Judeocentism

I'd forgotten about it, but M.J. Rosenberg's post here reminded me of the existence of Michael Kinsley's hilarious 2003 tour of anti-semitism on the AIPAC website:

It is my sad duty to report that this form of anti-Semitism seems to have infected one of the most prominent and respected—one might even say influential—organizations in Washington. This organization claims that "America's pro-Israel lobby"—and we all know what "pro-Israel" is a euphemism for—has tentacles at every level of government and society. On its Web site, this organization paints a lurid picture of Zionists spreading their party line and even indoctrinating children. And yes, this organization claims that the influence of the Zionist lobby is essential to explaining the pro-Israel tilt of U.S. policy in the Middle East. It asserts that the top item on the Zionist "agenda" is curbing the power of Saddam Hussein.

On a more serious note, it occurs to me that some of these disputes about how powerful some lobby is or isn't in DC get a little hard to resolve because the perception of power is, itself, an important source of power which creates a lot of ambiguity as to what it even means to ask how powerful a group "really" is.

Comments

WRITE ABOUT THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN IRAN!!!

Posted by Delilah | October 9, 2007 6:52 PM

Silly. That hilarious 2003 tour of anti-semitism on the AIPAC website was written by Pat Roberts, not Mike Kinsley.

And you developing early-early-onset Alzheimer's by any chance, Mattew?

Posted by Petey | October 9, 2007 6:57 PM

J'Accuse, Sort Of

You never know where you're going to find anti-Semitic propaganda.

By Michael Kinsley

What are you talking about Petey? Or is this some in-joke I don't understand.

Posted by Korha | October 9, 2007 7:23 PM

Sent this to Matt last night - maybe he's forgotten it?

Where Did AIPAC Come From?
by Grant F. Smith

The following is an excerpt from Foreign Agents: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee From the 1963 Fulbright Hearings to the 2005 Espionage Scandal.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/gsmith.php?articleid=11727

Money quotes:

AIPAC was founded by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen, springing from the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs Kenen registered twice with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) as a foreign agent for Israel...

It is popularly believed that the immense power of the Israel lobby sprang from broad grassroots commitment by concerned individuals across America. However, evidence from internal American Zionist Council and AIPAC documents reveals a different history. Many groups, including Christian religious organizations now highly active in AIPAC-directed affairs, were initially indifferent to or even suspicious of Israeli initiatives. It took millions of dollars of Israeli government and overseas funds and decades of effort to create the public relations, lobbying, and political juggernaut that now dominates in America...

Decades after Fulbright's investigation, the Jewish Agency and its U.S. partners would be found by Israeli prosecutor Talia Sason to have engaged in laundering $50 billion toward numerous illegal overseas activities....

Although it didn't seem relevant at the time, the Jewish Agency Executive board member who was also minister of finance in the Israeli government serves as the most powerful example of why it was never in America's best interest to have a foreign principal establishing and empowering a stealth lobby in the United States. The minister referred to only by last name with "competence in one area of work, the area of colonization" was Levi Eshkol. At the time of Fulbright's inquiry, Eshkol was ending his 12-year stint as minister of finance and would soon become the ruling Mapai Party leader. When Prime Minister Ben-Gurion resigned in June 1963, Eshkol was elected Mapai party chairman. He was then appointed Prime Minister of Israel. His previously close relationship with Ben-Gurion soon turned hostile over a single matter of burning importance to the United States.

In the summer of 1954, Israel conducted a covert false-flag operation in Egypt known as "Operation Susannah." Israeli agents launched terrorist bombing attacks against U.S. -, British-, and Egyptian-owned targets in Egypt. Since 1950, it had been U.S. policy to pressure the British to withdraw from the Suez Canal and abandon two treaties: the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, which made the canal a neutral zone under British control, and the Convention of Constantinople. Israel feared that a British withdrawal would remove a check on Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser's military ambitions. After Israel's diplomatic efforts failed to convince the British to stay, Israel unleashed a false-flag terrorist operation designed to convince the British to stay while framing the Egyptians. Israeli Defense Minister Pinhas Lavon was forced to resign because of the incident, and the scandal came to bear his name. The break between Ben-Gurion and Eshkol occurred over Ben-Gurion's insistence on fully investigating and learning lessons from the sordid Lavon Affair. Eshkol was insistent that investigating the affair was a waste of time, and wished to bury it as soon as possible. On December 13, 1964, he addressed the issue to the Mapai Central Committee.

