Posted on 07/21/2006 4:28:40 PM PDT by dukeman
The final vote on the House resolution supporting Israel was, unlike its counterpart in the Senate, not unanimous. Eight voted against the resolution and four voted "present. All but one, the libertarian leaning Ron Paul, were Democrats, and not just backbenchers. Conyers, Dingell, Rahall, Stark and Abercrombie are ranking members --and presumptive chairs if Democrats regain a majority in November-- of Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Resources, the Health Subcommittee of Ways and Means, and the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee of Armed Services, respectively.
If Democrats win in November, all these gavels fall into hands of Members who voted against Israel even as she was under a massive and continuing barrage of terrorist rocket attacks.
At the same time that these high profile and powerful Democrats turned their backs on Israel, the party's lefty netroots are themselves home to not just anti-Israel but often anti-Semitic voices. The anti-Semitic cartoons posted at The DailyKos are just the most obvious example of this disturbing trend.
Don't belive me. Believe HuffPo contributor Sheldon Drobny. The anti-Israel left and the anti-Semitic fringe have nested within the Democratic Party along with the rest of the fever swamp. It isn't Harry Truman's Democratic Party anymore.
The undeniable fact is that a pro-Israel practical voter will pull the GOP lever in November no matter which candidate's name is on the ballot for the House or Representatives or Senate.
The undeniable fact is that a pro-Israel practical contributor will donate to the National Republican Congressional Committee as the best means of keeping the solidly pro-Israel GOP in control of the Chamber.
And the pro-Israel practical contributor will seek to add to the GOP's solidly pro-Israel Senate majority by donating to the four GOP candidates seeking to take a Senate seat away from the Democrats. They are:
Tom Kean, Jr. in New Jersey;
Mark Kennedy in Minnesota;
Mike McGavick in Washington State; and
Michael Steele in Maryland.
Longtime pro-Israel Democrats have a tough time coming to grips with their party's slow turning from Israel, a turning most manifest in the fecklessness exhibited towards the wider war on global terror and Islamism.
But when senior Democrats --future Chairmen of key committees if the majority turns!-- turn away from Israel during such a week, a friend of Israel has to be in deep denial not to recognize that the American alliance with and friendship for Israel is best served --by a great margin-- by strengthening the GOP majorities on the Hill in both bodies.
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And the moonbats over on DU are all over the map when it comes to reacting to the events of the past 10 days:
DoYouEverWonder (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 08:36 AM
Original message
Anyone who supports Israel's actions
against the people of Lebanon is playing right into Rove's hands.
We are being 9-11'd and we don't even know it.
The escalation of the ME conflict is right out of Rove's play book. It is a brilliant move.
Once again Americans are at each others throats.
The building opposition to the War in Iraq, has been split very effectively split with about half supporting Israel right to do whatever the f*** they please.
No one, no country has the right to invade another country and bomb them to smithereens. No one. Not Israel, not the USA, not Russia, no one.
In the meantime, BushCo has the distraction they desperately needed and while everyone is fighting with each other they continue to solidify their grip on power. If anyone thinks Bush intends to leave office at the end of his term, think again. This crew has no intention of ever leaving office.
Dhalgren (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 08:46 AM
You're absolutely right!
Now anti-war progressives are asking, "Why do you hate Israel?" This has driven a wedge into the Democratic Party and anti-war movement and it was done on purpose. As I asked in another thread, what does Israel expect to gain from this action? No good answer is ever given. I think you just gave the best answer I have heard, yet...
yibbehobba (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 08:46 AM
Response to Original message
3. Oh for f***'s sake.
The world does not revolve around the United States and Karl Rove. Not everything is a Bushco plot. Jesus, the Middle East has its own probelms, entirely separate from Bush/Rove.
DoYouEverWonder (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 09:06 AM
Response to Reply #9
14. If you haven't been listening to the news lately Many people in Bush's WH see no difference between US and Israeli interests and it is no longer us and them but rather 'we' when they speak about the conflict.
