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LC's avatar

AIPAC is the only PAC that does not have to register as a foreign agent. There is something very wrong with many people up and down our political leadership systems that is allowing this. There is no such thing as a Hamas or Palestinian PAC that is allowed to operate like this. Anyone who is saying otherwise is trying to create cover for the military $$ that has captured our American tax dollars - most of which is garnered from hard-working Americans through payrolls for Federal Taxes - to then be funneled to these wars that most of us do not want. Israel is a very unfriendly ally to the United States when its leader thinks it can rally our law enforcement system against our children. If you think otherwise, you are an unpatriotic foreign agent promoting violence against American citizens for goals of a foreign nation that are not in the interests of American citizens here at home. We want to build and rebuild America - bridges, schools, roads, transportation, manufacturing, good jobs, houses - all of this is being stolen from us by these nonsensical wars.

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Mehrdad's avatar

1776 - Independence from England tyranny

2024 - Independence from AIPAC tyranny

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

“Now we have exposed this Robert Jaffe for what he is - a know-very-little dilettante who just might be some kind of pro-Zionist plant who wants to keep the rest of us confused and afraid so that we keep handing over our money.”—-LC

Yes, I’m a plant. You can’t win the argument on the merits, so I’m a “Zionist” plant!

Whatever that means! “Hey everyone, I infiltrated your secret organization website to cause chaos and gaslight the entire comments section.”

Is this what you mean?

Your comment says more about you, than it could ever say about me. Seriously, get some help!…:)

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LC's avatar

You tell us. You're the one making endless excuses for Israel's behavior by constructing "whataboutism" arguments about the Arab nations. Meanwhile, the rest of us are saying "stop killing, stop mass murder, stop genocide." So yeah, you tell us what you really stand for. America has a lot of problems - right here, right in our communities. We are being told again and again that there is no money to help people in America, to help our schools do better, to help our local governments do better, to help hospitals, firefighters, help sick military veterans from past wars, etc. But here are people like you saying we have to help the Israelis commit their atrocities b/c if we don't, then Tump is worse and anyone who objects doesn't really understand the real world. Now more people are saying "No more." It's up to people like you to prove that this mass murder is justified. The rest of us are saying flat out - "NO!"

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

“AIPAC is the only PAC that does not have to register as a foreign agent.”

It’s a simple answer. Foreign agents do the bidding of foreign governments as lobbyists. AIPAC is a political action committee or organization made up of Americans; Christian’s and Jews who are not officially affiliated with the Israeli government. They just support its agenda without coordinating on behalf of the government.

It may be a distinction without a difference, but the difference, perhaps nuanced, is still a legal distinction. And AIPAC isn’t alone; lots of PAC’s operate under the same rules and regulations.

“Israel is a very unfriendly ally to the United States when its leader thinks it can rally our law enforcement system against our children. If you think otherwise, you are an unpatriotic foreign agent promoting violence against American citizens for goals of a foreign nation that are not in the interests of American citizens here at home.”—LC

Huh??????????!

Yes, these wars are nonsensical, but Israel isn’t responsible for every problem or war the US has fought. It wasn’t Israel that attacked us on 9/11. It wasn’t Israel that manufactured a war in Iraq. In fact, Israel intelligence told Bush it would be a catastrophic mistake to invade Iraq, and the consequences could be a boon for Iran.

And it wasn’t Israel who attacked, killed and kidnapped Israeli’s on 10/7.

We can debate the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza under Israeli occupation. I will agree that the treatment is barbaric.

That said, don’t lay every problem in the US on Israel. It’s not only wrong, it’s untrue!…:)

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LC's avatar

It was Israel/Zionists who killed Palestinians and stole homes in 1948 and subsequent years. It continues to be the Zionists who gaslight non-Zionist Jews and the rest of us into believing that Israelis/Zionists are so pure, innocent, and helpless in this entire conflict that they need to steal our hard-earned American tax dollars to prosecute their dirty wars/genocide. It is Israelis/Zionists who refuse to cooperate with international law and international bodies to resolve their conflicts, thereby tearing down all the efforts - the institutions, the rules of law, the treaties, the covenants - to correct Humanity's past mistakes with WWI and WWII. These efforts at building the International World Order do not belong to Israel alone. And whatever failures by other nations, those are not an excuse to disregard all of humanity wholesale just for their selfish aims. Bernie has already registered his retort to Netanyahu. Israel is at fault in this current crisis. We all see it. They can gaslight all they want. Now it all finally came out. More Americans than ever have been educating themselves on the actual facts of this issue and are HORRIFIED to discover that we've been gaslit for more than just 6-7 months, but for over 75 years!!! I have seen/heard more Jews than ever reclaiming their Jewish identity to take Judaism away from Zionism. They are doing amazing, beautiful, courageous things to stand up against the Zionists, to say they are with Humanity. It is the Zionists who now stand with only the war mongers - whether Democrat or Republican - the military contractors, the billionaires who profit from all this madness, and sure - the oil companies who can use this crisis as a shield to rake in record profits, just as they were using the Pandemic to do so. That is DOCUMENTED in mainstream news and by newsletters/blogs that economist/financial analyst who tracks/attends earnings calls are putting out. So don't even try to keep gaslighting the rest of us. And as for AIPAC - yeah, more Americans than ever before are learning about their narrow, narrow interests. Just look at Jen Perelman's candidacy to unseat Wasserman. People are figuring it out and taking action. Look at Summer Lee winning her primary b/c her district voters figured it out - they have needs/interests of their own. They are not interested in AIPAC's interests. AIPAC stands against humanity and only for Israel's interests. The majority of Americans do not live/breathe/eat for Israel. That means AIPAC is against the common good of the majority of Americans, against our collective democracy.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

