Posts tagged as Palestine
Everything Joe Walsh Has Done in Congress This Year
My office was invaded by the Occupy Protesters today & all I saw were $1000 laptops & vomit on the carpet. Thank God for #febreze
Rep. Joe Walsh
RepJoeWalsh
Here's every bill he's sponsored.
• Joe Walsh, West Bank Expert: In April, he was the sponsor of H.R.1501, which reads: "To withhold United States contributions to the United Nations until the United Nations formally retracts the final report of the 'United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.'" You can read the UN report here; it's from 2009, perhaps you've already read it. (Summary: "UN Fact Finding Mission finds strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict.") But let's retract it!
• Joe Walsh, Language Police: In July, he was the sponsor of H.R.2457, called the "Palestinian Accountability Act." The gist of that is a "PROHIBITION ON USE OF THE TERM `PALESTINE' IN UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS." It also includes a prohibition on funding the Palestine-supporting U.N.
• Joe Walsh, Economic Theorist: September brought H. R. 2945, the "Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act." Here, let "Americans for Tax Reform" (AKA Grover Norquist) explain that to you:
If an investor purchases a stock for $100, and later sells that same stock for $400, he must report and pay taxes on a $300 capital gain. However, some of that gain is merely due to the effects of inflation over the years. In many cases, much or all of a capital gain is merely inflation. With an historical inflation rate of 3%, inflation halves the real value of all assets every 24 years. While this is bad enough, it adds insult to injury to have to pay taxes merely on inflated gains.
• Joe Walsh, Lonely Scientist: H.R.3396 seems self-explanatory: "To abolish the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation." LOL: "Cosponsors: None."
• Joe Walsh, Christmas Lover: H.R.3403: The "Save Christmas Act." Spoiler: it has to do with Christmas trees.
• Joe Walsh, Constitution Amender: H.J.RES.54 and H.J.RES.56 are incredibly hilarious attempts to ensure a balanced U.S. budget—wherein yearly spending would not exceed 18% of GDP and some other wacky things.
• Joe Walsh, Annexer of Palestine: And then there's H.RES.394, "Supporting Israel's right to annex Judea and Samaria in the event that the Palestinian Authority continues to press for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations."
That's what Joe Walsh did this year. Two bills were referred to committee; the rest were referred to subcommittees, so they can laugh at him.
MJ Rosenberg Must Have A Difficult Time At Passover Seder Every Year
"As for Americans, we learn, as if we didn't know, that due to the pressure of AIPAC, we simply lie about the whole conflict. We pretend that the Palestinians still need to make concessions for peace when there are none left to make. No matter what the provocation – the brutal attack on the Gaza flotilla, the blockading of Gaza, Israel's lies about the Goldstone Report, the land grabs in Jerusalem, the shootings of innocent Palestinians, the monstrous behaviour of settlers – we are silent unless we can enthusiastically endorse Israel's position. We are not an honest broker. We are no broker at all. Worst of all, we know (the Al Jazeera papers confirm this) that we are endorsing Israeli positions that we know not to be true. Why do we do it? The same reason we don't ban assault weapons. A lobby (only in this case, the lobby of a foreign government) is dictating our policies with no regard for the greater American good. So what's next? One, the US must now absolutely refuse to veto the UN resolution condemning settlements or demonstrate to the world that, despite the Al Jazeera revelations, we are still utterly in Israel's pocket (I won't hold my breath)." READ MORE
President Obama Used To Run Like A Duck
"While the residents regarded Mr. Obama’s mother as a 'free spirit,' Barry, who was chubby, was referred to as the 'boy who runs like a duck...'" READ MORE
The West Bank In Brooklyn
It was an event in which egotistical agitators provoked the fragile, isolated state of Israel. Or it was a case of baldly shameless Israeli commandos attacking ambassadors of humanity. Or a little of both. Or, maybe, neither. It all depends on where you stand. The attempt of the Mavi Marmara ship to pass through the Gaza blockade ballooned an already intractable conflict, one that has been waging for years and years. READ MORE
Israeli Arabs Crazy About Unleavened Bread
"Don't the Jews eat our bread? Fine, we eat their matzah." Interesting story in Haaretz about food politics in Israel.
Elsewhere: Understanding Gaza
On the off chance that reading up on the Afghanistan situation wasn't rough enough going for you, Lawrence Wright's Letter from Gaza, "Captives," in this week's New Yorker, is also very long and thoroughly a bummer, as well as excellent and even-handed and important. Short version: Hamas political victory. Kidnapped Israeli soldier. Last December's "Operation: Cast Lead," AKA the Gaza War. And: "There is very little for children to do in Gaza. The Israeli blockade includes a ban on toys, so the only playthings available have been smuggled, at a premium, through tunnels from Egypt. Islamists have shut down all the movie theatres. Music is rare, except at weddings. Many of Gaza's sports facilities have been destroyed by Israeli bombings, including the headquarters for the Palestinian Olympic team. Only one television station broadcasts from Gaza, Al Aqsa-a Hamas-backed channel that gained notice last year for a children's show featuring a Mickey Mouse-like figure who was stabbed to death by an Israeli interrogator. The mouse was replaced by a talking bee, who died after being unable to cross into Egypt for medical treatment. The rabbit who followed the bee passed away in January, after being struck by shrapnel from an Israeli attack." Things get worse from there!
