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Israel's Power
I really don't want to ignite a firestorm in the comments by posting this, but the degree to which Israel's leaders see America as in their back pocket is pretty remarkable. When people across the Arab world feel like they will never get a fair shake from America, it is in part because of episodes like this.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel said Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a United Nations [cease fire] resolution on Gaza that she helped draft, after Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush. "I said, 'Get me President Bush on the phone,'" Mr. Olmert said in a speech in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, according to The Associated Press. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care: 'I need to talk to him now,'" Mr. Olmert continued. "He got off the podium and spoke to me." ...
Mr. Olmert claimed that once he made his case to Mr. Bush, the president called Ms. Rice and told her to abstain. "She was left pretty embarrassed," Mr. Olmert said, according to The A.P.
Forget what you think about Israel: no country in the world should have this sort of sway over our president and secretary of state. (H/T Andrew)
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I was watch Democracy Now! -- an alternative satellite television news program -- and their guest today was Professor Avi Shlaim, of Oxford University, who the claimed to be a foremost expert on the history of the ongoing middle east crisis. Now what I'm going to say is the result of notes that I took during the program, and hopefully have gotten the story, as he told it straight.
According to Dr. Shlaim, as of the beginning of the cease-fire, Israel was supposed to lift the blockade of Hamas as per agreement?they never did. So, the rockets continued?only at thee rate of three rockets per month (average), instead of an average of 167 per month before the cease fire. According to Dr. Shlaim, on November 4, 2008, before the end of the cease-fire, the Israel Defense Forces launched a raid into Gaza, killing some Hamas personnel.
Now that scenario tells me that Israel is at least as responsible, if not more so, for the present war. But our Congress, and Hillary Clinton?the future Secretary of State?and many notable politicians?such as Mayor Bloomberg?are laying 100% of the blame on Hamas. To me?barring some people's tendency to respond out of religious and ethnic reasons?rather than rationality?this kind of response seems like the exact same mistake as when they voted to give Bush the authority to invaded Iraq.
I find this quite troubling that our elected representatives can no more make a rational decision based on evidence, the they did when the passed the Patriot Act without even reading it. Especially since the latest Rasmussen Poll indicates that the essence of the American public may be interpreted as disagreeing with the politicians view. But, what else is new? We continued to wage war in Iraq with a population against it by 60%.
Bear in mind what an idiot this president is - let's hope the next one has some brains, as well as a spine.
Can we get a fact-check on whether or not the President cut his address short? As we learned when he was reading "Met Pet Goat" while the Twin Towers were burning to the ground, he really hates to be interrupted while he is making a public appearance.
Carter in his book "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" , pg 209, "...(I)n the United States, Israeli government decisions are rarely questioned, voices from Jerusalem dominate in our media..." In other words, Zionists dominate the US media. "At the same time, political leaders and news media in Europe are highly critical of Israeli policies, affecting public attitudes." "Citizens in 15 European nations, indicate that Israel was considered to be the top threat to world peace."
In Arron David Miller's book, "The Much Too Promised Land", he states that "no ethnic group has the power and focus of the American-Jewish community." "Today you cannot be successful in American politics and not be good on Israel." London review of books, The Israel Lobby , by John Mearsheimer(U of Chicago)and Stephen Walt(Harvard U) (book endorsed by former Carter Security Advisor Brzezinski)"Thanks in part to the influence Jewish voters have on presidential elections, the Lobby also has significant leverage over the executive branch. Although they make up fewer than 3 per cent of the population, they make large campaign donations to candidates from both parties. The Washington Post once estimated that Democratic presidential candidates 'depend on Jewish supporters to supply as much as 60 per cent of the money'. And because Jewish voters have high turn-out rates and are concentrated in key states like California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, presidential candidates go to great lengths not to antagonize them."
I second what the Godless Heathen asked, and am disappointed this wasn't checked on already.