"If I vote in favor of an inquiry into the Lavon Affair…We would be opening a Pandora's box of troubles. It will not end with this affair or with this investigation. We'll be spending the next fifteen years dealing with investigations into various unsolved matters."

Read that part again:

"In the summer of 1954, Israel conducted a covert false-flag operation in Egypt known as "Operation Susannah." Israeli agents launched terrorist bombing attacks against U.S. -, British-, and Egyptian-owned targets in Egypt...After Israel's diplomatic efforts failed to convince the British to stay, Israel unleashed a false-flag terrorist operation designed to convince the British to stay while framing the Egyptians."

Gee, I wonder if that same tactic might be how various people in Lebanon have been assassinated while the finger points to Syria, who is then forced to leave Lebanon, thus allowing an uncontested (except by Hizballah) attack on Lebanon.

Hmmmmm...

Or, maybe, just maybe, "somebody" suggests that getting bin Laden to fly planes into New York buildings might be a way to get the US to attack Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, et al.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | October 9, 2007 7:25 PM

Korha,

See Matts post a little earlier today, inside joke

Posted by Eric K | October 9, 2007 7:45 PM

Re Matthew's comment "the perception of power is, itself, an important source of power which creates a lot of ambiguity "
-----------
1) This, of course, is utter bullshit. There is NO ambiguity--especially if you read the FEC reports. Most especially if you are a Member of Congress who wants to win reelection.

2) In 2002, After Cynthia McKinney --a 10-year incumbent black Congresswoman from a rural Georgia district -- expressed sympathy for the Palestinians, AIPAC blew her out of the water with a deluge of money from New York and around the country flowing to her opponent.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_McKinney#2002_primary_defeat

3) On the night of her primary defeat, Cynthia's father Billy McKinney -- a long time state legislator --explained what was happening: "Jews have bought everybody ... J-E-W-S" .

4) Rather hilariously, Bill had not yet gotten the point. Within a few weeks, another deluge of money flowed into Georgia and Billy McKinney became the "FORMER state legislator".
Ref: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/079tehyf.asp?pg=1

5) What about the fate of McKinneys' Georgia constituents? Well, Why should the AIPAC members in New York City give a shit?

Posted by Don Williams | October 9, 2007 8:07 PM

from a rural Georgia district

Don, you've never been to Atlanta, have you?

They have electricity there and everything.

Mr. Richard Steven Hack - for a chatty guy, you seem to keep avoiding my question.

Are you this gentleman, perchance?

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 9, 2007 8:13 PM

1) If any readers here are in doubt about AIPAC's influence, I suggest they go here:
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.asp

2) Enter in "Majette" (Cynthia's McKInney's opponent) and select 2002. The primary occurred around August 20, 2002. Look at all the $1000 donations flowing to Majette from New York City and elsewhere around the country in the weeks prior to the primary. Denise Majette, a total newcomer who had never ran before received over $1.24 MILLION in donations while 10 year Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney only received $602,000.

3) Just a few Examples of some of the out-of-state donations Majette received:

ABRAMOWITZ, MARC ROSS,CA 94957
SELF EMPLOYED/INVESTOR 7/18/2002 $1,000

ABRAMSON, LEONARD JUPITER,FL 33477
THE ABRAMSON GROUP/EXECUTIVE 8/6/2002 $1,000

ADES, BARBARA LONGBRANCH,NJ 07740
8/8/2002 $1,000

ADES, NATHAN LONGBRANCH,NJ 07740
8/8/2002 $1,000

AGAM, ISAAC PALO ALTO,CA 94303
AGI FINANCIAL/REAL ESTATE LOANS
8/2/2002 $1,000

AGUS, NICHOLE NEW YORK,NY 10128
ALBERT EINSTEIN SCHOOL OF MEDI/BIOC
7/19/2002 $1,000

AGUS, RAANAN NEW YORK,NY 10128
GOLDMAN SACHS/INVESTMENT BANKER
7/19/2002 $1,000


ALAGEM, BENNY
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90210
SELF/BUSINESSMAN
8/14/2002 $1,000

ALAGEM, BENNY
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90210
SELF/BUSINESSMAN
8/14/2002 $1,000

4) Personally, I think federal law should BAN any donations to a candidate made by people who are NOT registered voters within that candidate's district. With strong penalties for strawman donations.

