← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · AntiYuppie
Thread ID: 18012 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2005-04-28
2005-04-28 21:16 | User Profile
"IN OUR HANDS" April 14, 2005
by Joe Sobran
[Originally published in THE WANDERER, June 13, 1996.]
One isn't supposed to say this, but many people
believe that Israel now holds the White House, the Senate, and much of the American media in its hands. This is what is known as an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
The odd thing is that it is held by many Israelis.
In an essay reprinted in the May 27, 1996, issue of the NEW YORK TIMES Ari Shavit, an Israeli columnist, reflected sorrowfully on the wanton Israeli killing of more than a hundred Lebanese civilians in April. "We killed them out of a certain naive hubris. Believing with absolute certitude that now, with the White House, the Senate, and much of the American media in our hands, the lives of others do not count as much as our own ..."
In a single phrase -- "in our hands" -- Mr. Shavit
has lit up the American political landscape like a flash of lightning.
Notice that Mr. Shavit assumes as an obvious fact
what we Americans can say publicly only at our own risk. It's surprising, and refreshing, to find such candor in an American newspaper (though his essay was reprinted from the Israeli paper HA'ARETZ).
The prescribed cant on the subject holds that Israel
is a "reliable ally" of the United States, despite Israel's long record of double-dealing against this country, ranging from the killing of American sailors to constant espionage and technology theft. The word "ally" implies that the relationship exists because it's in the interests of this country, though Israel's lobby is clearly devoted to the interests of Israel itself, and it's childish to suggest otherwise.
You expect that from the Israel lobby; lobbies are
lobbies, after all. But it's unnerving that the White House, the Senate, and much of the American media should be "in our hands," as Mr. Shavit puts it. Bill Clinton, a lover of peace since his college days, raised no protest when the Israelis drove 400,000 innocent Lebanese out of their homes this year in "retaliation" for rockets launched into Israel (wounding one Israeli) by a faction over whom those 400,000 had no control.
Congress of course, was supine as usual at this
latest extravagance of Israeli "defense." Congress too is "in our hands."
A recent article in the WASHINGTON POST likened the
Israel lobby's power to that of the gun and tobacco lobbies. But there is one enormous difference. Newspapers like the POST aren't afraid to criticize the gun and tobacco lobbies. They will say forthrightly that those lobbies seek goals that are dangerous for this country. They don't dare say as much of the Israel lobby.
But much of the press and electronic media are "in
our hands" in a more active sense: they supply misleading pro-Israel propaganda in the guise of news and commentary, constantly praising Israeli democracy and ignoring Israel's mistreatment of its non-Jewish minorities -- mistreatment which, if any government inflicted it on a Jewish minority, would earn it the fierce opprobrium of our media.
No decent American would think of reducing American
Jews to the status of Palestinians in Israel. The idea is almost absurd. Yet Americans are taxed to subsidize the oppression of Palestinians, on the flimsy pretext that they are helping an "ally" in America's own self-interest, as if it were in our interest to be hated and despised by the whole Muslim world.
All this is interesting less for what it tells us
about Israel than for what it tells us about America. Frank discussion of Israel is permitted in Israel, as Mr. Shavit's article illustrates. It's rarely permitted here. Charges of anti-Semitism and a quiet but very effective boycott will be the reward of any journalist who calls attention to his own government's -- and his own profession's -- servitude to Israeli interests.
Very few in America are doing anything to change
that sorry state of affairs. Mr. Shavit wrote his article in the desperate hope of turning back his countrymen and his government from a morally and politically perilous course. At least he can hope. It's harder for us, when our own government isn't in our hands.
2005-04-28 23:41 | User Profile
[QUOTE=AntiYuppie]"IN OUR HANDS" April 14, 2005
by Joe Sobran
[Originally published in THE WANDERER, June 13, 1996.]
One isn't supposed to say this, but many people
believe that Israel now holds the White House, the Senate, and much of the American media in its hands. This is what is known as an [B][I]anti-Semitic conspiracy theory[/I][/B].
The odd thing is that it is held by many Israelis.
In an essay reprinted in the May 27, 1996, issue of the NEW YORK TIMES Ari Shavit, an Israeli columnist, reflected sorrowfully on the wanton Israeli killing of more than a hundred Lebanese civilians in April. "[B][I]We killed them out of a certain naive hubris. Believing with absolute certitude that now, with the White House, the Senate, and much of the American media in our hands, the lives of others do not count as much as our own ..."[/I][/B] In a single phrase -- "in our hands" -- Mr. Shavit has lit up the American political landscape like a flash of lightning.[/QUOTE]Though written almost 10 years previous, this article is even more important today. The White House remains in enemy hands with no dissenting voices save the very few such as those who frequent boards such as this. We are in a distinct minority. Changing the mindset of a significant minority in this country is our most important duty.
2005-04-29 00:37 | User Profile
Anyone who dosen't kow that we are in the hands of the Jews is because they never read the news or listen to the same (from foreign coutries) and that consist of about 97% of the American public.
2005-04-29 02:26 | User Profile
Sobran sums up the situation very nicely in that essay.
The influence of the AIPAC and other Jewish lobbying groups on the US government is absolutely intolerable. Something has to be done. The system is rotten to the core.
This might be naive, but I wonder if it would help if private donations to political campaigns were outlawed entirely and replaced with a taxpayer-funded allowance for each candidate in a given election. In order to receive such an allowance and be placed on the ballot, a potential candidate would have to first acquire a certain number of supporting signatures, etc., but once he cleared that hurdle, there would be no private donations allowed. Some might not like the idea of higher taxes for that purpose, but hey -- we're paying taxes to Israel as it is, and we're only going to end up paying even more, not to mention footing the bill for more Jewish wars, if something isn't done. I'd rather pay taxes to allow candidates to get the word out regarding their positions on issues than send money to a foreign country so it can oppress people and turn them against the US. With this sort of campaign finance system, politicians would be much less beholden to big-money special interest groups like the AIPAC.
One problem with the above idea, of course, is that it would be stridently opposed by special interest groups of all kinds. There would be a tremendous amount of inertia generated by politicians addicted to big money donations. But if enough of the public could agree to support it, there's a chance it could one day be implemented.
I also think a legal challenge could conceivably be mounted against the sending of tax dollars to foreign nations. I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that the sending of public money to a foreign power without actually getting something tangible and quantifiable in return is akin to theft. There's no accountability for that money. How can that be constitutional?
Just a few thoughts....
2005-04-29 02:46 | User Profile
Those belonging to the Jewish lobby are supposed to be registered as agents of a foreign government but are not, WHY NOT?
At this time ( I think ) those from the state of Israel wanting to visit the US need a visa in order to do so but they want the US government to do away with it, that way they can send more spys and terrorists into America.
I'd better quit now for I am loosing my temper.
2005-04-29 07:23 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Ponce]At this time ( I think ) those from the state of Israel wanting to visit the US need a visa in order to do so but they want the US government to do away with it, that way they can send more spys and terrorists into America. [/QUOTE]Many have dual citizenship making that a non-issue. Jews collect passports like kids collect baseball cards.