Once again, we are served up an object lesson on who runs things in Washington.
“A major loophole in the Democrats’ recently unveiled ethics package will allow non-profit arms of controversial lobbying organizations to fund travel excursions for members of Congress,” reports Raw Story.
And who benefits from this “ethics exemption”?
AIPAC, of course.
“All-expense-paid tours to Israel are among the most common overseas trips made by members of Congress and their aides,” writes the Jewish Daily Forward. “Watchdog groups, using data from congressional filings, have reported that Israel is the leading destination for privately sponsored congressional trips.”
I have referred to these “trips” as “walking tours” that produce stepfordized pro-Israelites, returning to America and Congress in prime shape to vote for whatever outrage the political establishment in Israel have in mind, from pushing for an attack against Iran to continued brutality against the Palestinians.
According to AIPAC’s Josh Block, these walking tours are “substantive, educational, and valuable,” that is to say they serve well the Israel First agenda, so a Mack truck sized loophole will be provided under the 501(c)(3) ruse, designed for “educational trips for private citizens and public officials.” According to Raw Story, “organizations with that designation do not conduct lobbying directly and therefore are allowed to fund travel for members.” How AIPAC, the largest and most pernicious “lobbying group” in Washington, falls under this designation remains a mystery.
Incidentally, the other organization exempt from the ethics bill is the Aspen Institute, a pet project of the Carnegie Corporation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Ford Foundation, a ruling elite cabal dedicated to “fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues,” that is to say pushing the Neolib World Order agenda outside of ethical boundaries that apply to the rest of us, mere commoners.
Lest you think the Aspen neolibs are simply east coast banksters, consider they count as members “Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, former Vice President Al Gore, Clinton Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and former New York Times reporter Judith Miller,” a regular rogue’s gallery of war criminals, neocons, One World free traders, and quislings.
This “loophole” should serve as an example that our political system is a rigged game, a fixed horse race, no matter who is in office. Of course, examples are worthless if they are ignored, and the corporate media has dutifully ignored this story, as should be expected.
Not only did the Democrat Queen of AIPAC, Nancy Pelosi, decline to comment, so did Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Both understand well what side of the bread gets the butter.
In short, there is nothing to see here, so move on. Naturally, this story, not even registering on the corporate media radar screen, will dissipate soon enough, swept aside by more important news, for instance the paparazzi feeding frenzy over Prince William and his girlfriend and the introduction of the iPhone.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this.
Foreign Policy will be the #1 issue in 2008. And with everyone now recognizing how imbalanced and destructive our policies are to our own safety, candidates will be scrutinized much more closely.
Here's a bit of background on how special interests and those 'innocent' trips damage all we stand for.
With the Palestinian death toll tripling in 2006, Democrats used to be the very first to express concerns for all peoples not as fortunate as we are.
Those days are over.
First, the attacks on Jimmy Carter should have been a big public wake-up call to a newly empowered and more violent Israel, thanks to Bush, with AIPAC as its proxy.
Next is probably the worst example of all:
The recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon went on mercilessly for 34 days. The world cried out to intervene and implement the ceasefire, but Bush and Condi held everyone at bay while Israel used a massively dis-proportionate response.
Lebanon was bombed not just in the southern regions housing their targeted Hezbollah. Lebanon, the 'fledgling democracy', was laid to waste from tip to tip with their Mediteranean coastlines suffering the seas worst environmental catastrophe in history. And as a parting gift, after a cease fire was agreed to, they dropped 100,000 cluster bomblets.
And the U.S. kept silent.
Only two men publicly expressed their outrage and desires to end the war early on, without taking sides. Senator Chuck Hagel and Jimmy Carter.
In Congress, only Pelosi and Chris Van Hollen made comments, in a very fair and quiet letter to Condi.
What happened then?
AIPAC heard about it and was so upset they gave Van Hollen an all expense paid trip to Israel to show him the error of his words.
And boy did he learn.
Within days of returning he not only retracted most of what he said, he also apologized... to Israel.
http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=5771&TM=88.381
A few other key and connected points:
1. Van Hollen was just named head of the DCCC.
2. The new House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer? Here are his own words:
There are some who believe that we must demonstrate more even-handedness in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
I do not.
3. The Senate?
Right after the cluster bombing of Lebanon, Senator Diane Feinstein offered an ammendment to stop the use of cluster bombs only in civilian areas. The Red Cross wants them banned.
The new 'bi-partisan Moderate Democrats' joined with the Republicans to defeat her.
4. I'm particularly disgusted with those who attack and quickly throw racist comments every time Israel is mentioned.
Israel was partially responsible for the faulty intelligence it used to urge us to attack Iraq.
Now they're doing the same with Iran.
AIPAC'ers thinks we have no rights to talk but they want us to throw our kids lives away for the sake of Israel??
Maybe it is time we bring back the draft.
There are virtually no Jews in the military.
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/17121/edition_id/337/format/html/displaystory.html
Great commentary. Thanks.
I'll get back to your post tomorrow. Looks likely to be reposted as a main article.
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