On June 21, 2004, Ralph Nader, the well known consumer rights' activist and presidential candidate, took the dramatic, and radical, step of accusing George Bush Jr and the American Congress of being zionist puppets. "The subservience of our congressional and White House puppets to Israeli military policy has been consistent. They're almost all puppets. There are two sets: Congressional puppets and White House puppets. When the chief puppeteer (Ariel Sharon) comes to Washington, the puppets prance." (Ralph Nader 'Ralph Nader: Conservatively Speaking' The American Conservative).
Nader reiterated the same point a week later, "What has been happening over the years is a predictable routine of foreign visitation from the head of the Israeli government. The Israeli puppeteer travels to Washington. The Israeli puppeteer meets with the puppet in the White House, and then moves down Pennsylvania Avenue, and meets with the puppets in Congress. And then takes back billions of taxpayer dollars. It is time for the Washington puppet show to be replaced by the Washington peace show."" (Nader's speech to the conference of the Council for the National Interest entitled, "The Muslim Vote in Election 2004″ quoted in 'Ralph Nader Calls Israel a "Puppeteer"' IsraelNN.com June 30, 2004).
On august 5, 2004 Nader responded to accusations by mentioning a zionist joke, "The Israelis have a joke for the obvious, that the United States is the second state of Israel." (Quoted in Ralph Nader 'Nader Writes to the Anti-Defamation League on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict'
Mailing frm the UK and have just read the report that President Bush took a "podium break" to take a call from PM Olmert of Israel. Have to be a wee bit sceptical here. Did this really happen?
I agree 100& with your post. It is an evil influence on American Politics.
The LA Times did some due-diligence:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza-un13-2009jan13,...
"U.S. officials have not disputed Olmert's account. But in one inconsistency, Bush returned to the White House from Philadelphia hours before the U.N. vote, according to the president's schedule."
Not that conclusive, though.
As Claud Cockburn famously said "Never believe anything until it's officially denied."
You guys have it all wrong. The Israeli's are OUR puppets. They do all the stuff in the middle east that our administrations want to do but need to stay at arm's length from. If we let the Arabs destroy Israel, we'd have NO ONE in the middle east who likes us. They are our permanent toe-hold. They bomb our enemies for us, or at least take credit after we do it.
Regarding my earlier question, it occurs to me that whereever and whenever the President of the USA is, if he is in public and certainly giving a speech, he will be televised, at least locally. If so, was he filmed breaking off his speech to take this call? I have no axe to grind here but am genuinely curious.
I don't understand why anybody would get riled up about what Israel is doing. It's the American way. Invade - excuse me, slip into another country; dominate the local population using superior force, e.g., muskets versus bows and arrows; battle them into submission; move them onto a reservation; deny them the essentials of life; and then pound them into oblivion when they show a little discourse. It's the American way. So what's the problem?
It is amazing that in a society that tells us repeatedly that everyone is an individual and you shouldn't necessarily support your own race or group, Jews routinely put their group loyalty above everything else, but no public figures have the guts to expose this obvious fact. it is easy for extremist Jews to dominate a society when powerful extremist Jews in government, media and finance support each other and the Jewish agenda (such as the catastrophic Iraq War and a future war with Iran) while everyone else is divided and compromised.
thechiphitsthefan
some thoughts on today's world.
updated 2:03 p.m. EST, Tue January 13, 2009
Iraqi VP questions Biden on Obama's Gaza stance
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- One of Iraq's two vice presidents raised concerns over President-elect Barack Obama's "silence" on Gaza during a meeting with U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden meets with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in Baghdad.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden meets with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in Baghdad.
"The new administration's reputation is on the line because of President-elect Obama's silence," Tariq al-Hashimi said in a statement issued by his office.
Accompanied by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, Biden met with President Jalal Talabani and Shiite Vice President Adel Abdel Mehdi on Monday, and with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and al-Hashimi in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Speaking as Iraq's Sunni vice president, al-Hashimi stressed that Iraqis want change and fairness in the Obama administration's foreign policy.
Al-Hashimi said he also expressed concern over "crimes committed against the Palestinian people" in his meeting with Biden.
"The president-elect's silence over the tragedies Palestinians are facing in Gaza will hurt U.S. interests; therefore, the new administration must be urged to intervene and force Israel to abide by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1860 and stop its aggression on Gaza."
