Eric Lieberman and I frequently discuss Israel's role on the global and national stage. The last few years have found us walking on treacherous terrain. Both our fathers were active in World War II, but Eric is Jewish and I am a student of the vast volume of literature and research about a Jew some people still claim never lived, or was marginally relevant if he did. I believe intelligent people can disagree about Jesus, but how many people actually think revenge, or the eye for an eye credo, beats forgiveness?
There's the rub. Anyone who has carried a grudge for long understands that it is a miserable burden.
Yesterday, I wrote a comment regarding the article on the sequestering of funds. I took issue with Jan Schakowsky's concern about cutting our military budget, among other things. Number one, this sequestering is ridiculous, as it cuts spending by a little more than 2%. This is a time of debt ceilings going through the roof, fiscal cliffs, and endless QE...that's "quantitative easing"...a nice euphamism for money being created out of thin air, which history has shown over and over and over...always ends very, very badly.
Anyway, predictably, someone took issue with my comment about US military spending and giving money to Isreal's military regime, an important issue for Schakowsky, who identifies herself closely with Israel's importance. Who are you, June Shellene?...and are you saying people don't have a right to defend themselves?...so on and so forth.
Well, there it is. And yes, I do think people have a right to defend themselves. However, what has happened here? Did you just criticize Israel? Better call the Anit-defamation league!
But hold on one minute...weren't the Palestinians there for hundreds of years. Do they have a right to defend themselves? What's going on here? As Ralph Nader said, isn't this a double standard?
Take Helen Thomas, who had a long and distinguished career as a journalist and member of the White House Press Corps. She dared to challenge Bush on his lies about his "reasons" for invading Iraq, and that was ok. But when she questioned Israel's right to kill Palestinian civilians who were defending their own land, she was shut out and condemned by...
her alma mater Wayne State, President Obama, The White House Correspondents' Association, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, and Clinton White House spokesman Lanny Davis.
Remember Lanny? He's the scummy Department of Justice guy who announced his resignation after PBS aired The Untouchables this past January, where he revealed himself to be the greatest enabler of the biggest, badest banking executives in the world who our Department of "Justice" would never "touch"...thus the title, The Untouchables. Please look this up on Youtube...it aired about a month ago, and it's riveting.
Anyway, the list of Helen Thomas haters goes on. Criticising Israel destroyed her career. So, I guess if you want to understand who's calling the shots in this world (no pun intended)...you need look no further than those you cannot criticize.
Ok...you're about to hit the respond button, and tear me to shreds! But wait! I'm not even talking about the Isreali people, anymore than I'm talking about the American people when it comes to American war crimes.
I'm talking about the government minions (Yes, that includes Bush, Cheney, Obama, Schakowsky, and Netanyahu) and the banksters who run the funny money monetary system, without which this military industrial war/killing machine which makes life on Earth hell for so many people could not exist.
There are young people in Israel (like Maya Wind) who have done jail time because they stood up to Israel's corrupt military regime...and said, no...no thanks. I don't feel like fearing and hating these people. They're our brothers and sisters too.
Whoa!
Sounds like something Jesus would have said! But who ever listens to him anyway?
This is not about one race of people pitted against another race. Those divides are weapons of "mass distraction." Don't fall for it...please.
This is about funny money men funding bought and paid for governments and perverting the truth through the highly controlled and manipulated corporate media. They do this in their endless quest to centralize power and wealth and to control resources. They have no loyalty to country. Are you kidding? To them, countries are little more than postal codes. They think nothing of manipulating young people into going to war against their brothers and sisters, destroying them physically, psychologically, and spiritually. (Read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins if you want to understand how things actually work.)
THEY wouldn't do that, you say? Well, YOU wouldn't do that...but THEY'RE not like you...and they do do it...and will continue to as long as WE are naive.
Speaking of funny media, I hope you watch Wag The Dog...one of my favorite David Mamet movies about the power of the media to paint just about any outrageous picture they want to as "the truth." Must be true...saw it on the TV!
Anyway...speaking of "it must be true, I saw it on TV" here's a little clip about the way your perception of events is manipulated by the coporate media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8govDI8LVao
