AIPAC's senator and his apparent desire to silence Americans,

 

"“This bill is unconstitutional because it seeks to impose the government’s political views on Americans who choose to express themselves through boycotts,” said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “The proposed changes are improvements, but the revised bill continues to penalize participants in political boycotts in violation of the First Amendment. If it is enacted in this form and takes effect, we will strongly consider fighting it in court.”

The bill seeks to prohibit companies from providing information to multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union that could be used to publicly list businesses operating in the West Bank. The latest version of the bill would make US-based companies and their employees legally liable if they “comply with, further or support” attempts by foreign countries or “international governmental organizations” to either boycott Israel or “to collect information” that could lead to a boycott."  Al-Monitor

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The ACLU says it MAY sue over this if it becomes law?  How could they not?  In its original form this AIPAC driven proposal would have subjected violators to a 20 year possible prison sentence for the expression of their opinion regarding Israel's seizures of Palestinian lands and the brutality of the IDF and Shin Bet in those territories held by Israel as spoils of war.  As originally written the law would have applied to all Americans as well as corporate America.  In other words SST would have become a criminal enterprise for the expression of our opinions and I would have been criminalized as the proprietor of this digital forum.

This current version "merely" punishes corporations and their employees for opposition to Israeli colonialism.

Can there be any doubt that Cardin's real loyalty is not to the United States? pl 

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/israel-anti-boycott-bill-closer-passing-senate-revisions.html?utm_campaign=20180307&utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Newsletter

Comments

[JW]

Only one Senator ?

A cynical reader would also question the good Senator's adherence to 'bearing true faith and allegiance' to the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment, as described in his Oath of Office. Such things actually mean something.

And that's before anyone raises the question of joint US-Israeli citizens currently in Government service.

[turcopolier]

JW

OK. Give us your list. pl

[JamesT]

As a Canadian, I prefer the British parliamentary system to the US system in a number of respects ... but I have to hand it to you yanks, your protections for freedom of speech are the best (and most intelligent) in the world. I take my hat off to you.

AIPAC and their minions can continue to try and make mischief, but on this issue the founding fathers have outplayed them IMO.

[turcopolier]

jamesT

Yes. British style parliamentary government gave Canada Justin the shirt model and the US Constitution gave the US Donald Trump. As a dual national I have both of them. pl

[A.Pols]

And, we're (That is MSM and "Borgists") concerned about Russian intrusion into our internal affairs?
Meantime we have the Likes of Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Joe Lieberman, and others you can think up who have been driving American interventionist foreign policy in directions contrary to the interests of and wellbeing of most Americans.

[Huckleberry]

End dual-citizenship now.

[jsn]

If he doesn't sue, you kind of have to wonder about Wizner too.

[J]

Phil has an article about AIPAC

AIPAC Returns to Washington

Who is interfering with American democracy?
Philip Giraldi
http://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/aipac-returns-to-washington/

[Sid Finster]

I know that the ACLU have acted like a bunch of castrati, especially of late, but this is ridiculous!

A blatant abrogation of the First Amendment and the ACLU *may* try and fight it? Seriously, what are these eunuchs good for?

[SRW]

Col.
Just curious. Is dual national the same as dual citizen ship and if so, how does one qualify for it.

[turcopolier]

SRW

It is. In my case my mother was a Canadian citizen and that suffices under Canadian law. I only became aware of this a few years ago and sent them the necessary paperwork and they eventually sent me a nice certificate with a lot of beavers, maple leaves and the like on it. I ought to get it framed. Before you ask I no longer hold a US security clearance having asked to be debriefed after the Jeffrey Sterling case disgrace. Throughout my US government service I knew people who did hold US security clearances and were dual nationals (UK,Canada, Australia and New Zealand). This required an individual adjudication in each case. pl

[Castellio]

JamesT, its far from clear the US constitution will "win" this. All legal clauses can be re-interpreted, and I think a convenient legal "reinterpretation" might, yes, even be supported by the Supreme Court.

Many relatives of those who died during 9/11 tried, over many years, to get their day in court. They wanted a legal system with access to evidence and evidence gathering to determine responsibility. They couldn't get their day. The New York state legal system, and the federal DOJ, shut them down. Completely.

Unfortunately, this movement to silence and criminalize free speech and investigation of current events is not led by a bunch of clowns. They are experienced, well organized, funded to the gills, and ruthless.

Against them stand who, exactly? Because the eventual result will not be based on legal merit as you perceive it (no more, say, than on the recount decision of the vote in Florida in 2000), but will be determined by the balance of forces in a day to day struggle throughout many institutions.

