausible about the demeanor.
I continue to believe that the times are changing and the demise of donkey fellators is not far. I just wish the change was happening faster.
Yep, that's what we in the Ron Paul faction of this blog have been saying.
Ultimately, it is the self-interest of the US that motivates me primarily. It is also my belief that addressing the self-interests of the US will lead to an improvement of the plight of the Palestinians, but that does remain a secondary consideration.
My country first. When we reach a point where we no longer have any serious domestic problems to deal with, we can look to helping others. Until then, let's keep our money and our troops at home. Charity does begin at home.
Die, all you treasonous old farts, die! Your era is done and spent and there is no room on this Earth for your despicably racist ilk. Make way for the untainted youth of tomorrow who will rise to restore American-first patriots in this land.
In another 25 years, the whole lot of you will be 6 feet under, and the rest of us will dance on your graves.
The times they are a changin' ...
Galileo Galilei comes to mind.
I hereby officially endorse Nutty Yahoo as a terrific leader and great for Israel['s demise]. By all means do elect him and encourage him to be even more flagrantly right-wing than he already is. In fact, encourage him to continue to rub the noses of US pols into the dirt even more publicly and even more often. Have him appear on public TV in the US demanding that even more aid be sent to Israel to fund his aggression on Palestine/Iran/Lebanon. Let there be more hungry people in the US to keep that funding going and growing.
I am all for it.
In that vein, please sign this petition against dual citizens in the WH:
link to petitions.whitehouse.gov
Need 25000 votes for WH response. About 80 votes so far.
O joyous day! I have long waited for the unveiling of the apocalypse!
@ American
Deliciouser and deliciouser! (apologies to Lewis Carroll)
I never thought that they would all prepare to fall at once!
Yes, I get the impression that all is not as it seems. He may have deliberately chosen a path orthogonal to that of his father because he believes he can do with deceit what his dad couldn't do with honesty. If he succeeds, that would redeem him in my eyes, but perhaps I am reading too much here.
Rand Paul is no Ron Paul. He doesn't get my vote, although I suspect he is walking a fine line here.
He just announced to Israel that America couldn't be its friend if it was broke, and so we need to eliminate foreign aid to everyone, including Israel, but starting with Israel's enemies. I think he believes that if he cuts off the money supply, it may cripple the lobby. He is clearly not wanting to antagonize the lobby. It will be interesting to see if he pulls it off.
@ Ellen
don’t underestimate how ugly, vicious and even criminal it can become
I am counting on it being loathsome.
...and very visible.
Okay - you are on. I'll take that bet.
Jeez dudes! Lighten up!
We just won a pretty sweet victory by having Hagel nominated with a decent chance for confirmation, after watching all the Israel-firsters come out into the sunlight while trying to prevent this from happening. No matter what happens now, the lobby just sustained a pretty big wallop on the broadside. I rejoice at this. A lot of people on this board feel the need to be cynical and dump on this, and I don't.
Maybe this will mean something big or maybe it won't, but it is a hell of a lot better than if Obama had not nominated him - and you know I am no fan of Obama. And guess what, the show isn't even half over. What follows is probably a very public fight over confirmation in which all the nation will view the lobby in all its ugliness.
I am going over to Costco to load up on popcorn. This should be fun!
It is telling how jaded and desensitized I have become that this no longer shocks me. I just expect Israel to behave this way on a daily basis. Perhaps this is what it takes for the world to wake up.
Not in my name. Not on my dime.
thanks annie. spending much of my time in china on business these days, but it is good to be back home for a while.
@annie
Well, here is one of the rumors from 2010:
link to voices.yahoo.com
and regarding the tea party:
link to salon.com
and about being blackmailed:
link to dailykos.com
Why in the world would I, as a non-jew, want to save Israel? The sooner it collapses and vanishes from existence (the entity, not the people), the better it is for the rest of the world. I am an anti-Israel American who is not about to lift a finger to aid and abet Israel in any shape or form. I want this yoke removed from the collective shoulders of the USA so we can focus on things that are important to us and in our self-interest.
