Here's an interesting video: http://www.icomment.org/index.php/main/video/show?id=4627180&s=100 Scott Ritter blasts activities of AIPAC and associated Israeli lobbying organizations. William Scott Ritter, Jr. (born July 15, 1961) is most noted for being a critic of United States foreign policy in the Middle East stemming from his experiences as a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq. Prior to the US invasion of Iraq in March, 2003, Ritter repeatedly stated that Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Because of the prevailing political climate in the United States at the time, Ritter was widely condemned for this position, which later proved to be largely accurate.
All I can say is "wow".. that said, do you feel Israel exerts a more than normal influence on American foreign policies?
I feel they, not unlike the Arab Lobby, CAIR and any other lobby out there, want whats in their best interests. How do you feel about the Arab Lobby?
Personally, I don't deny anyone the right to lobby for their interests.. part of what makes America great, eh? Arabs or Israelis, I think they can both probably make somevalid points on most issues that concern them.. I'd be more concerned where wholesale preference is given without full disclosure or regard for the issues. The world is a big place, but finite.. everyone should have the right to be heard at least.
So why this whole thread about what one discredited person thinks about one of many PACs? Who cares what Scott Ritter thinks about anything, much less his thoughts on Israel?
Because this is a discussion forum.. and you usually present one view to get discussion going on both views, eh? Controversy invites comment in my experience..
I haven't seen it. Americans, in general, are very fond of Israel because: We share similar cultures We're both democracies We have a lot of respect for their ability to survive under their current circumstances The same people are trying to destroy us both The Israeli's don't seem to do much to gain our affections. They have them and they appreciate them, but I don't see a lot of lobbying for them. Strangely, the worse enemies of Israel in America are... American Jews! Look at the most recent anti-Israeli propaganda movie shit out by Hollywood -- it was directed by Steven Spielberg. I hear the Muslims complaining about how the media is secretly controlled by the Jews, but most everything I see from the mass media is anti-Israeli propaganda. Theoretically, there could be a massive Jewish conspiracy run by the Illuminati with help from the lizard people of Planet 9. I can't prove that it doesn't exist, but I've never seen it.
I haven't spoken with an Israeli yet who has any type of "hate" towards Muslims, including a guy who was shot three times by them. Every Israeli I've spoken to just wants the Muslims to quit killing them. American's, we're quite a bit less forgiving.