June 22, 2007

Accuses Republicans of opposing support for Israel–and the global war on terror!
by Bill Levinson

Q: How do you know a National Jewish Democratic Council blogger is lying?
A: His fingers are moving over a keyboard.

This is certainly the case in today’s lie (or more precisely, half-truth) du jour from the National “Jewish” “Democratic” Council, which accuses Republicans of “opposing $2.4 billion in aid to Israel.” What the Republicans opposed appears to be an expensive bill that happens to include $2.4 billion in aid to Israel, along with money for U.S. antiterrorism security. Given our prior experiences with NJDC’s ethics and character, as illustrated by its proven whitewash of anti-Semitic hate speech from a Democratic ally along with partial truths and outright lies about political opponents, we are hardly surprised. NJDC thinks it can join the Democrat Left in packing pork into appropriations bills and then scream “Anti-Israel!” when Republicans and moderate Democrats don’t go along with the scam.

NJDC Lies Speaks [with forked tongue]

164 HYPOCRITICAL HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPPOSE $2.4 BILLION AID TO ISRAEL

NJDC Strongly Condemns House GOP Leadership for Urging Members to Oppose Foreign Aid Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 22, 2007

WASHINGTON – In a stunning act of political hypocrisy, 164 House Republicans – at the urging of their party leadership – voted against the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill early this morning, traditionally a top priority of the pro-Israel community. The legislation, which passed by a margin of 241-178, contained $2.4 billion in aid to Israel. Today, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) strongly condemned the House Republican leadership for urging Republicans to oppose the bill.

In a letter sent by the Republican leadership to their Members, Republicans were told: “Please advise your boss that Leadership will be voting NO on final passage of the Democrats’ State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, and strongly encourage Republican Members to do the same.”

“After all their rhetoric about supporting Israel, Republicans yesterday placed politics above the U.S.-Israel relationship. By claiming to support Israel from one corner of their mouths, while telling Members to vote against billions in aid from the other corner, the Republican leaders have engaged in a sad, cynical act of political hypocrisy,” said NJDC Executive Director Ira N. Forman. “For years, support for the foreign aid bill has been a top priority of the pro-Israel community. This vote was a real blow to the bipartisan consensus that we’ve worked so hard to develop on Israel.”

It is true that the legislation contains $2.4 billion in aid to Israel, but this–as is usual when dealing with the NJDC–is where the truth ends and the taqqiya begins. Ira Forman–the same individual who whitewashed MoveOn.org’s sponsorship of anti-Semitic hate speech–is hardly a credible source for anything. Let’s take a closer look at what this bill actually contains, all at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer. The following is from Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) (whose own character is open to question, given her involvement with the Million Mom March in 2000–this was the group that was allegedly using 501(c)(3) tax-exempt money to run a political rally).

Subcommittee Passes FY08 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
Bill Provides Critical Funding to Fight the Spread of HIV/AIDS, Strengthen Development Assistance, and Provide Access to Education

June 5, 2007

Washington, D.C. – The House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), today marked up the subcommittee’s fiscal year 2008 bill. The Chairwoman’s Mark, which is $34.243 billion, is $2.95 billion over FY2007 enacted levels.

“This bill provides funding critical to the War on Terror and our long-term security at home,” Lowey said. “A healthier, more secure, better educated world is a safer world.”

The bill reflects the four priorities of the Subcommittee: oversight of foreign assistance programs; supporting our allies in the Global War on Terror; improving aid effectiveness by strengthening Development Assistance; and responding to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and other health challenges. Below are details about how the bill addresses these issues.

State Department Operations

* Over $4.7 billion to support State Department operations in the United States and at our diplomatic missions abroad, fully funding the President’s requests for worldwide security upgrades.
* $365 million for public diplomacy efforts at the State Department and $501 million for educational and cultural exchanges.