Posted by Don Williams | October 9, 2007 9:04 PM

1) Note, however, that Some of the donations Denise Majette received for the
DEMOCRATIC Primary came from the REPUBLICANS! Consider:

ARNALL, DAWN LOS ANGELES,CA 90048
AMERIQUEST CAPITAL CORPORATION/CO-C
8/14/2002 $1,000

ARNALL, DAWN LOS ANGELES,CA 90048
AMERIQUEST CAPITAL CORPORATION/CO-C
8/14/2002 $1,000

ARNALL, RONALD LOS ANGELES,CA 90048
AMERIQUEST CAPITAL CORPORATION/CHAI
8/14/2002 $1,000

ARNALL, RONALD LOS ANGELES,CA 90048
AMERIQUEST CAPITAL CORPORATION/CHAI
8/14/2002 $1,000

2) Above would seem to indicate a strong Democrat , no? Yet , if you look
at who donated heavily to Bush's campaign you see the following:

"Ameriquest and three of its subsidiaries, Town and Country Credit,
Argent Mortgage Co. and Long Beach Acceptance Corp., contributed a total of
$1 million. Ameriquest Chairman Ronald Arnall and his wife, Dawn, contributed
at least $5.5 million to Bush’s re-election campaign, having achieved Ranger
and Super Ranger status by bundling a combined total of at least $500,000 for
his re-election effort and also having contributed $5 million to the Progress
for America 527 group, which ran ads promoting Bush’s re-election. "
Ref: http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1858

2) As I've said before, if there is a "International Zionist Conspiracy", you
need to find out who among the billionaire goyim are running it.

Billionaire Republicans --who banned Jews from their country clubs not so long ago -- are
trying to lure billionaire supporters of Israel away from the Democratic Party.

Those billionaire Republicans probably wouldn't care if Israel was nuked off the face of the earth tomorrow --but they don't want their taxes raised to pay for Bush's $4 Trillion in IOUS --and so they will kneecap the Democratic Party by any means possible.

Hence, the extreme pandering to Zionists -- which courts the Democratic financiers if the Democratic
leaders don't go along -- and deeply alienates the Democratic grassroots if Democratic leaders DO match the Republicans' pandering.

It's called a wedge.

Posted by Don Williams | October 9, 2007 9:24 PM

"Mr. Richard Steven Hack - for a chatty guy, you seem to keep avoiding my question.

Are you this gentleman, perchance?"

I have no idea what this refers to, other than somebody carrying a sign that says, "I want YOU to die for Israel'.

Which seems to be one of two things: 1) a Zionist telling the truth for a change; or 2) somebody criticizing the Zionists for using the US to fight their wars for them.

Meanwhile, we have some lame going under the pseudonym of "SoCalJustice" (whatever the hell that means) asking a poster operating under his own name who he is and what he's about - as if I haven't made that perfectly clear for some time now.

In other words, another lame indulging in snark.

Said lame also apparently couldn't care less that Israel is willing to run false-flag terrorist operations against US facilities, or for that matter, bomb a US Navy ship and then strafe the lifeboats to ensure there are no survivors. In other words, murder US personnel for its own purposes.

No, for this lame, any criticism of Israel amounts to "anti-Semitism".

Apparently, being "anti-Semitic" is worse than being a murderer of your own allies.

Go reread that section in an earlier post of mine where it is related how an Israeli IDF captain murdered a 13-year-old Palestinian girl, then proceeded to riddle her body and pump seven more slugs into her head - whereupon he got a promotion.

THAT is the kind of person "SoCalJustice" believes in.

Here's my explicit response, "SoCalJustice":

Fuck you.

Fuck Israel.

That answer your question?

Here's an even more direct answer: The State of Israel needs to be eliminated by any means necessary.

Now, as it happens, as a good anarchist, I think EVERY state needs to be eliminated by any means necessary. But I think Israel would be a good first step since it would immediately help stabilize things in the ME.

Here's another clue:

The State of Israel - as opposed to whatever Jews, Arabs or anybody else who happen to be living there - has ZERO "right to exist".

Therefore, whatever it takes to kill the war criminals and murderers who run the State of Israel is fine by me. Note that I explicitly refer to the "war criminals and murderers who run the State of Israel" - not the peaceful Jews who do not hate Palestinians living there, or Jews in Berlin, or Jews in Russia, or Jews in Iran, or Jews in Kansas, or Jews in Hollywood, or Jews anywhere else on the planet.