Open your eyes. This is all about US manipulation. It's just the Israeli's don't understand that they are going to get screwed too.
That's why Bush was eating PORK last week. He can't wait to see WWIII in the Middle East and the sooner they all kill each the better.
Rosemary2205 (614 posts) Thu Jul-20-06 09:16 AM
Response to Original message
27. HAHAHAHAHAHA
That was a joke right? I mean, you can't possibly actually think Hezbollah and Israel are in cahoots on an anti-Democrat Rovian conspiracy.
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datasuspect (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 09:48 AM
Original message
why do we let our corporate masters define who is a "terrorist?"
does our shared set of cultural assumptions blind us to the idea that maybe some people in the arab world actually have some legitimate beefs?
some may not agree with "terrorist" methods, but the US government has used methods like al qaeda's in our country's past.
and what is with the dismissive streak that our owners like to throw around like so much cut and dried truth? why does being arab and pissed at the U.S. serve as the sole basis to nullify a person's humanity, to make whatever they say invalid by definition?
i dunno, i watch the teevee news product and the people who are on the receiving end of our taxpayer-dependent defense budget look a lot like me.
what makes the U.S. or Israel so f***ing special?
some may disagree with the term "corporate masters" i find myself giggling writing it, but can anyone really deny that the US govt. is a wholly owned subsidiary of entrenched financial interests?
we have the best system money can buy.
but ask yourself what are assuming when you rail against those "others." what are you bringing to the table with you? do you even question those presuppositions? or is just as simple as terrorism "bad" and murka "good?"
OhioBlues (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 10:05 AM
Response to Original message
1. I have a tin foil hat theory that I'm beginning to be very fond of.
Personally I don't buy into the corporate version of terrorists. This is another way to keep the minds and hearts of Americans held hostage.
Don't get me wrong I'm sure there are terrorists that they have named but mostly I believe the terrorist live inside them.
datasuspect (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 10:16 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. they make s*** up and more sinister, they mold the pattern of approved assumptions with which we are to view the prevailing form of reality they foist upon us.
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Superman Returns (41 posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:54 PM
Original message
The thread for Pro-Israel Democrats who had enough!
I'm not a fan of hoaring posts. However, I wanted to make this clar. The following was a response to one thread and I thought maybe it needed its own. Basically, I think we need a thread for the supporters of Israel to vent their destruction and to make sure our opinions are heard. We are Democrats too, and we should have a voice! If you want to attack us, you now know the thread where you can find us!
Basically a thread called for the destruction of Israel while justifying the actions of a terrorist group. Not only must Israel be redrawn to the pre-67 borders but to the pre- 47 borders. Basically this poster wants Israel off the map and to never have existed!
I have never been more outraged than the posts on DU for the past couple of days. I'm a progressive, I'm a Democrat. But the outpouring of sympathies for a groups that stand for an agenda of everything liberals should be against has astounded me. Lets see you try to be liberal in Hezbollah's dream world. You want gay rights? Try getting woman rights, or even human rights under these religious fanatics. I hate religious fanatics at home and abroad.
Now, innocent civilians are being killed. Its tragic, terrible, and depressing. Yet I can take a picture of an innocent dead civilian from Dresden, from Hiroshima, etc...and post it Sadly we wars cannot be waged without innocent blood. War is the basic failure of civilization. But as a sovereign nation, with rockets capable of striking the heart of the country, what choice does Israel have but to push these Hezbollah back? Does it not have an obligation to its citizens?
Finally, let me say that if Iran, Syria, or Hezbollah had the weapons Israel does, there would be a holocaust. Some might say that as a democratic nation, Israel should have higher standards than them. Yet what does that prove? That there is no morally equivalence between Israel and Hezbollah. These people want Israel gone, off the map, like apparently this poster does. There is no reasoning with Iran's leadership and his nexus of terror allies.
