Anybody besides me already had a gutfull of Ilhan Omar

[Ike Bana]

Ilhan Omar Backtracks After Calling Obama a “Pretty Face” Who “Got Away with Murder”

From the Politico interview noted in the Vanity Fair article above...

“We can’t be only upset with Trump . . . His policies are bad, but many of the people who came before him also had really bad policies. They just were more polished than he was. And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. We don’t want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished. We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile.”

Now...many of my progressive brethren will deny it...but we all know she's talking about Obama here. "You don't know that Ike!" Well who TF do you think she's talking about? That polished, murderous pretty boy with the pretty smile, Richard Nixon?

So at this point...I'm more than willing to go out on a limb and disclose my primary speculation about Ilhan Omar. Why is she really so pissed off at pretty boy Barack Obama? Because he used murderous drone strikes and murderous Seal Team incursions to take out terrorists...no wait...not terrorists...freedom fighters. Freedom fighters in the struggle with evil doing Jews, and their supporters who are scheming the way Jews do while having a tasty corned beef on rye in a Paris Jewish deli. She's smart enough not to say it openly. Just like she was smart enough not to openly say "...the evil doings of Jews..." back in her 2012 tweet. Smart enough not to say it on the campaign trail in 2018.

But I guarantee y'all....that's what is in her head.

So...does this bring comfort to enemies like Matt Gaetz in our midst as I've been accused by my fellow lefties? Sure it does. Tough shit...I'm not going to shut up about it as Ilhan Omar is way, way more dangerous to this country than an idiot like Matt Gaetz. And if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib (who may actually be a more noxious anti-Semite than Ilhan Omar) decide to rally around Omar...in my book they are cut from the same piece of cloth as Omar.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

So...does this bring comfort to enemies like Matt Gaetz in our midst as I've been accused by my fellow lefties? Sure it does. Tough shit...I'm not going to shut up about it as Ilhan Omar is way, way more dangerous to this country than an idiot like Matt Gaetz. And if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib (who may actually be a more noxious anti-Semite than Ilhan Omar) decide to rally around Omar...in my book they are cut from the same piece of cloth as Omar.

There are a number of problems with this Omar brouhaha. Foremost among them is a conflation of anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel's policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians, West Bank settlements and the simmering Gaza conflict. Interestingly, this conflation is largely a product of the Christian Right and not American Jewry (many of whom are very critical of Bibi/Likud (as are many Israelis, BTW) who himself just welcomed an overtly racist party (Jewish Power) into his coalition).

That said, Omar is too stupid and inexperienced to understand this long-standing dynamic in American politics and the damage she is doing to her party. With her criticism of Israel seemingly veering into anti-Semitism, her reputation should cause her to avoid discussing Israel's policies (as any criticism of Israel from her will be viewed as anti-Semitic without looking at the substance) and leave any criticism to Israel's policies to someone seen as more independent/moderate (though I think she may have proven that this is currently impossible in American politics).

The best thing would be for the good people of Minneapolis to vote for somebody else in the next Democratic primary and get someone who is a bit more seasoned and less of a clueless rabble-rouser.

Here's an insightful article from a Jewish American "raised in an intensely Zionist family with a long history of devotion and sacrifice for Israel" about this whole controversy, summed up as follows:

When this episode is over, Omar and everyone else will have learned a lesson. You’d better not step out of line on Israel. You’d better not question AIPAC. You’d better not criticize members of Congress for the craven way they deal with this issue. You’d better not talk about how policy toward Israel is made and maintained. Because if you do, this is what you’re going to get.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...ng-ilhan-omar/

[Ike Bana]

I don't disagree with any of this to any serious bnb extent. I will say the the old complaint, "I can't criticize Israel without be a cursed of being an anti-Semite" is more typically a place where anti-Semites hide than a legitimate argument or defense.

As far as the State of Israel is concerned...it is the only democracy in all the middle east. And when was the last time there was a gay-pride parade in Ramallah, a women’s rights march in Gaza, or an opposition press in Tehran?

