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Title: Protesting AIPAC’s “Pernicious Influence”
Source: [None]
URL Source: https://providencemag.com/2017/08/p ... giraldi-american-conservative/
Published: Aug 7, 2017
Author: Lela Gilbert
Post Date: 2017-09-23 20:00:32 by BTP Holdings
Keywords: None
Views: 724
Comments: 7

Protesting AIPAC’s “Pernicious Influence”

Lela Gilbert | August 7, 2017

Israel

The American Conservative has published a denouncement of the world’s largest pro-Israel lobby, penned by ex-CIA officer Philip Giraldi and titled “Should AIPAC Register as a Foreign Agent?” The answer Giraldi is seeking is, of course, yes. This is not particularly surprising, since American Conservative was initially co-founded by Patrick J. Buchanan—another frequent critic of the Jewish state.

As to Giraldi’s own views, he wrote candidly in 2012: “I don’t like Israel very much,” whose government is essentially a “long-running criminal enterprise” and a “rogue regime” that has “successfully manipulated…the United States, and has done terrible damage both to our political system and to the American people, a crime that I just cannot forgive, condone, or explain away.”

In context of today’s uproar over possible Russian perfidy, Giraldi introduces the subject of FARA—Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1936. He explains, “FARA was created in the lead up to World War II to help monitor the activity of Italian, German and Japanese agent-lobbyists who were believed to be working hard in the U.S. to influence opinion as well as congressional votes in favor of their respective sponsoring nations. The intention was to force the ‘foreign agents’ to register with the Department of the Treasury so they would have to identify their government sponsors and be required to reveal their sources of income.”

In short, FARA’s initial targets for registration were foreign-funded spies and infiltrators of hostile nations; those seeking to import subversive ideas to America. Needless to say, in 1938 Italy, Germany, and Japan weren’t exactly benign forces as far as United States lawmakers were concerned. FARA was clearly put in place to deal with US enemies.

Giraldi admits that FARA has not been “rigorously enforced” over the years, but implies perhaps that is changing, since former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was recently forced to register with FARA as an “agent” of Turkey, after his firm received money from Ankara via a Dutch source.

Turkey is, of course, on rather shaky ground with the US due to its ever-increasing Islamist agenda, President Recept Tayyip Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions, and particularly since a rather puzzling failed coup attempt a year ago, which was foiled by the president’s loyal henchmen. It seems that Flynn had been encouraged—with more than half a million dollars on the table—to promote Erdogan & Co.’s view of the attempted coup. After a couple of op-eds the deal was scrapped, and Flynn was fired by President Donald Trump.

From there, Giraldi launches into his specific attack on AIPAC. “Ironically, the most powerful and effective foreign-government lobby in Washington is so dominant that it has been able to avoid registering for the past 55 years.”

He quotes AIPAC’s own website, which declares itself “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby,” and details the size and cost of its clearly massive endeavors. The fact that AIPAC has non-profit tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4) is particularly galling to him.

“No Washington lobby is benign,” Giraldi declares. “Lobbies exist to subvert the public interest. They promote particular agendas and are not intended to enhance the general well-being of the American public.” He concludes that lobbies are solely driven by the “self-interest” of those that fund them.

But what he fails to note is that AIPAC, by its own declarations and documentation, is not an agent of Israel. Why? Because it is not funded by Israel. Yes, it lobbies for what it perceives as Israel’s best interests, but its finances are provided by American donors.

Furthermore, since Israel receives large amounts of US aid, Giraldi maintains that AIPAC and the Israel Lobby are “not cost-free” for the American public. Perhaps not, but the American tax-payer is not paying for AIPAC’s endeavors. And it is worth noting—since military aid to Israel is inevitably a point of contention—that, of the current US $3.1 billion designated for the Jewish State, Israel is required to spend all but 26.3 percent of that amount in the US.

Above all, Philip Giraldi seems most troubled by AIPAC’s successful efforts to urge lawmakers in both the Senate and House to block Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) activities against Israel.

“The two versions of the bill that are moving through Congress have 238 sponsors and cosponsors in the House and 46 in the Senate. If you do your math, you will realize that those numbers already constitute a majority in the House and are only five short of one in the Senate, so passage of the bills is virtually assured,” Giraldi complains.

