To the best of my knowledge, every member of the current US Senate has
the approval of the Corporate American Empire(ACE), including Senator
Bernie Sanders.
Furthermore, no matter what ideals candidates hold high during their
campaign, once in the senate, they must swim with the other fish in
the same murky waters. To one degree or another, all become tainted.
I have no recall as to where Senator Cantwell stood on Israel back 16
years ago, when she first ran for the senate. But 16 years cannot be
ignored when it comes to having the time to "shape" a Senator's mind.
Certainly the co-signers on the letter Miriam included, do not have
the funding to have members greeting the senator each morning,
briefing her on the days issues and how they impact Israel. We go to
work each day, doing our jobs and hoping the Senator is doing
hers...that is, checking back with her constituents to have a sense of
where they stand. But even if the Senator did check back, it is not a
level playing field. For the most part, the people she represents are
not trained in the Art of Schmoozing. Lobbiests are highly trained in
how to convert our elected officials. Stop and think of all the ways
you would like to be treated, and multiply it by about a million
times.
Nonetheless, I have voted for both Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.
Since they are both better, in so far as their support for the working
Washingtonians, than the opposing candidates.
When they do take positions such as this one, we do our best to help
them change their minds. The fact is, democracy still exists when you
get down to offices such as Dog Catcher. But the higher up you go,
the more power you have as an elected official, and the more subject
you are to pressure and bribes and favors. We need to consider
passing laws that make it difficult for such pressures to be levied.
Perhaps we could impose specific times lobbyists can contact elected
officials? No junkets or special dinners, or "sleep overs"? Well,
before I get really crazy, I'll leave it to other peoples thoughts.
Carl Jarvis
On 9/11/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Mondoweiss
Senator Cantwell, are you listening?
Alice Rothchild on September 10, 2017 9 Comments
Senator Maria Cantwell, from her twitter feed
Senate Bill 720, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, (and its twin in the House of
Representatives, Bill 1697), are currently wending their ways through the
national legislative process with all the usual front and backroom big
money
pressure from AIPAC, StandWithUs, and Co., as well as pushback from the
less
financially endowed citizenry. S. 720 is part of a host of national and
state level legislation that seeks to suppress criticism of Israeli policy,
to destroy BDS, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction movement (as
anti-Semitic hate speech dangerous to Israel), and to erase Palestinian
history and narrative. Washington Senator Maria Cantwell who claims to
support freedom of speech and human rights, is a cosponsor of S. 720 and we
have a problem with that.
Six constituents (including myself) met with outreach staffer Dayna Lurie
in
Seattle on September 7. We are activist Jews, a Unitarian, an Episcopalian,
and an Anglican; we are a building contractor, doctor, Palestinian
educator,
psychologist, and folks active on community and social justice issues. Most
of us have had personal experiences bearing witness and working in
Israel/Palestine. Dayna was welcoming, interested, but clearly not well
versed in the topic, as that is the turf of the DC office. So we started
with the basics.
Cantwell claims that S. 720 is narrower than opponents of the bill have
stated, and she is unfortunately mistaken, most likely bending to the
talking points furnished by AIPAC and Co. The Israel Anti-Boycott Act
amends
the Export Administration Act (EAA), passed in 1979 in response to the Arab
League boycott of Israel.
According to the ACLU: That law prohibits "U.S. persons" - a term that
refers to both individuals and companies - from taking certain actions to
comply with or support a boycott imposed by a foreign country against
another country that is friendly to the United States.
The 1979 law responded to the Arab League's boycott of Israel. At the time,
countries in the Arab League would require U.S. businesses to boycott
Israel
and Israeli companies, and furnish information to verify the boycott, as a
condition of doing business. To prevent foreign countries from dragooning
U.S. businesses into these compulsory boycotts, the 1979 law prohibited
U.S.
companies from complying with foreign boycott requirements.
EAA prohibits US persons who are doing business, from boycotting a
"friendly
country." (Friendly is not defined. are we talking France? Saudi Arabia?
Philippines? Is Israel really friendly when it flaunts US demands to halt
settlement construction, opposes the Iran deal, humiliates Obama, trashes
Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas, the presumptive other "peace partner"?).
EAA also prohibits the "furnishing of information" about US business
persons' relationships in the boycotted country. S. 720 takes this further.
Written in response to the UN Human Rights Council March 2016 resolution
which called for a database of companies working in the occupied
Palestinian
territories, the bill's statement of policy claims that these policies are
part of BDS activities against Israel. The new bill prohibits US persons
from boycotting Israel and Israeli businesses including in the territories,
in response to calls from international governmental organizations like the
UN and EU. It would make even requesting information about businesses in
relation to boycott activities illegal.