The men also discussed the political process in Iraq and the implementation of the U.S. troop withdrawal from that country.
Al-Hashimi also noted Obama's strong condemnation of the attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in November. He has been criticized by some for what is perceived as his relative quiet on the violence in Gaza.
Don't Miss
* Israel tightens grip on Gaza City; Hamas defiant
"When you see civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, harmed, under hardship, it's heartbreaking," Obama said in a TV interview. "What that does is it makes me much more determined to try to break a deadlock that has gone on for decades now.
The president-elect said he believes in "the principle of one president at a time" when it comes to foreign policy, insisting "we cannot have two administrations at the same time simultaneously sending signals in a volatile situation."
Biden also met with Iraqi leaders in the disputed and oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, where Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds are jockeying for power.
Al-Maliki's office issued a statement saying that he and Biden discussed developing U.S.-Iraqi bilateral relations.
"We achieved a lot in 2008 in terms of building the armed forces, imposing the law and eradicating terrorists and outlaws. In 2009, our army will be [more] ready to bear its responsibilities and reduce reliance on U.S. forces," al-Maliki's statement said.
It said that Biden "stressed the importance of continuing cooperation and coordination to implement the agreement for the withdrawal of foreign troops signed between the two countries."
Violence continued in Iraq on Tuesday as Biden conducted his meetings.
At least 15 Iraqis were wounded in Sunni districts in Baghdad: eight in a roadside bombing in the Dora district and seven by mortars in Adhamiya.
People, believe me when I say that I am a humanitarian and deplore unnecessary violence,(Sorry full on "Peace-Nicks") Saying violence and necessary in concert goes against the "Good" human grain. But with all of the [whatever kind of] violence to go around in the region, why is this "conjoined" Vice-President seeming more concerned with the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza than his own countrymen? Perhaps all of the ills of the Middle East will be healed by exploiting media attention no matter what the human cost.
(see Hamas/Hezbollah)..
Oh yeah, what about the atrocities cast upon the Israeli people? Just not "juicy" enough news I guess.....
Regards,
C.
Posted by thechiphitsthefan at Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Let's not forget that at this point, the Christian Conservative right is actually MORE hawkish on Israel, often dramatically so, than American Jews are. As an American Jew who is deeply opposed to Israeli policy and action regarding Palestine, it's frustrating to see the Christian Right yanking the chain on Israeli policy and then Jews getting all the blame for it.
Brooklynmatt, you are so right. But we need another Jewish Voice for Peace. You need to feel compassion on the feeble minded goy, that is why they fall for John Hagee Zionism.
The National Council of Churches is concerned about the virus of Christian Zionism."Prominent spokespersons for Christian Zionism are known for promoting negative
stereotypes of Muslims and Middle Easterners, including Middle Eastern Christians.
They often accuse these Christians of siding with Muslims against the US and the
State of Israel in a cosmic battle of good and evil, thus questioning their Christian
faithfulness. Rather than fostering understanding and cooperation with neighbors,
ideological Christian Zionism often teaches Christians in the US to harbor suspicion
and enmity towards Muslims and non-westernized Christians. When it does so, the
movement negates Christ's command to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew
22:39)."
12/19/08 LA Times, Joel Stein stated: "How deeply Jewish is Hollywood? When the studio chiefs took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times a few weeks ago to demand that the Screen Actors Guild settle its contract, the open letter was signed by: News Corp. President Peter Chernin (Jewish), Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey (Jewish), Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger (Jewish), Sony Pictures Chairman Michael Lynton (surprise, Dutch Jew), Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer (Jewish), CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves (so Jewish his great uncle was the first prime minister of Israel), MGM Chairman Harry Sloan (Jewish) and NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker (mega-Jewish). If either of the Weinstein brothers had signed, this group would have not only the power to shut down all film production but to form a minyan with enough Fiji water on hand to fill a mikvah.The person they were yelling at in that ad was SAG President Alan Rosenberg (take a guess). The scathing rebuttal to the ad was written by entertainment super-agent Ari Emanuel (Jew with Israeli parents) on the Huffington Post, which is owned by Arianna Huffington (not Jewish and has never worked in Hollywood.)