Global HIV/AIDS and Other Global Health Priorities

* $6.519 billion for global health programs, including HIV/AIDS.
* $4.150 billion for Global HIV/AIDS Initiative (GHAI) bilateral programs, which is $1.280 billion above the FY07 level.
* $550 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. President Bush requested no funding for the Global Fund in the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
* A major increase for the Child Survival and Health Programs account, which is $393 million above the President’s request.
* Increased resources for health programs including family planning, combating XDR-TB, malaria, and maternal and child health.
* The provision of contraceptives from USAID to family planning organizations that have been denied USAID funding. These contraceptives will reduce abortions, reduce the spread of HIV, and save the lives of mothers and infants by reducing the number of high-risk and unintended pregnancies. The bill provides contraceptives only – not financial assistance – to clinics and NGOs.

Improving Aid Effectiveness and Strengthening Development Assistance

* A major increase for the Development Assistance account to a total of $1.734 billion, which is $692 million above the President’s request. This will fund an initiative on basic education for developing countries as well as an expansion of safe water and environmental programs.
* $750 million for basic education, an increase of $200 million from the FY07 House-passed bill.
* $814 million for refugee assistance, $40 million more than the President requested. An additional $130.5 million was included in the FY07 Supplemental at $59 million above the Administration’s request.
* $322 million for Disaster Assistance.

Support to our Allies in the War on Terror

* $2.656 billion for Economic Support Fund (ESF) programs and $4.459 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programs. These funds support ongoing and new assistance for our allies in the Global War on Terror.
* Fully funds the President’s request for Afghanistan, providing over $1 billion to continue our reconstruction and counter-narcotics efforts.

Additional Provisions

* $530.6 million for Colombia, which balances and realigns funding to incorporate development, eradication and interdiction, adding funding to interdiction.
* $501 million for environment and clean energy programs, including $106 million for the Global Environmental facility and $175 million for biodiversity programs at USAID. Bill also includes provision to encourage the Export-Import Bank to increase exports in renewable energy and other environmentally beneficial products. Initiative could result in an estimated $1 billion in additional green exports in 2008.

We are not passing judgment on the worthiness of the extracurricular programs we have highlighted, such as the global war on AIDS, Child Survival and Health Programs account, and so on. Our purpose is to demonstrate that, contrary to NJDC’s usual taqqiya, the Republicans were probably voting against these other programs and not against support for Israel. Or are Ira Forman and Steve Rabin (who blogged about this at NJDC’s blog) really prepared to argue that the Republicans were also against “$2.656 billion for Economic Support Fund (ESF) programs and $4.459 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programs. These funds support ongoing and new assistance for our allies in the Global War on Terror?”

In summary, it sounds to us like aid to Israel, along with assistance to allies for the war on terror, were not the central issues as NJDC is trying to claim. It looks like left-wing Democrats wanted to hold aid to Israel and the war on terror hostage to get additional spending the President did not want.

The National “Jewish” “Democratic” Council is a double oxymoron. There is nothing Jewish or Democratic about any organization that whitewashes hate organizations, lies or dissembles on an almost daily basis, publishes anti-Christian hate videos (the Bubbie series, in which Christians and Christian symbols are portrayed in a “This is the Enemy” context), and even posts anti-Semitic material that is designed to harm Jewish-Christian relations. Genuine Democrats should realize that the NJDC’s condemnation of Mitt Romney for appearing at the museum of a long-dead EX-antisemite (Henry Ford) can and will be turned around and used to disqualify John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama for appearing arm in arm with a live and unrepentant one.

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Footnote:
Ira Forman’s commentary about “white evangelical Christians” seems to go arm in arm with what the disgraced MoveOn.org Action Forum community had to say about “fat, rich, white Christians.”

“Orthodox voters may not be as liberal as other American Jews, but they certainly don’t look like white evangelical Christians in their political views,” said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

This is entirely consistent with the National Jewish Democratic Council’s standard practice of portraying Christians in a “This is the Enemy” context.

A United Muslims YouTube video that called Madelaine Albright a “Jewess” had a Star of David in the same position where NJDC places the Christian Cross. If it’s anti-Semitic to put a Star of David in the flag’s blue field to imply that Jews are taking over America, it is equally anti-Christian to put a cross there in the same context.

Note the NJDC’s use of Jesus in the poster that says, “Visit Israel after the Rapture”