[kooshy]

"They couldn't get their day. The New York state legal system, and the federal DOJ, shut them down."

actualy they did, get a day in court, against the usual suspect who had nothing to do with 911 and was the first one in ME to condole US, the families were able to get a judgment against Iran for 10.5 billion and hold hostage some 2500 YO Iranian artifact on loan to U. of Chicago since 1930s. IMO, the financial, political, and judiciary system was from the beginning very vulnerable to minority special interest and minority gangs. That is how the system was taken over by special interest that ideologically supports a foreign entity against anything, be it majority interests or even US constitution that holds this system together.
IMO, without the first and the second amendment US constitution needs to be thrown in garbage. Without these 2 amendments we the people has no meaning.
https://www.rt.com/usa/335174-iran-damages-september-911-victims/

[Flavius]

Seems to me that Cardin is playing the dancing bear to entertain his donors; that and giving AIPAC an opportunity to see who gets up to dance with him so it can gauge whether it has been purchasing wisely.
If this ridiculous proposal makes it into law to expose Americans to prosecution for not buying Israeli hydroponic tomatoes, we are in a lot more trouble than I thought we were.

[gnv377]

should we consider Cade's advice?

Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78

https://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/lets-kill-all-lawyers

[turcopolier]

gnv377

brings to mine the occasion in Yemen in which a Soviet Army MG said to me when we were alone at a cook-out at my house, "Lang, we should kill all the politicians and then you and we could make a peace." pl

[turcopolier]

Flavius

No. I think Cardin represents foreign control of a US legislator. pl

[turcopolier]

SRW

You haven't asked me but I will tell you that I was not aware of dual US/Israeli citizens with US security clearances but there must have been quite few. Stanley Fisher the former head of both the US Fed (deputy) and the Israeli equivalent would be one. I would think it likely that Jared Kushner is another. pl

[kooshy]

What about this other senator, Menendez, he is asking and willing to have a nuclear war with Russia with possible millions killed to protect Israel? what is unbelievable to me is that no one and I repeat no one anywhere and in any position in US government protest this or dares to say anything against Israel on this US congress positions.

"Confront Russia to protect Israel, Sen. Bob Menendez urges President Trumpgoo.
gl/XXUVhZ

[kooshy]

Sorry corect short URL for the menendez news article i linked is here

goo.gl/XXUVhZ

[Account Deleted]

“Congress must continue to fight the delegitimization of Israel and insist that the United Nations end its anti-Israel bias,” a press backgrounder distributed at AIPAC’s annual conference states.

So the premise behind this bill is presumably that all those supporting BDS seek to delegitamize the State of Israel. Well I've got news for AIPAC; I have no problem with the State of Israel's legitimacy & right to exist and support BDS (in a personal capacity, of course) in order to try and modify her behavior such that all her citizens are treated equitably. This is exactly the rationale I used to boycott products from the RSA during the apartheid era - I similarly had no problem with the legitimacy of the South African state.

It beggars belief that 51 US politicians supported the original text. Where exactly in Israel is this place Maryland, whose inhabitants Cardin purportedly represents?

[Croesus]

"This place Maryland" is the landscape that surrounds the Lockheed Martin parking lots.

In about 1989 a neighbor came sobbing to my kitchen door: her husband, a Martin Marietta employee and Hebrew-speaker, was detailed to spend the next seven months in Israel.

Martin Marietta and Lockheed merged in 1994. My friend's spouse's trips to Israel became shorter but more numerous.

Lockheed Martin is the largest defense contractor in the world. It's corporate headquarters are in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland. "Bethesda" means "place of healing." Montgomery County ranks 11th in the USA based on median household income.

Ben Cardin was first elected to the US Senate from Maryland in 2006, replacing Paul Sarbanes who retired after holding the seat since 1976.

In 2014 Lockheed Martin Israel was established, with offices in TelAviv and Beersheba
Lockheed Martin Israel
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/who-we-are/global/israel.html

2016: Lockheed Martin and Israel Celebrate Rollout of Israel’s First F-35 ‘Adir’
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2016/june/lockheed-martin-and-israel-celebrate-rollout-of-israels-first-f-35-adir.html

A webpage with the copyright date 2018 announces that "Lockheed-Martin has made its first investment in the Israeli market via cyber security startup Cybereason. Thus, Lockheed Martin joins Spark Capital investment fund and CRV, cumulating the investment in Cybereason to 25 million USD.
Cybereason was founded by a group of veterans from an Israeli elite intelligence unit and operates from Cambridge, Massachusetts whilst sustaining offices in Israel as well. The company's solutions enable real-time monitoring of complex cyberattacks designated to circumvent existing cyber security measures" https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/who-we-are/global/israel/news/Lockheed-martin-makes-first-investment-in-israeli-market.html

Last month my LM neighbors retired, sold their home and moved to Israel.

[jpb]

Senator Chuck Schumer's loyalties are equally ambiguous.

"“You know, my name .... comes from the word shomer, guardian, watcher. My ancestors were guardians of the ghetto wall in Chortkov. And I believe Hashem [Orthodox for God] actually gave me that name. One of my roles, very important in the United States senate, is to be a shomer — to be a or the shomer Yisrael. And I will continue to be that with every bone in my body ...”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/schumer-im-on-a-mission-f_b_560091.html

[TV]

"Can there be any doubt that Cardin's real loyalty is not to the United States?"
Well Cardin IS a Democrat.
I have long wondered about the loyalty of Team Democrat-Media.

[Randy]

So it seems that DJ Trump would "family blog" a rock pile if he thought there was a snake in there. Maybe his security clearance should be revoked because he is susceptible to blackmail and other influences due to his past "conquests".