I'm solely talking about the Zionist SCUM who run Israel and who pull the strings of those who run Israel - and also I'm talking about the Zionist SCUM in THIS country who pull the strings of those who run THIS country.

Got that? Or is that still too complicated for you?

Any questions? If so, shove 'em up your ass.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | October 9, 2007 10:18 PM

What are you trying to say?

Posted by Guy in Jersey | October 9, 2007 10:32 PM

Marty Peretz in several clauses:

- Jews: permitted cultural identity outside Flat World, Inc, entitled to a vainglorious sense of genetic superiority

- everyone else: not permitted cultural identity outside Flat World, Inc (you're living in the past friends, unrealistic and quite possibly an anti-Semite), un-entitled to any pride in the achievements of your culture

Posted by Linus | October 9, 2007 10:43 PM

Wow, ask a simple question and the man flips out.

Ok.

I have no idea what this refers to, other than somebody carrying a sign that says, "I want YOU to die for Israel'.

No idea? Seems like you have two.

Oh yeah - here they are.

Which seems to be one of two things: 1) a Zionist telling the truth for a change;

Funny, but no.

or 2) somebody criticizing the Zionists for using the US to fight their wars for them.

Bingo, which is why I asked the question, since it seems to be one of your favorite lines.

Meanwhile, we have some lame going under the pseudonym of "SoCalJustice" (whatever the hell that means)

Some lame.... Ah, I know you would have finished your thought if you could.

Next time.

asking a poster operating under his own name who he is and what he's about - as if I haven't made that perfectly clear for some time now.

You say you're an anarchist. Check. I got that.

Oh yeah, and then you make a bunch of psychotic, bullshit claims like you and 100 trained, equipped men can make the Israelis go back to Germany.

Please, please, please try - put your money where your mouth is, you brave internet warrior you.

THAT is the kind of person "SoCalJustice" believes in.

You have no idea what you're talking about. But coming from a man who states that he and 100 men can get the Israelis to leave Israel - well, what should anyone expect.

That answer your question?

No, I didn't ask if you were a mentally unbalanced blowhard who makes claims he would never dare in a million years to attempt to back up, I asked if you carried around a specific sign at protests.

So I guess the answer to the latter is no.

But when are you going to the Middle East with your 100 well trained and equipped men? You hate Israel so much and you certainly seem to know what you're talking about but it appears all you do is talk a huge game.

Well, Mr. Hack, what are you going to do about it? Sit on your ass and just spew a bunch of "give me, give me, give me and I'll wipe the Zionist scourge off the face of the earth?"

Please do us all a favor, if it's the evil of our time, as you say, and just do it finally. What are you waiting for? What's holding you back? Mortgage payments? Court order?

Why would you let anything as mundane as that stop you from saving the planet?

Fuck you.

Yes, you are brave. That is true.

Here's an even more direct answer: The State of Israel needs to be eliminated by any means necessary.

Right. And you said you could do it. Fast, actually. If you had 100 well trained and well equipped men.

As you've stated, there's plenty of anti-Israel animus (and money) out there - please tap into it and go, go, go.

Or are you just a traitor, who's nothing but talk, unwilling to put an end to the worst evil facing our own nation?

Hmmm.

The State of Israel - as opposed to whatever Jews, Arabs or anybody else who happen to be living there - has ZERO "right to exist".

Right - now instead of posting on the same thing over and over (and over) on websites, why aren't you doing something concrete about it?

You said it would be pretty easy, but maybe you were just bragging and full of it?

Hmm, maybe. Maybe not. You can do it. I believe in you, Mr. Hack.

Therefore, whatever it takes to kill the war criminals and murderers who run the State of Israel is fine by me.

Cool. And you said you could do it - or at least make them "go back to Germany." Why wouldn't you try if you say you can?

not the peaceful Jews who do not hate Palestinians living there, or Jews in Berlin, or Jews in Russia, or Jews in Iran, or Jews in Kansas, or Jews in Hollywood, or Jews anywhere else on the planet.

Phew. Thank god for that.

Wouldn't want to go on mass murdering sprees. But get to killing those Zionists, Mr. Hack. Time's a -wasting. Right? I mean, how can you, in good conscience, when you know that you and 100 trained/equipped men have the power to end the evil of our time, just sit in your house, logged into a computer, reading websites?

I mean, that seems like a dereliction of your patriotic and humanitarian duty, don't you think? Or maybe you haven't thought it through - because if you did, believe me, you'd be on a plane going around the world recruiting your 100 men and your equipment to go do some righteous killing of the Zionists in the name of freedom and liberty? Right? I mean, seriously, right?

