I write this morning about Representative Eric Cantor's bill HR 4133, now apparently stuck in Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Its purpose: " To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes. "
We need have no Rocket Science pedigree to understand the above sense. Israel, a tiny little enclave of polyglots on the Eastern Mediterranean coast somewhat sentimentally attached to the USA, needs US financial and military support. Hostile Islamic hordes surround their land. The sentimental attachment exists because the US saved the survivors of numerous German concentration camps and Russian pogroms, and many of Israel's residents hail from America.
However, radical fundamentalist Jews seem just as terrifyingly foam-at-the-mouth horrible as their Christian, Muslim, and Hindu counterparts. No one should have to suffer them at the helm of any government. I consider them terrorists because they miss the bigger picture of their own religion's ideals and they want to force religion-based regulation on society.
Well, it turns out that many Americans consider Israel their national bosom buddy. I see several reasons for this. I have already mentioned the family connection. Many millions of Jews live in the USA. So, there religious connection exists. And becomes even bigger considering that the world contains 2 billion Christians. Many, if not most consider themselves Jews because they follow and love Jesus of Nazareth as their father/brother, and they think Jesus was a Jew. That makes all Christians Jews too, in Christians' minds.
But not in Jews' minds, of course. When it boils down to religion itself, Jews could not care less whether Christians or any others embrace Judaism in their personal beliefs. In fact, most Jews seem to prefer that Christians and Muslims stay out of their religion because they lack the "blood" connection - they don't have Jewish mothers. In other words, in their minds one becomes a Jew not only through cultural and religious heritage, but also through blood lines - birth.
The question of "what is a Jew?" creates a real mess. Does Jew mean "any Semite?" Does it mean "Has a Jewish mother?". Does it mean "Reared in Jewish religious and cultural tradition?" Does it mean "Embraces Judaism as a religion?" Does it mean "Has Jewish relatives?" Does it include Christians just because they believe in Jesus who was a Jew? It confuses most people.
But Israelis feel delighted over that strange connection foreigners feel to their country. Why? It means the foreigners will support them politically and endorse their efforts to maintain hegemony over Muslims and Christians in the area of Palestine. And it means that at least some leaders in the USA will encourage US Government to help Israel defeat whatever enemies become a threat to Jewish hegemony in Israel.
By "leaders" I mean leaders like House Majority Whip and conservative Jew Eric Cantor. Cantor stands first in line to become House Speaker when Boehner retires. He has enormous power, so much that he introduced House Resolution 4133 and gleaned 304 co-sponsors.
Pesky Questions about HR 4133I could ask pesky questions like these about the bill:
- How could the US guarantee loans to Israel when the US already spends a trillion dollars more than it takes in every year?
- Why should the people of America support ANY openly religious government anywhere?
- Which governments in the Mideast actually threaten the USA militarily?
- Why does the US need Israel to further US defense efforts?
- How does 'common defense' in the PREAMBLE to the US Constitution constitute an enumerated power? (I see no such enumerated power INSIDE THE BODY of the Constitution)
- Why should the US give Israel a 'blank check' for maintaining a qualitative edge in its military power?
- Why should the US people presume that just because so many consider themselves Jews, the Jews of Israel have a corresponding sentiment toward the US?
- If Israel wants American support so much, why doesn't it petition the US Government for US statehood?
- Why does America owe the Christians, Muslims, and Jews of Israel the guarantee of a "Jewish" state there?
- What part of "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" don't Cantor and the cosponsors
of HR 4133 understand?
- What does "Jewish" mean, anyway?
Regardless of the common defense ideal, I have expressed serious misgivings about the bill in pesky questions 9 and 10 above. I expressed the core point in my letter to Rep. Eric Cantor this morning. You might have your own questions to express, here: http://cantor.house.gov/contact .
Message to Eric Cantor
I found one point in HR 4133 seriously objectionable: calling Israel a "Jewish" State. Some members of the Knesset are not Jewish. State government does not operate under any Jewish law. To my knowledge, the last Jewish government before 1948 was a monarchy. THAT would constitute "Jewish" government. By highlighting "Jewish" State, rather than "sovereign" or "independent" the law makes a mockery of the US Constitution Amendment One separation of church and state doctrine. I don't see that Jews have any more right to a national government than do Muslims, and the world has replete examples of the onerous nature of Islamic government.
You might recall from history that the diaspora of 70 AD came as a consequence of Zealots (Jewish Nationalists) raiding their own countrymen's homesteads. Vespasian's legions gave every city/town's leaders an opportunity to capitulate to Roman rule or die. The cream of the Jewish race expired during that campaign, and the streets of Jerusalem ran red with the blood of Jews as Zealots and their countrymen murdered one another before the Roman army crushed or crucified their remnants and made slaves of those who didn't scatter quickly enough. This is what happens to "religion" states. A similar destruction happened to Christian interlopers at the end of the Crusades. And we can see these days the bloody encounters between disparate fundamentalist Islamic groups - the Sunni and Shia, exemplified in all their glory by the Taliban and Al Quaeda and tribal leaders like Saddam Hussein.
Our lessons from history reveal that NO state's people should suffer rule by a religious sect. I would loathe rule by fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus... you name it. And I do not endorse military support to any government run by a religious sect. Nor should you.
If you get a chance, I encourage you to correct that one glaring fault in HR 4133.
US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)] [House] [Page H1153] [www.gpo.gov]
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