Now let's remember that the construction of Jewish settlements in East
Jerusalem, the Israeli colonization and industrial development of the West
Bank, and the extraction of resources are all illegal according to
international law and this is not controversial outside the United States.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even the Israeli group Peace
Now have made similar calls for boycott of settlement products. According
to
a Brookings Institute poll, 60% of Democrats and 46% of all Americans
support sanctions or stronger action against Israel because of settlement
construction.
Senator Cantwell states, "Any allegation that this bill creates potential
criminal or civil liability for individuals or organizations refusing to do
business with Israel for these reasons is incorrect."
Senator, this is just not factual. I know you have your hands full with
Trump and DACA and North Korea, and Harvey and Irma, but did you actually
read the bill?
According to the ACLU: The bill states that violators shall be fined in
accordance with the penalties laid out in Section 206 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act. That section provides that violations are
punishable by a civil penalty that could reach $250,000 and that willful
violations are subject to criminal prosecution, which could result in a
fine
of up to $1 million and 20 years in prison.
By expanding from boycott calls from foreign governments to calls from the
UN or human rights groups, the bill explicitly attacks political speech. So
it's Passover, you're thinking about liberation, and you would really like
to honor the UN call to avoid settlement products plus you are feeling a
little squirmy about the upswing in settlement building. You would rather
not buy Israeli wines that are grown in vineyards on occupied land. So you
search the web or post a question on Facebook requesting information.That
request could make you vulnerable to a fine of up to $1 million and 20
years
in prison. And even if it doesn't happen to you or your Uncle Morris, there
is a definite chilling of the political environment and the very real risk
of self-censorship, a First Amendment harm.
Now put this in the context of more than 20 state legislatures working to
criminalize BDS in the US, governors organizing campaigns opposing BDS,
(including our Governor Jay Inslee), the muzzling and attacks on US
campuses
of students and professors, the frenzy of activity in Hillel's to train
students to stand up uncritically for Israeli policy and denounce BDS,
similar activities amongst Christian Zionists, a proliferation of
McCarthyesque groups like Canary Mission, and the rightward swing under the
current administration, and we are on a slippery slope.
We explained the BDS call to Dayna, the difference between Judaism (the
religion), Jews (the people, cultural group, lovers of matzoh balls, ironic
self-deprecating jokes, Iraqi food, Ladino, you make the definition), and
Israel (the state) and why criticizing the policies of the state is
different from anti-Semitism. We explained that as Jews and Christians and
social justice activists concerned with the well-being and future for
Palestinians as well as Jewish Israelis, that after decades of failed wars,
UN resolutions, peace processes, violent resistance, peaceful village
protests, dialogue groups, etc., the BDS call is the most hopeful
nonviolent
resistance movement that has captured the hearts and imagination of many in
the international community. As those of us who have traveled to the region
know, it is clear that Israel has destroyed much of the Palestinian economy
on the West Bank, totally crippled Gaza, created a second class
disadvantaged status for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, and thrown
off any responsibility for the growing refugee crisis that now numbers
millions of people waiting in limbo for a resolution to their displacement
and loss of land.
Huda Giddens, a Palestinian whose family fled Jerusalem and Haifa in
1947-1948, pointed out that the Israeli government demanded compensation
from Germany and other countries for the losses of Jews who were forced to
flee. While she has no plans to return, she does recognize her right of
return and demands compensation for her family's extensive property. She
brought a folder full of the original documents proving her claims. After
the '48 war, the Israeli government passed the Absentee Property Law and
claimed that any property not inhabited at the time became the property of
the state. She has never been able to return.
Thus the discussion turned to issues of ethnic cleansing, growing Israeli
apartheid behavior, of the moral questions facing the US which is
supporting
the occupation and multiple violations of human rights. These are basic
issues of equity, justice, and compassion.
Senator Cantwell, we are asking you to reconsider. Study the on-the-ground
and historical realities that highlight the experiences of Palestinians as
well as Jewish Israelis. Think about the historic role of the US as a
defender of human rights, think about what we have learned from the study
of
our own indigenous peoples and our civil rights movements. We have been
told
you are "not a slave to AIPAC," that you support human rights and freedom
of
speech.
Even if you do not feel comfortable supporting the BDS movement, let's
start
with defending our First Amendment rights at home. Withdraw your
sponsorship
to S. 720. And then learn more about the issue of Israel/Palestine with a
truly open mind. We would be happy to send you more resources and meet with
you in the future. We are your constituents. That's what democracy is all
about.