How can you sit there? Don't you feel guilty? Or at the very least, criminally complicit?

I mean, seriously, as the famous quote goes:

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"

And you're that good man and you're doing nothing but sitting here at home posting on websites, all the while, evil has triumphed!

How can you live with yourself? I mean, never again, am I right, or am I right?

I'm solely talking about the Zionist SCUM who run Israel and who pull the strings of those who run Israel - and also I'm talking about the Zionist SCUM in THIS country who pull the strings of those who run THIS country.

Right, you said that already.

Got that?

I think. You're a little vague, honestly.

Or is that still too complicated for you?

Hmm, that's tough. The fact that you talk about it all the time, say you can take out the entire evil country with 100 men, but are sitting on your ass at home writing in a comment section on a blog - that is a bit of a head scratcher. So yeah, a little complicated. C'est la vie.

Any questions?

A few.

If so, shove 'em up your ass.

Oh. Nevermind.

Anyway, too bad that a brave, noble and honorable truth-telling man such as yourself is so, I don't know, full of shit.

It happens.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 9, 2007 10:54 PM

Re SoCalJustice

Mr. SoCalJustice, Mr. Hack is a convicted felon who spent several years in a maximum security federal birdcage, namely Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. I don't know what crimes he committed but I strongly suspect they involved violence or drugs as your common variety white collar crook ends up in a minimum security joint (I personally know three such miscreants). He is obviously very much round the bend, as evidenced by his loony tune rants so I would suggest ignoring him. This is probably as good a place as any to allow him to let off steam.

Posted by SLC | October 9, 2007 11:08 PM

I don't know what crimes he committed but I strongly suspect they involved violence or drugs as your common variety white collar crook ends up in a minimum security joint (I personally know three such miscreants).

Anyone can be rehabilitated. At a minimum, he paid his debt to society.

But he seems like a man of action, a huge shame he's reduced to posting anti-Zionist comments (not judging, one person's screed is another's manifesto) on a slightly left of center, pro-Democrat weblog.

At any rate, going to protests in weirded out Uncle Sam costumes is another way to blow off steam, which is why I thought it might have been him.

But apparently it's not.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 9, 2007 11:23 PM

More lame snark from more lames with pseudonyms - no balls wonders who can only snark on Web sites.

"What are you waiting for? What's holding you back? Mortgage payments?"

A little cash would help. Actually a lot of cash... Got any? It costs money to fight wars (you apparently don't care how much it costs the US taxpayer to support Israel's wars, right, so you must be loaded) and to do terrorism.

"As you've stated, there's plenty of anti-Israel animus (and money) out there - please tap into it and go, go, go."

Know any Saudis who are willing to lay out a hundred million or so? I'll go. If I knew somebody willing to lay out that kind of cash, I'd be over there already. Hell, I'd take bin Laden's cash if he had enough. And I'd do a better job than the lames he's using.

"Or are you just a traitor, who's nothing but talk, unwilling to put an end to the worst evil facing our own nation?"

And what are you? Some lame who's in favor of Israelis murdering US civilians and military personnel, while he snarks at people who find that incorrect.

"because if you did, believe me, you'd be on a plane going around the world recruiting your 100 men"

Plane tickets cost money. It's cheaper to use the Web. When I get around to getting my Transhumanist site up, maybe somebody will cough up some dough to see it done. Unlikely, but anything is possible. Maybe somebody will actually pay me enough to at least cap Bibi Netanyahu - that wouldn't make you happy, would it?

"And you're that good man and you're doing nothing but sitting here at home posting on websites, all the while, evil has triumphed!"

Ah, so this is where you've misunderstood. While I would be happy to take somebody's cash and go to Israel - or who knows, even here in the good ol' US of A - to put bullets in the heads of scum like yourself and SLC, unfortunately for you, as a Transhumanist, it's by no means an OBLIGATION, as you seem to think, that I do that. It's just something I'd do because a) it would be fun, and b) it would be profitable. Absent the latter, I'm by no means required by my belief system to engage in any self-flagellation by not doing so. That is the prerogative of some bozo like you who thinks he's required to do things based on his emotions or his externally-imposed ideology.

Besides, I don't really have to do anything. It's going to happen anyway. Israel is doomed, sooner or later. Israel hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of surviving another fifty years, if that. In much less time than that, the Arab demographics inside Israel will make Jews a minority - an oppressive minority for a while, and eventually an oppressed minority just like they made the Palestinians.

