Tel Aviv On The Potomac
Message 26607555
From: SliderOnTheBlack 6/10/2010 9:44:37 PM
3 Recommendations of 22597
Tel Aviv On The Potomac
by Keith Johnson
June 9, 2010
republicbroadcasting.org
With very few exceptions, the current crop of Armani suited
sycophants who occupy seats in both houses of Congress must
go! Topping the list are those who pledge their allegiance
to a certain foreign power in the Middle East. Israel and
her supporters have proven to be nothing less than an embarrassment
to our country and quite arguably our greatest liability.
Foreign policy experts agree that Israel’s government has
threatened American interests worldwide. The latest raid
on a Gaza peace flotilla has strained relations between the
United States and its key Muslim ally, Turkey. Israel’s
refusal to stop housing construction in Arab East Jerusalem
has chilled relations with other Arab nations and has
jeopardized moves to reach a peace deal, which is critical
to America’s greater international interests.
General David Petraeus, who oversees America’s wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, has made links in recent months between long-
running Arab-Israeli conflicts and American security
interests. In March, Petraeus told members of the Senate
Armed Services Committee:
original.antiwar.com
“Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and
large-scale armed confrontations…The conflict foments anti-
American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favouritism
for Israel.”
In April, President Obama himself declared that conflicts in
the Middle East were “costing us significantly in terms of
both blood and treasure” and connected the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict to the jeopardized safety of American soldiers
embroiled in battle with Islamic nations.
A government that claims to be concerned about ensuring its
people’s safety cannot do so while turning a blind eye to
Israel’s atrocities and providing her with unconditional
support. So why does this unholy alliance persist?
In terms of foreign policy, the United States and Israel have
a relationship similar to a character from the 1985 film Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome. Israel is the diminutive “Master” who
is harnessed to the shoulders of its enormously strong, but
dim-witted bodyguard known as “Blaster,” or (for purposes of
this analogy) the United States government. Together they
form “Master Blaster”, an uneasy power-truce that ultimateley
benefits the brains over the brawn.
In America, this alliance is maintained—in large part—through
the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which
provides significant campaign contributions to political
candidates and uses their influence to pressure politicians to
work on behalf of Israeli interests.
Most of their money comes from Israel, and most of the
money that comes from Israel came directly from the American
tax payer.
Its one big money laundering scheme.
As I pointed out in a previous article, approximately 1/3 of
the total foreign aid budget of the United States is annually
sent to Israel even though they comprise less than .001 of the
world’s population and has one of the world’s highest per
capita incomes.
Former Congressman James Traficant rightly pointed out
recently that between the direct foreign aid grants to Israel,
along with all of the other benefits including trade compacts,
economic and military assistance, “Israel gets approximately
$15 billion a year from the American taxpayers. That $15
billion is $30,000 for every man, woman and child in Israel.”
In a recent interview with Russia Today, Cynthia McKinney,
a former US Presidential candidate stated that Pro-Israel
lobbying has bought both congress and the executive branch.
Here is a list of the top AIPAC contribution recipients:
Top Senate Recipients Funded
Joseph Lieberman $1,226,956
John McCain $750,368
Benjamin Cardin $487,572
Mitch McConnell $415,710
Richard Durbin $376,387
Carl Levin $366,378
Arlen Specter $338,080
Debbie Ann Stabenow $329,053
Bill Nelson $324,691
Jon Kyl $312,358
Mary Landrieu $291,609
Frank Lautenberg $260,333
Robert Menéndez $219,135
Daniel Inouye $197,750
Harry Reid $179,640
Sheldon Whitehouse $170,421
Ron Wyden $163,771
Maria Cantwell $162,598
Mark Udall $161,173
Christopher Dodd $158,132
Barbara Mikulski $152,050
Kent Conrad $150,410
Susan Collins $139,518
Mark Pryor $138,250
Jeff Merkley $136,130
Top House Recipients Funded
Mark Kirk $458,979
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen $141,507
Howard Berman $122,600
Eric Cantor $119,350
Ted Deutch $104,031
Steny Hoyer $100,050
Shelley Berkley $98,501
Gary Peters $94,522
Ron Klein $88,550
Nancy Pelosi $83,400
Steve Israel $77,000
Nita Lowey $68,600
Paul Hodes $65,950
Ike Skelton $64,049
Kendrick Meek $57,601
Deborah Halvorson $56,622
Gabrielle Giffords $56,000
Eliot Engel $54,600
Brad Sherman $53,500
Janice Schakowsky $53,195
Roy Blunt $47,550
Dan Burton $47,350
Alcee Hastings $46,150
Mary Jo Kilroy $46,135
Bill Foster $45,550
Debbie Wasserman Schultz $45,060
Robert Andrews $43,825
Patrick Murphy $41,000
Gary Ackerman $39,950
Brad Ellsworth $38,850
Silvestre Reyes $38,750
Lincoln Diaz-Balart $35,775
Steven LaTourette $35,325
Allyson Schwartz $33,625
Jerry Moran $33,300
Melissa Bean $33,150
Mike Pence $31,700
FULL LIST
maplight.org
Shaking these compromised criminals from their lofty posts and
kicking them to the curb may seem like a monumental task, but
the sea tide of change is definitely turning in our favor.