I am sick of this garbage. I supported this website. I supported Democrats. Teddy Roosevelt and FDR are the icons I admire. I want a government that fights for the common good, that stands against corruption and corporate power. I want a government that supports a womans right to choice, takes a stand for the environment, acknowledges global warming, and embraces science. But if this is what lurks in the heart party than everyone can go to hell. You are making Democrats look like collectively like fools who shouldn't run an aquarium let alone a country.
LiberalVoice (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:58 PM
Response to Original message
1. Just to clarify.
I am anti-Israeli occupation. Not anti-Israel. I believe Israel has a right to exist, but its tactics are the same as that of the terrorists. Only they have much more advanced weapons. I think most people at DU are not anti-The existence of Israel, just anti-Israeli occupation/tactics.
As a "government" they have a responsibility to act with higher ethical standards then that of the terrorists. But seeing as how both the Israeli government and those organizations that attack Israel are run by fundamentalist hardliners and religious fanatics the war rages on.
Zhade (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:59 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. True, but Israel-firsters won't accept that.
(1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 04:03 PM
Response to Reply #3
7. What is an Israeli-firster?
Zhade (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 05:09 PM
Response to Reply #7
77. Anyone who values Israel over another country, regardless of situation.
For example, supporting the Israeli government's actions against innocent Lebanese, thus valuing Israel over innocent lives.
SammyBlue (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 08:24 PM
Response to Reply #77
128. You're so full of s*** you need a laxative dinner, pal
Israel is targetting Hezbollah. . .bombs are not selective. What about when Hezbollah and Hamas blow up Jewish children and innocents? I don't see your stupid ass condemning that. Usually, I hear people say how Israel is to blame.
You "hate Israel" people have no f***ing logic and it makes me sick. And I am a Progressive Democrat bluer than most people alive.
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GreenPartyVoter (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:20 PM
Original message
Poll question: Is Israel acting under U.S. orders so that the door will be open for ** to attack Iran?
Poll result
Yes 63% No 21% It's waaayyyy more complicated; here's the deal........ 17%
IanDB1 (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:21 PM
Response to Original message
1. Israel is sacrificial lamb to bring on the Xian Fundamentalist Apocalypse
Vincardog (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 03:23 PM
Response to Original message
2. The NeoConvicts BS rush to war against Iran is not playing in the USA
The fools are using Israel to start it and trying to draw in Syrian and Iran. It is all in their evil plan to trick Jebusus into rapturing them up.
When It happens can I have their Swiss bank accounts?
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BeHereNow (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:23 PM
Original message
I've got a REALLY bad feeling in the pit of my stomach...
Call it woman's intuition or just "survival instinct," but I DON'T like this gnawing feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
I can't put my finger on it and I can't make it go away. I had absolutely frightening dreams last night and maybe that is the source, I don't know.
All the news of the natural disasters, the wars and the heat wave are just building up and I don't see how something, somewhere is not going to blow.
Too many dams, not nearly enough fingers.
I know some of you know what I mean.
Thanks for letting me vent my fear.
tridim (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:26 PM
Response to Original message
3. I know what you mean.
I suggest smoking lots of pot. It really helps with the stress.
bananas (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:27 PM
Response to Original message
4. What were your dreams about?
BeHereNow (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:35 PM
Response to Reply #4
18. Terrible s***-
I found a friend in the bath tub; he had bled to death. Later, I was at another friends house and this guy burst through his door with a gun and started shooting.
Just really freaky stuff like that... I normally have really great dreams!
Carni (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:52 PM
Response to Reply #31
39. Don't freak--it's probably the result of high stress I have been having them on and off since bushit was selected but they got way worse after 911.
I consistently have a dream involving planes crashing and missiles flying into sports stadiums (not sure what the hell that is)
I believe that those of us who have had to endure this admin knowing full well how s****y it would be (and is) are just suffering from some sort of stress disorder which manifests itself in our nightmares.