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

I don't disagree with any of this to any serious bnb extent. I will say the the old complaint, "I can't criticize Israel without be a cursed of being an anti-Semite" is more typically a place where anti-Semites hide than a legitimate argument or defense.

As far as the State of Israel is concerned...it is the only democracy in all the middle east. And when was the last time there was a gay-pride parade in Ramallah, a women’s rights march in Gaza, or an opposition press in Tehran?

Actually, the "I can't criticize Israel without be a cursed of being an anti-Semite" is basically true of every single American politician, a point illustrated by this very dust-up. Her dual-allegiance comment was not directed at Jews (which would indeed have been anti-Semitic). It was directed at her fellow Congressmen who have been intimidated by AIPAC and this dynamic (take a moment to read the article I linked to earlier for a good take on this).

As for your gay pride parade, such a parade could only occur peacefully in Tel Aviv, a city chock full of people who are openly critical of Bibi and his policies. When they have one in Jerusalem, all sorts of bad stuff happens. As for Israel being a democracy, it is become less so by the day due to Bibi's policies and practices (passing the Jewish nation-state law and inviting Jewish Power into his coalition).

Our President openly criticizes Germany, France and the UK with all sorts of spurious garbage, praises NeoNazis, condemns Hispanics and Muslims, yet a freshman Congressman catches unmitigated shit for criticizing a very real dynamic about mandatory unwavering support for Israel in Congress. Should this be seen as anything other than an opportunity for the GOP to try to gain some sort of moral high ground (long since forfeited by Trump)?

[finnbow]

Speaking of the GOP trying to capitalize on Omar's utterances, Jeanine Pirro opens her show by saying:

Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won’t get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/f...e-constitution

A prominent GOP talking head (and Trump favorite) openly questions a Muslim-American politician's loyalty to the country and nobody cares or notices, yet when this Muslim-American questions the mandated loyalty of the American political system to Israel, she is condemned non-stop for a week.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

As far as the State of Israel is concerned...it is the only democracy in all the middle east.

Not so fast. Just today, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the State of Israel belongs to the Jewish people alone, this in response to a comment by Israeli actress Rotem Sela, who wrote on social media that Israel is a country of all its citizens."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...lity-1.7003348

This is in a country where ~25% of the population is not Jewish and Christians and Druze serve in the IDF (and the Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) don't despite their disproportionate influence on Israeli society).

[Ike Bana]

But let's get distracted by another debate over baby killer Zionazis...and excuse the anti-Semitism, fucked up equivalence of Trump and Obama, and all the other shit (allegiance to Israel over allegiance to this country, etc.) spewing out of the festering piehole of Ilhan Omar.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

But let's get distracted by another debate over baby killer Zionazis...and excuse the anti-Semitism, fucked up equivalence of Trump and Obama, and all the other shit (allegiance to Israel over allegiance to this country, etc.) spewing out of the festering piehole of Ilhan Omar.

Your sensitivity to anything and everything that could be construed as criticism of Israel seems to have attracted you to a cynical ploy by the Right to capitalize on Omar's comments.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign...al-israel-ploy

From the article:

In the U.S. today a ‘supporter of Israel’ is much more likely to be an evangelical Christian Republican than a Jew.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is Jewish, said in a statement he is not buying the GOP effort to “equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right wing, Netanyahu government in Israel.”

In your eyes, is criticism of Bibi for his recent statement that "'...the State of Israel belongs to the Jewish people alone' in response to a comment by Israeli actress Rotem Sela, who wrote on social media that Israel is a country of all its citizens" anti-Semitic?

[Jack Horner]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Not so fast. Just today, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the State of Israel belongs to the Jewish people alone, this in response to a comment by Israeli actress Rotem Sela, who wrote on social media that Israel is a country of all its citizens."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...lity-1.7003348

This is in a country where ~25% of the population is not Jewish and Christians and Druze serve in the IDF (and the Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) don't despite their disproportionate influence on Israeli society).

LOL, yeah it doesn't sound like Netanyahu thinks Israel is a democracy.

[Jack Horner]

Israel is an apartheid state guilty of some atrocities.