Note, however, that the letter itself is still an expression of fealty to Israel and only scolds those that would frame Hagel as anti-Israel.
@Blank State
"Hope" is an essential, if not always a logical, component of the human experience.
Without hope, there is only despair. Yes, Obama has failed on delivering on our hopes in almost every single one of our aspirations as you correctly state, and yet we hope in the face of no other solutions being immediately obvious. We tell ourselves that this time it may be different since he does not have the contraints of needing to be re-elected, and thus the improbable becomes probable.
Despite all his failures, were Obama to somehow strike a fatal blow to the Israel lobby, would he not have redeemed himself in our eyes? Perhaps that won't happen, and merely nominating Hagel may not in itself be that fatal blow, but still so delicious in its potential to open the lobby to subsequent blows that could indeed prove fatal.
"Hope" is not evidence of being asleep and needing to be awakened as you posit. Neither is any hope exclusive from other hopes or efforts. If not for hope, the many disappointments that assail us through the course of our respective lives would have long taken their toll and reduced us to bitter hulks of cynical existence. The cynic is statistically more likely to be correct than not, and yet despite all statistics, the improbable does happen, and when it does, the accompanying joy is incomparably satisfying.
I say, let us hope, until such time as when it is certain that it will be unrequited.
For any movement to survive, there must always be hope.
And lest we forget, we have already won, merely by this debate taking place in public, in no small part due to Obama having leaked his intentions as he did.
The Mayan Calendar ended 4 days ago. The world did not end - but an epoch may have ended.
As the Iron Age gives way to the Golden Age and the Age of Aquarius dawns, we may be on the verge of shedding our past and stepping into the New Age with heightened awareness.
With awareness comes responsibility. We can no longer avert our eyes from the injustices that we have foisted on the rest of the world, mostly through our support of Israel.
Chuck Hagel may well be the the first javelin thrown at the heart of the old epoch. Dare we hope that he would actually be confirmed as SOD? It would dislodge the holiest of holies and bring the entire zionist infrastructure crashing to the ground in a crescendo of shattered glass - after all, that is all they are: glass crystals, that pretend to be diamond. What a Christmas gift that would be! An America restored for Americans.
The mere thought of that happening, deliriously intoxicates me with visions of what that may be like. Imagine a world at peace with prosperity for all. Imagine a world not controlled by militarism. Imagine a world where there is true justice. Imagine a world that would do John Lennon proud.
Dear Santa, I have been a good boy all year (at least you can't prove I haven't). Please, oh please, can I have Chuck Hagel for Christmas? Pretty please? I didn't cry when you didn't bring me Ron Paul, so by all accounts you owe me one.
I'll bite. How does your story end?
Done.
Done.
Good comment. If Egypt becomes a serious diplomatic player, then that is a game changer.
@American - Excellent analysis. I concur.
I am currently visiting Beijing on business. The general Chinese populace knows little or nothing about the ME conflict in general and this one in particular. The government has issued statements backing Egypt's mediation and is clearly not in the Israeli camp.
On a related note, I may be the last believer in the 2-state solution. Based on the recent poll of 90% Israelis favoring ethnic cleansing of Palestine, I have no confidence in the 1-state solution, which would be apartheid in nature, at best. In fact, it would be worse for the Palestinians as their oppression would become a domestic matter rather than an International one given the Western media coverage, unlike what happened in SA.
I do not, however, believe that a negotiated 2-state solution is possible. It will have to be done by external force by the assertion of the 1967 borders. How that will happen remains to be seen.
In general, I am positively inclined with this most recent development. I, however, do not give Obama any credit for this.
That's a pretty intimate pose for the two!
Could this be the tipping point where association with the lobby loses its lustre? Nah!
@ Kathleen
Stewart is a gatekeeper. He steps close to the edge on some issues, but never crosses the line - so he keeps his job.
