Resist Intimidation by Imperialist Special Interests

Anyone who cares about peace and freedom must be aware of the nefarious role of special interests in distorting the economy, limiting our civil liberties and driving us to war. Any one - activist or observer - who cared about peace and freedom during the 2001-2003 lead up to the United States invasion and occupation of Iraq will remember how those opposing the war were attacked from without as supporting terrorists bent on destroying the United States and its allies. Not a very nice reward for organizing and/or attending five or six peace protests every week, year after year. Some war lovers still attack us - even though the war has been proved to have been based on lies and has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars and still counting.

However, many of us also were attacked from within the peace movement, at least anyone who spoke up for the rights of Palestinians or even mentioned the role of pro-Israel special interest groups in beating the war drums for over two and half years. Maybe a few of you even said something in a meeting or on a mailing list about these issues, for example about the vicious 2002 Israeli bombardment of the Jenin refugee camp. Or maybe you commented on articles circulating about the Project for a New American Century or the “men from Jinsa” or the nutty Christian Zionists. (You know, the ones who want the U.S. to start Armageddon so Jesus will return and, as the “Book of Revelation” states, kill all of those - even Jews - who don’t convert to Christianity.) And if you did say or post such things, some of you - whether Jewish or gentile - doubtless were met with instant accusations of antisemitism from one or two “peaceniks.” As we all know, politically motivated false charges of bigotry taint the credibility of those who make real charges of bigotry.

In my local peace group, which had many outspoken people, one five foot six inch “progressive” Israel defender would attack me especially for criticizing Israel. He’d never attack the 6 foot plus burly guys who posted more controversial articles and opinions. I wonder why.

It was worse on the Libertarians 4 Peace and Maryland libertarian email list where conservative quasi-libertarians would “debate” (or more frequently insult) antiwar libertarians and the "free speech" moderators let them for far too long. When insults did not silence libertarians, one five foot six inch self-proclaimed Zionist from Maryland turned to gross sexual insults and even barely concealed death threats mentioning his large gun collection - mostly against me. Again, why not against the libertarian males, including from the DC area, who posted more controversial things on the subject?

In June 2003, three months after the invasion of Iraq, I was still being attacked by these two sexist Zionists. Then I made a mistake which some Israel supporters keep trying to make my fatal mistake. I angrily responded to a news story about Republican Senator Lugar suggesting the U.S. send troops to Israel to "root out terrorists" and fight Hamas in Gaza. Between the constant harassment and the criminal suggestion that American troops should be sent to kill and be killed in Israel, I lost it for the 8 minutes it took to rant in exaggerated and thoughtless language about insights from the many news and opinion pieces I’d read about the Israel lobby’s pushing the U.S. to war.

Those who wish to see all critics of Israel silenced (if not dead and buried) have had some fun in the last six months circulating this email in various places that I will not dignify (or in one case embarrass) by mentioning. I won't even go into how sexist these guys are! So I decided it was time for a lengthier point by point commentary on that post. You can read the Lugar story, my email and my detailed response here. Most of these points are supported by the 106 articles at the libertarian “Iraq war and Israel” yahoogroup. Being forced to think about that horrific 2001-2003 period makes me realize that this whole topic deserves it’s own article at a certain popular site I frequent.

Like many other libertarian and progressive secessionists, I think we need secession from special interest controlled big government. But there are many special interests - corporations, labor unions, government bureaucrats, the military-industrial-media complex, campaign managers and staffers for political candidates, employees of organizations that feed on minorities fears of hate groups, and of course, foreign lobbies, be they Israeli/Zionist, Arab oil barons, Cubans in Florida, Taiwanese, Chinese state capitalists, etc.

To end, in June of 2003 after the U.S. just had launched a horrible war it certainly looked to millions of Americans like the pro-Israel lobby led all the other pro-war special interests. Today, the special interests are fighting among themselves, though they may yet unite for another war, against Iran or maybe even China. There is no doubt special interests will always fight for control of the government, the people, their lives and their money. Americans who want to be free, including secessionists, cannot be intimidated by harassment and threats from any special interest group that is pressing its advantage at any particular time or on any particular issue. Nor can we be intimidated by special interest group hacks, flaks, flunkies and supporters, especially those looking for someone to hate and crucify to make their own sad lives of slavery to the special interests seem meaningful. We cannot be intimidated if we are to remain a free people.

And don't forget that once in a while THE PEOPLE are a powerful special interest! Ask Tunisia's Ben Ali and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak - for starters.