Eventually there will be no Israel - only a territory called Palestine, as it was before. There might be Jews living there, too, or there might not. And nobody will care one way or the other.

You and SLC certainly deserve to bloviate for each other. You're both right wing nuts who, I might add, are far more unwelcome at this liberal blog than I am.

I at least am in agreement with most of the posters here in denouncing the support for the Iraq war, and the upcoming Iran war from the Zionist thugs here like yourself and SLC who want to see the US taxpayer and US military personnel - not to mention US civilians like those in the Twin Towers - pay for Israel's greed, religious extremism and power lust.

I may not be a supporter of the US state, but at least I'm not a direct traitor to the US citizenry as a whole.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | October 10, 2007 7:26 AM

Foxman did not come off too well against Mearsheimer on the Newshour last night.

Posted by bob h | October 10, 2007 7:49 AM

Richard,

You say you want to murder me, but that you're more welcome here than me?

If you say so. I think you'll find that most people aren't fans of those who voice the desire for murdering people they disagree with.

By the way, please find some comment where I've voiced support for either the Iraq war or any military action against Iran.

I'm against both. But, I mean, if you're going to make such accusations, surely you can back them up, right? And it should be easy, too - since you're so sure of yourself.

I may not be a supporter of the US state, but at least I'm not a direct traitor to the US citizenry as a whole.

Whatever helps you sleep at night, Richard.

Usually (this is actual snark, as it happens, you're the first) when someone says they want to murder me, that's the end of my interaction with them.

So if I happen to ignore any future comments of yours, please don't take it personally, and best of luck to you in the future, sir.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 10, 2007 8:30 AM

You never really see people who aren't reflexivly pro-Israeli makethe claim that AIPAC has very little power. You never see people who don't care about the issue make the claim. You only ever see AIPAC's supporters makingthis claim, and generally for very self serving reasons "AIPAC isn't that powerful so SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!" seems to be the crux of their argument on this subject, and that should really tell you something. Namely, that they just don't want debate and that they are simply trolling to shut it down.

Posted by Soullite | October 10, 2007 8:46 AM

How much power does the US-Israel lobby have relative to what is the question.

There are 5 times as many people of Jewish descent (5M) in the US as Armenians (1M) but I'd say the Israel lobby has a wee bit more than 5x the power of the "Armenian lobby". There are twice as many Polish-Americans (10M) in the U.S. as Jews.

This is the kind of context that is lacking from the debate. All of this "we have a special relationship with Israel" means what exactly? Why should our foreign policy focus make Israel so much more important than Poland? Why should the President of the United States warn against even recognizing the Armenian genocide from WWI when there is a museum built on the US capital's mall commemorating the Holocaust?

I'm all for a strong US-Israel relationship but I think you have to tell a lot of tall tales to make Israel out to be twice as important to US foreign policy as Poland, a country on the front door of an adversarial Russia and the historic rival of the US for more than a half century with twice as many people in the US with family ties to the home country.

Posted by joejoejoe | October 10, 2007 3:31 PM

joejoejoe,

On a side note, this past Sunday was the day for Polish pride:

http://www.pulaskiparade.org/

Awesome parade going up 5th Avenue - I happened to be in NYC last weekend - and it was great to see all the families out in red and white, and little kids in traditional folk costumes.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 10, 2007 3:45 PM

"By the way, please find some comment where I've voiced support for either the Iraq war or any military action against Iran...I'm against both."

But you don't mind equating somebody holding a sign which correctly identifies Israel's mind set about committing US troops to wars like Iraq and Iran with my positions, which presumably you then oppose.

Or did I misread your snark?

Were you actually saying that the guy with the sign was CORRECT? And that you were merely asking me if I agreed with that specific position (which I do)?

I didn't think so.

As for "murdering you", you really aren't that significant in my life, which I thought I pointed out explicitly. If someone were to PAY ME to murder you, however, that would be different. Not that I wouldn't ENJOY murdering you, you understand, but I really don't have a DESIRE to murder you.

I usually just pick up cockroaches with a tissue and toss them in the trash - which I'm now doing to you.

Have a nice day.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | October 10, 2007 7:21 PM

Richard,

I just wrote a comment responding to you, but decided against posting it.

This is all I have for you at this stage: you really, really need to get some help.

Good luck to you and, especially, to those around you.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 10, 2007 7:30 PM