July 8, 2007
INSUFFICIENTLY INTERDEPENDENT:
The United States Of Israel (Margaret Kimberley, 07 July, 2007, Black Agenda Report)
The 4th of July is supposed to be a celebration of U.S. independence. But no one can honestly claim that the U.S. is independent of Israel and its immensely powerful domestic lobby. Certainly not the Congressional Black Caucus, all of whose members voted for a resolution charging Iran with "genocide" because of a deliberately misquoted statement by the Iranian president. Israel's interests override the truth every time. The pro-Israel lobby terrorizes presidential candidates, threatening them with political death if they utter a hint of criticism of the regime.Americans celebrate their nation's independence on the Fourth of July. On that day in 1776 a group of propertied, nearly all slave holding, white men declared that Britain's American colonies no longer existed as such. America was an independent nation and would fight to retain that status. How ironic that in July 2007, America is anything but independent from foreign influence.
The Israeli government tells the American government and by extension, the American people, what they will do and when they will do it. Israel's influence was always immense, but the Bush administration's desire for endless empire makes that nation a perfect partner in crime.
The question is whether Israel, among several isolated allies, is well-served by being independent. Were it to join the Union its demographic crisis would recede in importance and it would no longer need its own nuclear deterrent. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 8, 2007 8:23 AM
It's difficult to decide whether it's just over-enthusiast naiveté or parody. Here's verbatim what Ms Kimberley writes on the "About Us" page:
www.countercurrents.org is an alternative news site. "We bring out what the mainstream media fails to tell you, or hides from you. These are the things that really matter. The things which may determine the fate of planet earth! The future of our children! In a word, the survival of the species!"
Countercurrents.org stands for peace and justice. Our sympathies are with all those who are engaged in struggles for economic, political, social, cultural, gender, environmental ….. justice. Our aim is to strengthen all these movements. Our conviction is that the driving force of social change is these small counter movements and struggles!
Posted by: erp at July 8, 2007 10:08 AMWe note that Comrade Kimberly lumps the "Israel lobby" in with the NRA. Flattery will get her nowhere.
Now there is a major difference between the way , say automakers and pharmacuticals influence legislatiopn and what accounts for the success of the good guys, such as the NRA and Israel.
The one, for the most part, seekss to act directly upon the legislature. The other does so likewise to some limited extent, but enjoys most of ts clout by commuicating with voters, who in turn peaceably assemble and petition.
Besides, as we have long maintained, Israel is out creation, kept in existence by our patronage. Israel acts as the anchor for our domination of the strategic region which surrounds it. Without Israel we may be sure that the isolationists and peace-creeps would have long since had us abandon our geopolitical responsibilities.
Posted by: Lou Gots at July 8, 2007 12:39 PMI'm sure that Comrade Margaret Kimberley's favorite read is the "Protocols" and that the Minister Farrakhan is a personal hero of hers.
Posted by: morry at July 8, 2007 1:49 PMI didn't quite understand. Is she for intervention in Darfur, or against?
Posted by: Barry Meislin at July 8, 2007 3:38 PMIf Israel did become a state, things in the Middle East would certainly change, but you would also see a lot more open bigotry like this article. It might be fun.
I myself would love to hear Mahmoud and the weak-chinned eye doctor give their takes on the evening news. And it would be interesting to see the reaction from England, some of which would be driven by jealousy, no doubt.
Posted by: ratbert at July 8, 2007 8:21 PMWhat will these people do when Bush is gone??
Posted by: Andrew X at July 8, 2007 8:22 PMIsrael as an American state resembles the plan in Release 1.0 of Zionism, which was based on a Jewish homeland in a small corner of the Ottoman Empire which could keep itself Jewish by using private property rights. (Herzl was from Austria--Hungary and might have regarded multinational empires as the natural way of doing things.) This explains such oddities as the Jewish National Fund or the Histadrut which make sense in a Jewish corner but not in a Jewish state. On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and its successor the British Empire proved unreliable so we had to make do with Plan B.
If Israel does become a U.S. state, it will, of course, be necessary to have a religion-friendly Supreme Court.
Posted by: Joseph Hertzlinger at July 8, 2007 11:33 PMLet's switch New Jersey and Israel. They're approximately the same size and population. It's a win, win situation.
Posted by: erp at July 9, 2007 1:12 PM