AIPAC and Chomsky, The Gatekeeper
Blankfort is the best writer on the Israel/Palestine issue I know who comes from the Jewish 'left'. He discusses what other 'leftists' ignore in their fantasy paradigms. Read his important interview at If Americans Knew.
An excerpt:
"The pro-Palestinian movement has been totally ineffectual here for a couple of reasons. One is they refuse to recognize the role the lobby plays. That’s like going out to play a football game, but you don’t go to the stadium, you go a shopping mall instead. If you are not on the field where the game is played you are not going to win.
So here is the most powerful lobby in the United States, which the Palestinian solidarity movement has ignored with the exception of an occasional picket of AIPAC. One of the reasons is it has been influenced by certain ideological Marxist groups that are still living in another day and age where lobbies did not play a part. I have been told by political activists that to talk about the lobby is not Marxist, or talk about the lobby is not socialist. And my response is that it exists, it’s real, and that is what's important. Also, there are many self-styled Jewish anti-Zionists in the leadership positions in the movement who claim that to blame the lobby is to provoke anti-Semitism. In this, they are what I call, "Jewish exceptionalists" who bar any criticism from acts that Jews do collectively, such as lobbying for Israel which makes them, in practice, scarcely distinguishable from Zionists
And what happens is I hear all of these people dismissing the lobby and quoting Chomsky verbatim without even mentioning his name.
His influence on them is so critical, so powerful, that they internalize Chomsky. And so what happens is you have a movement that refuses to recognize the major opponent of the Palestinians on American soil.
Chomsky came out against divestment at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches, and where he was able to water down a divestment resolution. Then he came out two weeks later and attacked the whole divestment issue. He is against sanctions against Israel, he is against divestment, he has not revealed any kind of agenda that would change things other than having people ‘write letters to the editor’.
He never mentions Congress, he never mentions the Appropriation committees. If he mentions aid to Congress, he won’t say you have to stop it. He will mention it like it a fact of life, like it’s raining or it’s sunny. I wrote to him about this and he was not very friendly when he wrote back.
In 1988-95 I published a magazine called the Middle East Labor Bulletin which Chomsky subscribed to. In the magazine I had a special section on the Israel lobby and Congress, in which I revealed the names of the Congress people who were in bed with the lobby and I published the sources, most of which came from the Jewish press. So anyone reading the magazine would have had ample proof about control by the lobby of Congress. I recently reread some of the issues published twelve years ago, and they could have been written today, so he can't play ignorant. I just believe his early Zionist leanings and his fears for the future of Jews is so great that it's like he's a child refusing to face the truth. It is unfortunate.
Chomsky is what we call here in this country, a gatekeeper. He is also a gatekeeper on another critical subject, the events of 9/11, dismissing the many questions that have been raised about the official narrative of the Bush administration on the attack on the World Trade Centre. Chomsky says there is no basis to question Mr. Bush's 9/11 story. So most of the criticism that he is getting is from people who have been doing research on 9/11, while he continues to say the story that the Bush administration has told is the truth. So the role he pushes today on the international stage is, as far as I am concerned, a reactionary one.
He says a lot of very positive things much of which I agree with, and again, I know many people who say they were introduced to the political world by Chomsky. He has clearly turned people on. But today, it may be a dialectical situation, now he turns people off, or in the wrong direction."
For more in depth criticism of Chomsky's role as 'gatekeeper of the left', I highly recommend reading the three part 'Damage Control: Noam Chomsky and the Israel-Palestine Conflict' articles. The first one can be found at VoltaireNet.
But, at the same time, be very aware that there are very few "famous" people who don't carry with them some sort of corporate agenda.
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"Money" has no value - people do.
The trick to figure out Chomsky is this. Ignore his words. Look to Chomsky's ACTIONS. Once i did this i "Mute" every word this man has to say. And if there is Any reason to put Chomsky into your video or audio then YOUR work will be seen in a far more critical light.
Why does the israeli think that the world is her bitch? The speck that is israel will not be allowed to ruin the WHOLE planet.
I say give EVERY Palestinian an armored D-9 cat for free. Let them clean up there own land the easy way. At least they would have a more even playing field. In fact just close and donate the WHOLE CAT company to the remaining Palestinians as war reparations.
I bet you would see some of the most creative and fitting ways to employ this army or rebuilders.
First you take D.C. Then you take New York.
76 five year old "Bob the builder " stoked kids all driving bulldozers looking for the IDF to "Play there new games"
I could let the Min. height rule slide for this show. Heck i would drive the fuel truck.
First you take D.C. Then you take New York.
Since it is not plausible that Chomsky doesn't grasp the implications of 9/11, he must be a liar. Here's what our "deepest thinker" on the evils of empire had to say:
"That's an internet theory and it's hopelessly implausible. Hopelessly implausible. So hopelessly implausible I don't see any point in talking about it."
- Noam Chomsky, at a FAIR event at New York's Town Hall, 22 January 2002
This was in response to a question from the audience about US government foreknowledge of 9/11.
At that time, 9/11 investigators had already presented substantial documented evidence for: prior warnings, Air Force stand-down, anomalous insider trading connected to CIA, cover-up of the domestic anthrax attacks, inconsistencies in identities & timelines of "hijackers", US connections to al Qaeda in Balkans, a Pak ISI-al Qaeda funding connection, etc etc etc.
He also has shared the following which is useful:
"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." - Noam Chomsky
He's a lying shill and part of the problem plain and simple. Aum
The world has a comitment to protect and fight for Isreal
but the Zionists are hard at work trying to undermine this for monetary reasons of which will be there down fall today Isreal is in A political burnout as justice catches up to them the Zionist will say anything and do anything to escape their fate
what the rest of the world must understand is that history is a guide and we must follow the lessons of this guide and any new Hitlerien
states that arise to threaten world's borders and the peace must be met with swift and precise action
The world will not take it lightly an attack on a free and democratic country and lead by europe russia and china will not only take action but they will prevail in such actions
to do otherwise would bring a grave and catsrophic fate to the world as a whole
And we all know it well except those still caught in that bernays bubble
then again that may be the plan what better way to put the constitution on a fast track to its demise
Bush tried to make a difference
his attepts were contrary to his armed forces command but he went aheead with Iraq now the only consolation prize is the Industrial War Complex the back bone of American industry today is raking in the trillions while there are families in America living on less than 5,000$ a year
wont you go away MR wanta wont you go away
American is bleeding all night and day
wont you go away mr Wanta wont you go away
wont you go away Mr Wanta we dont want to pay
(Leo Wanta) google for refs:
The Fanonite shares my criticisms of Chomsky here.
Excerpts:
'Chomsky is offering nothing, but an excuse for inaction. It is just as important to challenge his propaganda, as it is to challenge the establishment’s.'
Please read the whole blog article for more details/evidence.
davidgoliath said...
Come again? The world has what? I have news for you. The world is neither obliged nor committed to protecting and/or fighting for Israel.