Tel Aviv On The PotomacShaking
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.
By Keith Johnson
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:
“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
http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all
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,”“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 said on the Israel Project
call conflating Hamas and Gaza’s civilian population.
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 (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 (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 in 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!”
This article was taken from: Revolt of the Plebs
http://revoltoftheplebs.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/tel-aviv-on-the-potomac/
http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/06/tel-aviv-on-the-potomac/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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