I have no idea what you are talking about when you say zionists? So you believe Israel should cease to exist? Is this your point?

And as for the Jews stealing homes in 1948, so did the Palestinians. It was Arab nations that attacked Israel in 1948. It was war!

As for gaslighting, do you even know what the word means? How am I manipulating you? You have your opinion based on ignorance, and I have mine, based on facts.

I’m sorry, when Hamas attacked Israel did they conform to international law? Or in Munich? Or the various suicide bombers or thousands of missiles fired into Israel proper?

All sides are responsible. Stop taking one event out of context to make a broader point.

I’m done, have a good evening. And make sure you vote third party so Trump wins, then you’ll get the government you deserve: good and hard!!!!!!

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LC's avatar

You're so wrong on your history and the reasons. But all of that has been exposed and explained ad-nauseum. Even The Daily Show has laid out the history and the rationales. The Arab Nations were against creating a narrowly defined RELIGIOUS nation state b/c they were multi-religious - they had all sorts of Christians and Jews alongside Muslims living in their lands. The Arabs also wanted to go through and international process to figure it out but the Zionists took unilateral action. Look it up yourself, unless you're too lazy. But stop gaslighting the rest of us just b/c you don't want to read for yourself and would rather spread half-assed rumors to perpetuate endless war. "Zionist" is the term that anti-Zionist Jews are using when they say that they are taking back their Jewish identity away from a project that insists on oppression and persecution. Whether anyone "believes" Israel should exist or not is for future debate, for them to figure it out. Whether or not Israel should have ENDLESS capture of our American tax dollars to commit atrocities is absolutely the purview of any American citizen to debate and decide right now.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Yes, let’s turn to the Daily Show for history lessons. Clearly, this explains a lot about your knowledge of the Middle East and Western Asia.

I know what Zionism means, but you use the word so ubiquitously, it’s hard to know what you personally mean.

And as for this idea that the Arab states are multicultural and multi-religious is ludicrous. Every Arab nation is Muslim. Jews and Christian’s that lived or still live in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and every other Arab land, were and are treated as second and third class citizens. Iranian and Syrian Jews live In ghettos in these nations. They are regularly scapegoated and jails for the crime of being Jewish, and therefore a spy.

And Israel isn’t a religious state; it’s a secular nation with about 19-15% ultra religious. 25% of the people of Israel (citizens) are Palestinian (2.5 million). They enjoy the same rights as every other citizen except having to serve in the military. The Druze, who are also Muslim and the cousins of Arabs serve in the military as well.

Israel also has a large Christian and Druze community. As well as B’ahai people, who are a minority sect of Islam. Their world temple is headquartered in Haifa.

Show me any Muslim Arab country in which Jews or Christian’s have rights? Oh wait, most of the Muslims in those countries don’t have any rights either.

So keep living in your bubble, it suits you!

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LC's avatar

Israel is fundamentally not secular. But ok - don't listen to me, listen to real experts. I don't rely on The Daily Show for history lessons. It was a reference to point out how accessible knowledge about this situation has become. As for the state of how these Arab/Muslim nation states exist today, post-1948, then I'm out. As formerly stated, YOU go read more fastidiously because clearly you have only absorbed partial details and partial narratives, and your mind is incapable of adhering to a linear timeline of when these events occurred. Israel's failure to proffer full citizenship rights to non-Jews has been documented and explained by real experts. One key example - property rights. Others should go to those experts to find out the truth. Now we have exposed this Robert Jaffe for what he is - a know-very-little dilettante who just might be some kind of pro-Zionist plant who wants to keep the rest of us confused and afraid so that we keep handing over our money. The bottom line remains that Americans are waking up to the enormous waste of $$$ that is funding a genocide that we don't want, when we could be using those funds to make America better. Americans don't live in a bubble that is all about trying to control Arab nations or Israel. We live in America. We have our own concerns. Our hard-earned tax dollars should go toward our own concerns. If we have anything leftover that we would use to help others, then we should decide that. We decide. Netanyahu and the Israelis do not have rights over our pocketbooks! And any American who would promote that we Americans should do the bidding of Israel or any other foreign nation - carte blanche - is, in fact, a foreign agent.

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