He contributes to the media's continuing desensitization of America to the atrocities of war by making light of genocide. While he uses comedy to bring important issues to the public that the MSM papers over, that same laughter distracts and also makes it possible for us to not have to confront the brutality of innocents ravaged by drones and bombs.
I hope Netanyahu gets reelected. The starker the display of Israeli character, the better for awakening the still-somnambulant American populace. I hope he continues to insult the US president and publicly demand obeisance.
As for Obama, he ain't about to do anything about anything. So, maybe, Netanyahu will do it for him.
And the false left/right narrative continues. Tweedledee got more electoral college votes than Tweedledum - whooppee! Meanwhile, the popular vote is split almost identically between the two - proving once again that there isn't a grain of difference between the two.
I am sure all the "progressives" are rejoicing at their "victory" tonight. Meanwhile, the republicans can reflect on how the election would have gone had they nominated Dr. Paul instead of Israel's chattel.
So, let's see if all those of you who predicted a harder line on Israel from a resurgent Obama were correct. For my part, forgive me if I don't hold my breath. I don't have a wardrobe that matches a blue face...
Churches are tax-exempt. :-)
@RoHa
At most Canadian airports with flights to the US, US immigration checks are done right there, allowing the flight to then become a domestic flight to anywhere in the US. I guess it was found to be more efficient as there are more US destinations than Canadian ones.
This does not happen in the reverse direction, and Canadian immigration is in Canada.
Israel is no friend. Please stop using pander-phrases like these that are used by politicians that don't have the moral fortitude to call a spade, a spade.
Just makes my blood boil!
How can beggars be choosers? That shitty little country takes our money, but is able to dictate to us and refuse to meet one of our statesmen! The sheer audacity is mind-boggling!
I want every congress critter that continues to pander to Israel and send our tax money there to be lined against a wall and shot for treason.
Unbelievable!
I say let the GOP be identified with Israel. Obama should be more vocal in distancing himself from Israel. Then, if he wins, it will show how the American populace is far from as pro-Israel as the lobby would make us out to be.
As it now stands, if either party wins, there won't be a hair-breadth of distance between their Israel-pandering positions.
I am writing in Ron Paul.
@ mondonut
Wow. It’s not every day that you see someone advocate that a non-state Iranian proxy, dedicated to eliminating Israel, should have firepower SUPERIOR to Israel.
You should go out more often. This view is widely shared if sparsely reported.
Hizb. is dedicated to the defense of Lebanon from Israeli incursions - not the elimination of Israel. Not that I am against the elimination of Israel (not its people - just the entity).
Our time is coming. This is the tipping point.
annie - I want to be just like you when I grow up! Brava!
Just as there was huge public outrage against the KKK in the past, I want to see an equivalent level of outrage against the Islamophobes. I want them to be viewed with the same disdain as David Duke was. I am looking for public shunning and shaming.
I want people to spit after they utter their names.
I was wondering the same thing - it looks like a stick-on, but it could just be photoshop since the perspective of the replacement text doesn't quite match, although it could be an optical illusion.
EDIT: On further examination of the original photo, this looks like it is real and is taped on. It is obvious in this jpeg: link to desertpeace.files.wordpress.com
Do we know who paid for this?
I am so proud of my city!
And check this out: link to desertpeace.wordpress.com
Good article on VT about Jerusalem Post criticizing Netanyahu as American king maker:
link to veteranstoday.com
Good. One down.
Michael Oren should surrender his US passport.
X 1000 !
@ Nevada Ned
If Adelson was indicted, that would be huge!
Another testament to the growing ennui towards Israel are these polls from VT:
link to veteranstoday.com
@ ColinWright
My takeaway from your above post:
1. We need an organisation in order "to win"
2. 3-point mission statement (with other points omitted) to rally behind
Building our anti-AIPAC
Perhaps some form of organization could benefit us, but I don't think we could ever counter the mafia that is AIPAC. They have a surefire funding scheme that we can never compete with:
1. Get politicians elected to congress who will side with you
2. Ensure their continuing loyalty, either by bribes (donations), coercion (threaten to fund their opponent), or blackmail (those underage encounters).
