Ethnic Manipulation
Antiwar.com has a very interesting blog entry about a "rapid response alert" from the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco. The alert claims that an antiwar protest and Nancy Pelosi's office is actually an anti-Israel rally.
The e-mail also falsely attributes certain anti-Israel statements to the protesting groups.
Justin then wonders what this group is doing fronting as a shill for the war party.
Another way to look at it, however, is that someone that has connections to the JCRC actually believes that a protest against the Iraq war is a protest against the interests of Israel. We have seen that type of paranoia on this blog.
The overall membership of the JCRC does not hold this position, but someone does, and that someone has enough influence to get a fraudulent e-mail sent out.
The e-mail also falsely attributes certain anti-Israel statements to the protesting groups.
Justin then wonders what this group is doing fronting as a shill for the war party.
It's interesting how the War Party lies, and manipulates ethnic-nationalist feeings to its advantage -- when, in reality, the overwhelming majority of Bay Area people of the Jewish faith support the antiwar position. This email is a fraud perpetrated on the Jewish community. What in the name of all that's holy is the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area doing acting as a shill for the War Party? An interesting question, which you might want to ask them yourself. Just call them up. Here's the number: 415-957-1551
Another way to look at it, however, is that someone that has connections to the JCRC actually believes that a protest against the Iraq war is a protest against the interests of Israel. We have seen that type of paranoia on this blog.
The overall membership of the JCRC does not hold this position, but someone does, and that someone has enough influence to get a fraudulent e-mail sent out.
posted by Brian at 9:56 AM
7 Comments:
I just called these folks up. Spoke with someone (who was polite) and I asked if the Jewish Community Relations Council took a public position opposing anti-war rallies. After checking, she told me that, no, the JCRC supported "peace and Israel". I asked which of these two took priority (assuming there could be a conflict), and was told "Uhmm, probably Israel."
She promised to try to send me a copy of the email.
(BTW Brian, when you say "The overall membership of the JCRC does not hold this position ... ", can I ask you how you know this? Or are you just being diplomatic? Common sense, or just two minutes spent browsing their site, would seem to indicate the opposite. Israel is their position.)
I just assumed that was the case becuase the went to the trouble of "disguisging" the reason for the protest.
Can you provide the link for the website?
BTW, I thought I saw a picture of some "pro-troops" demonstrators holding an Israeli flag. Justin also mentions them.
Now I can't find this photo.
Please post a URL if you have it.
Since Raimondo does not provide any actual information about the rally, and very little about the e-mail, it's tough to figure out what he is talking about.
However, ANSWER has very clearly added Israel bashing to their "antiwar" agenda. UCJ, Code Pink and the like are not as blatant. So it is not surprising if there is some confusion.
There are many liberals, and not just jews, who are repulsed by ANSWER and the other so called "antiwar" groups, in part because ANSWER pollutes these rallies with other agenda items they don't support. Not just Israel bashing, but apologies for Kim Jong Il, Milosovic, Castro and the like.
ANSWER is not the ideal antiwar group for me either.
Justin claims that the protesters holding the Israeli flag were misled. If that is the case, then those who were misled my not be happy that they are presenting the image that the Iraq war is in fact tied to Israel.
anon writes:
"ANSWER has very clearly added Israel bashing to their "antiwar" agenda"
Well, to some, "Israel bashing" is just mentioning that the annexation of the West Bank might have had something to do with 9/11.
I find it pretty clear what is going on, so let me explain it to you:
1. Although we have completed the destruction of Iraq, Israel still would like to see us destroy its two remaining potential rivals in the region--Iran and Syria.
2. Because of its expansionist aspirations, Israel benefits from having America entangled in a war with the Arab world.
3. Therefore Israel does not favor an end to the war--or any close critcism of the war, which would lead eventually to the question of just who was it REALLY for.
4. Therefore Jewish groups (like this JCRC) are working to support those who promise to continue the war (i.e. Pelosi) and against those who oppose it (the anti-war rallyists).
Got it now? It's kinda like, "What's good for Israel?"
PS Brian, the link to the jewish group's site is at antiwar.com--
http://www.jcrc.org/
I had a run-in, or rather phone-in with Pelosi's San Francisco office, a bunch of dumb, angry slugs, about this very issue! I asked why, when AIPAC was under investigation by the FBI for espionage no less, she still appeared before their conference this last May and basically (like Hitlery Clinton) promised that the US would attack Iran for Israel.
For asking this question Pelosi's office threatened to report me to the Capitol Police, some nefarious SS type organization based in DC.
I was incredulous -- little old me, a Catholic without even a parking ticket much less a criminal record, 3000 miles away, was threatened with jackbooted thugs for asking the Democratic House Minority Leader why she was addressing an organization that was under credible investigation for putting the interests of another country before ours.
Especially when the interests of that country would lead us into endless war and end up up with my children being drafted.
It's not just Pelosi on the Dem side: Dean is all over Iran; Hitlery; Kerrry who said in August of last year that Israel's interests were his number one concern; Boxer, who sponsored the Syrian Accountability Act; and the Dem's fave, Congressman Henry Waxman.
Call Waxman's LA office and ask why they think Hamas is a threat to the US and wait and see how fast you'll get a call from the Capitol Police, even given that Hamas has NEVER attacked Americans (unless they were dualies visiting Israel and got caught in a bomb attack or SETTLERS) or American interests. In fact Hamas has pledged not to despite that the weaponry used to terrorize the Palestinians is courtesy of the US taxpayer.
And Hamas was funded by the Shin Bet in order to destablize the PLO -- try telling Waxman's office that -- offer to give them the proof and see how long it takes for your door to get kicked down by the thought police.
ANSWER is a thuggish group of idiots, but at least they get things done in terms of organizing these rallies. I just wait for the day that they realize that the Palestinian cause is not helped when it's lumped with support for Kim Jong Il...
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