I am not discounting your feelings of doom (I have them as well) but realistically it is only human to feel overwhelmed by the mess this horse's ass and his minions have made.
At least the above is what I keep telling myself...but with that said I am in high panic mode at all times and have been for the last month.
coalition_unwilling (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
7. In some ways, this constant feeling of dread is far worse than what I remember during the worst days of the Reagan Administration -- it's got me half-paralyzed, unable to take any decisive actions about my career because it might all be gone in a "puff of smoke" by tomorrow.
All I can do is continue my anti-war\anti-Bush vigiling and keep car gassed up, in case I need to beat a hasty retreat from Los Angeles, possibly within range of North Korean ICBM's.
Pachamama (1000+ posts) Wed Jul-19-06 05:47 AM
Response to Original message
79. Your not alone - there is a disturbance in "the force" and many of us are feeling it. I haven't been able to sleep well for weeks now, even before last weeks fighting in Israel/Lebanon/Palestine broke out.
Its been a sense that something was brewing and that there was danger coming. On the 4th of July I spent the day at the Hoopa Reservation here in NorCal with my husband's cousin and husband who is a tribal elder. We talked about a lot of things and talked about things coming.
Your not alone...many are feeling it...
Be ready and keep your energy and health up...we are all going to be needed and our strength...
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And some moonbats just stay disconnected from whatever is going on:
Skelington (394 posts) Fri Jul-21-06 03:48 PM
Original message
Anybody know how the CodePink fast is going?
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originalpckelly (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-20-06 07:30
PM Original message
I think I might have an idea to protect cities from hurricanes...
This will only prevent wind damage (if it works.) People would still have to worry about flood damage from the storm surge.
What if some kind of gigantic inflatable dome was place over a city? Wouldn't that prevent the wind damage? For those who may not know, inflatable domes are capable of handling extreme loads. In fact it is possible to lift an entire building into place. It is done in the monolithic dome manufacturing process. The wet concrete of the dome is temporarily supported by the "Airform" until the concrete drys.
If a big enough dome could be created, it could protect an entire city's buildings from feeling the force of the wind.
I don't know if it would be possible to create such a thing, but it at least seems like it would work. (I mean how hard is it to build an inflatable structure?)
I hope this isn't too silly sounding.
For a moment there I thought Hugh Hewitt had been conversing with the inhabitants of DU. LOL. Must be the heat (105 in the shade).
Quotes from a poisonous nest.
There is a battle between the pro-Israel Democrats and alliance of pacifists & pro-Arab leftists brewing, and ground zero of this fight is Connecticut (you know what I'm talking about). On the evening of August 8, we will know which faction prevails.
Love that cartoon.
LOL...
Poisonous, but funny!
That is just hilarious!
There is NO WAY that an intelligent person who supports Israel could vote for the party that supports the Arab Terrorists......just like there is not way that an intelligent person who supports civil rights could vote for the party of slavery, lynching, the Klu Klux Klan and segregation.....
It's fun to check in on the moonbats every now and then. I particularly like their Mental Health and Religion & Theology forums. Highly amusing!
If the Democrats take the House in November, Conyers becomes Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Which means impeachment hearings.
Indeed! If only more people would take the time to think it through.
I sense from nosing around over on DU that the far left dems are pretty divided over Israel and Israel's recent actions.
You are referring, I presume, to the Christian right. That is the core of Israel's support today.
A generation ago, the security of Israel moved many in the Jewish community. I don't think that's the case today.
Sad, isn't it?
I don't think that the Congress and the Senate are going to change as much as the Democrats think. I think this because of the weakness shown by the Democrats across the nation in the last two presidential contests, and various off year elections. The electorate hasn't stampeded to pet the donkey. Sorry, Nancy Pelosi isn't going to calling the Congress into session anytime soon. However, the margins in both house will narrow some which will make Bush's sunset time a living hell filled with conciliation, compromise, and consternation.
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