He goes on to say, “Twenty-one state legislatures have already passed various laws confronting BDS, in many cases initiating economic penalties on organizations that boycott Israel or denying state funds to colleges and universities that allow BDS advocates to operate freely on campus. The pending federal legislation would go one step further by criminalizing any U.S. citizen ‘engaged in interstate or foreign commerce’ who supports a boycott of Israel.”

He finds opposition to BDS “particularly dangerous” when it affects America’s international allies.

Giraldi’s tirade raises a couple of questions: For one thing, why does Israel have such widespread support? Is he implying that numerous US lawmakers and other Israel enthusiasts have been bribed, blackmailed, or otherwise bullied by clandestine AIPAC actions?

Or does he assume that they, along with 62 percent of the American people, are simply not bright enough to fathom Israel’s supposed crimes and misdemeanors and the “pernicious influence of the unregistered and unrestrained Israel Lobby?”

Either way, judging by Israel’s burgeoning attainments in international diplomacy, medical technology, agricultural innovation, economic vitality, and military expertise, perhaps ex-spook Philip Giraldi has simply and inadvertently planted his feet on the wrong side of history.


Poster Comment:

They should just make the Mid-East mini state the 51st state and be done with it.

Lots of links in text at source.

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#1. To: BTP Holdings (#0)

My next-door neighbor just hung up on me. I called to discuss bottle rockets, of which I am in short supply. Guess she don't have any either, right?

“I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don’t care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it. My affections, being concentrated over a few people, are not spread all over Hell in a vile attempt to placate sulky, worthless shits.” - William S Burroughs

Dakmar  posted on  2017-09-23   20:13:37 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#2. To: BTP Holdings (#0)

He explains, “FARA was created in the lead up to World War II to help monitor the activity of Italian, German and Japanese agent-lobbyists who were believed to be working hard in the U.S. to influence opinion as well as congressional votes in favor of their respective sponsoring nations.

Notice how King FDR managed to exclude the USSR,his Holy Land,from that list? If he hadn't,he would have lost most of his cabinet and staff.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.

sneakypete  posted on  2017-09-23   20:56:25 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#3. To: BTP Holdings (#0)

Lela Gilbert and her "62%er" friends probably also believe the Official 911 Fairy Tale and whatever other propaganda they are served up by the alphabet main stream presstitute media.


"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning

Rotara  posted on  2017-09-23   20:58:53 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#4. To: sneakypete (#2)

Notice how King FDR managed to exclude the USSR,his Holy Land,from that list?

LOL, sleep tight, don't let the SJW's bite.

“I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don’t care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it. My affections, being concentrated over a few people, are not spread all over Hell in a vile attempt to placate sulky, worthless shits.” - William S Burroughs

Dakmar  posted on  2017-09-23   22:44:58 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#5. To: sneakypete (#2)

Notice how King FDR managed to exclude the USSR,his Holy Land,from that list? If he hadn't,he would have lost most of his cabinet and staff.

Our "great ally", the Soviet Union. The Russians entered the war in the east late in the game and took some of the northern Japanese islands.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Kuril_Islands_dispute

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke

BTP Holdings  posted on  2017-09-24   7:50:55 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#6. To: BTP Holdings (#5)

Our "great ally", the Soviet Union. The Russians entered the war in the east late in the game and took some of the northern Japanese islands.

King Franklin the First called Stalin "Uncle Joe",and proclaimed him as "someone I can do business with."

Then again,given that his wife/cousin was a dedicated communist and half his cabinet were Soviet agents,that shouldn't surprise anyone.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.

sneakypete  posted on  2017-09-24   8:40:22 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#7. To: BTP Holdings (#0)

They should just make the Mid-East mini state the 51st state and be done with it.

you mean the capital, don't you?

http://star-of-david.blogspot.com/2006/04/star-of-david-on-one-dollar-bill.html

"...as long as there..remain active enemies of the Christian church, we may hope to become Master of the World...the future Jewish King will never reign in the world before Christianity is overthrown - B'nai B'rith speech http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/luther.htm / http://bible.cc/psalms/83-4.htm

AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt  posted on  2017-09-24   8:56:45 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


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