This week, a group of liberal progressives heckled
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a convention speech
in Washington D.C. An angry crowd screamed, “Stop funding
Israeli Terror!” Some held banners, several flipped her the
bird and many more threw trash. At one point, one of her aids
broke into her speech and warned “Ma’am, they’re throwing
stuff… we have to leave.”
In April, during the California Democratic Party Convention,
Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) got into a little tryst with
insurgent Democratic challenger, Marcy Winograd. Harman was
practically booed off the stage by a hostile caucus of liberal
progressives who were more than displeased with her
authorization of the Iraq War and other pro-Israel stances.
That same month, Senator Mike Pence (R-IND) received a similar
reception at the latest Southern Republican Leadership
Conference. After coming out in support of the construction of
illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, Pence
pledged, “America stands with Israel,” which drew just about
as many jeers as it did cheers. This sort of outcry at a GOP
function is unprecedented and would have been considered
unthinkable less than ten years ago.
As we are starting to see, candidates who show unwavering and
unconditional support for Israel are becoming pariahs on the
campaign trail. Support for Israel among Democrats has taken
a 13-point drop over the last year from 55% in 2009 to 42% in
2010. In contrast, support for Israel among the GOP has
remained relatively the same, dropping only one point.
It will be interesting to see what transpires from now till
November following last week’s brutal terrorist attack on
humanitarian aid ships, collectively known as “The Freedom
Flotilla, by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). At least nine
people were killed, including one American who was shot,
execution style, with four bullets to the head. Others were
beaten and tased.
The international community has almost unanimously condemned
Israel for this criminal act. But, in true form, the United
States came to her defense. Over the past week, more than a
dozen Senators and 60 members of the House of Representatives
gave statements in support of Israel’s terrorism and the
assassination of one of our citizens.
The most disturbing statement came from Congressman Brad
Sherman (D-CA) who recently told reporters that he intends to
seek the prosecution of any U.S. citizens who were aboard or
involved with the Freedom Flotilla.
“The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
makes it absolutely illegal for any American to give food,
money, school supplies, paper clips, concrete or weapons to
Hamas or any of its officials,” Sherman said on the Israel
Project call conflating Hamas and Gaza’s civilian
population. “And so I will be asking the Attorney General to
prosecute any American involved in what was clearly an effort
to give items of value to a terrorist organization.”
Sherman also said that he plans on working with the Department
of Homeland Security to make sure that any non-U.S. citizen
involved with or aboard the Flotilla are excluded from
entering the U.S.
One of the American’s who may be subject to Sherman’s
persecution is retired US Navy veteran Joe Meadors, who was
not only a victim of the assault on the Freedom Flotilla, but
was also a victim of a previous Israeli assault some 43 years ago.
On June 8, 1967, Israeli warplanes attacked the USS Liberty
off the coast of Egypt, where it was surreptitiously
positioned to intercept radio communications. Joe Meadors was
serving on board that ship. The attacks were deliberate and
in broad daylight, involving many flyovers that dropped napalm
and continuous strafing on a clearly marked American ship.
There was a torpedo hole near the boiler room and thousands of
bullet holes throughout the ship. Napalm lingered in the air.
Almost three-dozen men died and over 170 more were wounded.
Israel intended to sink the ship and blame the attack on Egypt
in order to draw America into the Six Day War. Their attempt
failed. Though the ship sustained massive damage, Captain
William McGonagle was able to bring the vessel within a few
miles of the coast of Israel. The ship stayed afloat, with
the American flag still flying off its mast.
Joe Meadors is a man who twice suffered at the hands of
Israel’s brutality and now is expected to suffer at the hands
of her servants in the United States government…a government
that he gallantly served.
I would urge all of those who consider this to be
unacceptable to contact Brad Sherman and let him know
how inappropriate his actions are.
You may also want to remind him that US financial support for
Israel is itself a criminal act. The State of Israel has
refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and have
illegally pursued a nuclear weapons program. The 1976
Symington Amendment to the Foreign Appropriations Bill of 1961
forbids the United States from giving foreign aid to any nation
that is developing nuclear technology outside the NNPT.
Washington D.C.
Brad Sherman 2242 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5911
Fax: (202) 225-5879
San Fernando Valley
Brad Sherman 5000 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 420
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: (818) 501-9200
Fax: (818) 501-1554
It should be clear by now that those who serve Israel cannot
effectively serve the people of the United States. With the
severe economic crisis that we face here at home, coupled with
an environmental disaster of epic proportions brewing tin the
Gulf, we need politicians that will put America first, second
and last.
Please copy the above list of AIPAC recipients and get them
out to everyone you know. Let’s substitute Israeli loyalists
in Washington DC with American Patriots who will stand up to
their replacements and declare “This town isn’t big enough for
the both of us!”
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Please pass this along,
SOTB |
