Hat Tip: Greg and Ward
Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 – 43 BCE)
Well, according to the Washington Post, Congressman James Moran (D-VA-8) made some statements that upset the Jewish community. He gave an interview to Tikkun, a far-left Jewish magazine, in which he is quoted as saying,
the most powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning. I don't think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at all, but because they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful -- most of them are quite wealthy -- they have been able to exert power.Well, it’s almost refreshing to know that you don’t think this was some conspiracy by Bush’s oil company friends or Cheney’s former colleagues at Halliburton! Do the MoveOn crowd and Michael Moore know you say this?
What is so interesting is the reaction of groups like the National Jewish Democratic Council. Its director, Ira Forman, characterized Moran’s statements as not only “incorrect and irresponsible,” but also “dangerous.” I daresay that I agree and applaud Forman for his comments. It is certainly Moran’s right to criticize Israeli policies, the Iraq War, etc., but when he does so by using (deliberate?) falsehoods, you have to wonder about his motivations. Several Arab countries also fund lobbyists in the U.S. as well; will Moran be critical of them? Many before me have noted that another hallmark of a Jew-hater is the double standard.
Ronald Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, had this to say, according to the Post:
"He uses several age-old canards that have been used throughout history that have brought violence upon Jews. . . He uses clearly anti-Semitic images such as Jewish control of the media and wealthy Jews using their wealth to control policy."
Hey, did it ever occur to Jim Moran that if someone can afford to give to AIPAC, or for that matter, any lobbying organization, that person probably has a lot of disposable income? Maybe Moran can recall an incident or two in which a lobbyist with a lot of disposable income was able to give him a loan (hint, hint)?
Also interesting is the fact that Jim Moran’s brother Brian is a Delegate from Alexandria who is widely mentioned as a possible 2009 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate in Virginia. Does Brian share Jim’s views? Will Brian condemn Jim’s views? What else does Brian know about Jim, and when did he know it?
As far as Tikkun Magazine is concerned, its editor, Rabbi Michael Lerner, has a history of making remarks that might be more easily confused with those of Louis Farrakhan. Maybe Lerner suffers from a neurosis similar to that of Woody Allen. Even more interesting, Lerner himself was banned from an “antiwar” rally in 2003 because he dared to criticize the “one-sided hostility to Israel” expressed by Communist front groups like International A.N.S.W.E.R. However, Lerner doesn’t seem to understand that by continuing to lie down with (or making excuses for) dogs, he will pick up fleas.
As you know, we had a recent flap in Virginia concerning a Democratic operative with a reputation for Jew-baiting. Besides the obvious joke (as Ward made) about this operative being suited to work for Jim Moran, what amazed me was how some bloggers kept being apologists for this clown Joe Stanley. Sort of the same pattern like Lerner and Moran, wouldn’t you say? You’d think people would learn after all these decades or centuries, but I guess ideology is more important in these cases. These are the kinds of fools who haven’t heard of coal mines and canaries, I suspect. No wonder the National Jewish Democratic Council had me so surprised!
The Post had a telling quote from Ron Halber: "There are only so many mistakes he can make before it's fair to call him an anti-Semite." Or as Cicero might have said, “How long, tell me, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?”