The Jews are so dominant, I had to scour the trades to come up with six Gentiles in high positions at entertainment companies. When I called them to talk about their incredible advancement, five of them refused to talk to me, apparently out of fear of insulting Jews. The sixth, AMC President Charlie Collier, turned out to be Jewish.
As a proud Jew, I want America to know about our accomplishment. Yes, we control Hollywood. Without us, you'd be flipping between "The 700 Club" and "Davey and Goliath" on TV all day.
So I've taken it upon myself to re-convince America that Jews run Hollywood by launching a public relations campaign, because that's what we do best. I'm weighing several slogans, including: "Hollywood: More Jewish than ever!"; "Hollywood: From the people who brought you the Bible"; and "Hollywood: If you enjoy TV and movies, then you probably like Jews after all."
I called ADL Chairman Abe Foxman, who was in Santiago, Chile, where, he told me to my dismay, he was not hunting Nazis. He dismissed my whole proposition, saying that the number of people who think Jews run Hollywood is still too high. The ADL poll, he pointed out, showed that 59% of Americans think Hollywood execs "do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans," and 43% think the entertainment industry is waging an organized campaign to "weaken the influence of religious values in this country."
That's a sinister canard, Foxman said. "It means they think Jews meet at Canter's Deli on Friday mornings to decide what's best for the Jews." Foxman's argument made me rethink: I have to eat at Canter's more often.
"That's a very dangerous phrase, 'Jews control Hollywood.' What is true is that there are a lot of Jews in Hollywood," he said. Instead of "control," Foxman would prefer people say that many executives in the industry "happen to be Jewish," as in "all eight major film studios are run by men who happen to be Jewish."
But Foxman said he is proud of the accomplishments of American Jews. "I think Jews are disproportionately represented in the creative industry. They're disproportionate as lawyers and probably medicine here as well," he said. He argues that this does not mean that Jews make pro-Jewish movies any more than they do pro-Jewish surgery. Though other countries, I've noticed, aren't so big on circumcision.
I appreciate Foxman's concerns. And maybe my life spent in a New Jersey-New York/Bay Area-L.A. pro-Semitic cocoon has left me naive. But I don't care if Americans think we're running the news media, Hollywood, Wall Street or the government. I just care that we get to keep running them."
I was watch Democracy Now! -- an alternative satellite television news program -- and their guest today was Professor Avi Shlaim, of Oxford University, who the claimed to be a foremost expert on the history of the ongoing middle east crisis. Now what I'm going to say is the result of notes that I took during the program, and hopefully have gotten the story, as he told it straight.
According to Dr. Shlaim, as of the beginning of the cease-fire, Israel was supposed to lift the blockade of Hamas as per agreementthey never did. So, the rockets continuedonly at thee rate of three rockets per month (average), instead of an average of 167 per month before the cease fire. According to Dr. Shlaim, on November 4, 2008, before the end of the cease-fire, the Israel Defense Forces launched a raid into Gaza, killing some Hamas personnel.
Now that scenario tells me that Israel is at least as responsible, if not more so, for the present war. But our Congress, and Hillary Clintonthe future Secretary of Stateand many notable politicianssuch as Mayor Bloombergare laying 100% of the blame on Hamas. To mebarring some people's tendency to respond out of religious and ethnic reasonsrather than rationalitythis kind of response seems like the exact same mistake as when they voted to give Bush the authority to invaded Iraq.
I find this quite troubling that our elected representatives can no more make a rational decision based on evidence, the they did when the passed the Patriot Act without even reading it. Especially since the latest Rasmussen Poll indicates that the essence of the American public may be interpreted as disagreeing with the politicians view. But, what else is new? We continued to wage war in Iraq with a population against it by 60%.
The NY Times(Int Herald Tribune) carried this story, so it is accepted. Olmert is leaving office, so he likes to brag about his influence. It is no different that how VP Chaney would brag about his influence with the former Paki leader.