3. Tap on these politicians to allocate large overt and covert funds to Israel from the US taxpayer
4. Israel sends a portion of this money back to AIPAC through direct and indirect means
5. Rinse and repeat
In the meantime, control the messaging and PR by controlling media, and a very visible presence on the Internet through Hasbara efforts.
Its the perfect mafia with foxes guarding the henhouse. Its hard to see how we could counter this head-on. We need to flank them somehow.
Our mission statement
Here, my goals and motivations may be different from yours. What drives me mostly is a very US-centric set of imperatives, some of which can, incidentally, be of global benefit, but commence from very selfish perspectives:
1. I don't want my tax money going to Israel, or to any other country for that matter
2. I don't want my country meddling in the affairs of other countries, except for the purpose of trade and friendship
3. I don't want want entangling alliances with Israel or any other country which can corner us to act in ways that are against our best interests
4. I do not want any foreign nation meddling in our domestic, political, or foreign affairs, either openly or by clandestine means
5. I do not want foreign nationals, including those with dual nationalities, in any position of power or influence in our government. This has to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people of the USA exclusively.
6. I want our military used for the sole purpose of defending our borders against all threats. I do not want our armed forces used to invade other countries or fight preemptive wars against the enemies of other countries. I want no reason for any country to see us as a foe. Instead, I want us to be a nation that is friends with all who want us as such, and trade with all who wish to do so.
But, what of the Palestinians? Isn't that why we are here on MW?
The Palestinian plight brings tears to my eyes, but railing against it is not going to save them. I do not mean to minimize the impact of efforts such as BDS and the evangelism of sites such as MW in educating the American populace, but in the end, the problem cannot be solved head-on.
Education goes a long way towards that end and Phil Weiss deserves a lot of credit for making huge inroads towards achieving that by showcasing the daily atrocities of Israel and the Israel-firsters in full frontal nudity.
In the end, if we can get America to adopt my 6 points above, Palestine will be saved, as will the rest of the world. Without the military might and bully pulpit of the USA, Israel will no longer be able to continue on its present course. It will be forced to make peace with, and get along with its neighbors. It can no longer count on US vetoes in the UN to shield it from the punishment of international law.
♪ ♫ You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one. ♫♪
One of the reasons many of us rally around Ron Paul is because he espouses the above 6 points. People put him down for all sorts of other reasons (many contrived) based on their own personal priorities. From where I stand, unless we can achieve the above goals, no other priorities will be worth a damn.
I believe the power of the hasbarists is on a definite wane. Their brute force method of following up on every single hint of anti-Israel sentiment expressed in the papers is backfiring on them. Even those who don't post replies (I don't) to WAPO articles are not buying their hasbara. I am happy to let them continue to spend their resources tilting at windmills (except for the fact that my taxes fund them), the war is already lost to their chagrin.
Watch desperation at the cusp of madness as they redouble their hasbara in the weeks ahead.
@ Merk
I am not aware of any organized "anti-Israel crowd" that bears any similarity to the Hasbara denizens.
1. I am not aware of anything resembling "megaphone" to attack every anti-Israel article that may pop up
2. I am not aware of any paid-propaganda organization that publishes anti-Israel articles in American papers
3. I am not aware of any anti-Israel lobby of activists that writes bills for congress
4. I am not aware of any anti-Israel lobby of activists that influences US foreign policy in the slightest
5. I am not aware of any anti-Israel lobby of activists that influences US elections
6. I am not aware of any anti-Israel lobby of activists that publish talking points for cutting and pasting on web sites. Most anti-Israel posts I have seen have been formulated by individuals with no central organization.
Care to substantiate your claims with reference sources?