Hello folks. Sorry for not updating blog for long time. I tried to contact Byron DeLear but he haven't picked up the phone. At the same time, I had two midterm exams this month. However, I paid attention to the recent Israel election, the #47traitors incident with Senator Tom Cotton, and, yes, Pope Francis's comment on money in politics. There is also a recent news about Congressman Aaron Schock resigning over misuse of campaign funding but this is the only dark money-related news the corporate media would comment on. There are few things I would like to make comments about them and why I think these people who support such politicians are disgusting.
Let's start with Israel.
- While I am writing this, I will stay neutral on the issue of Israeli-Palestine conflict. I believe Israel, as a state, have a right to defend themselves, but at the same time, I think they should leave Palestine alone and shouldn't occupy more further onto their land. Also, both sides should better make a diplomatic peace deal together and enact two-state solution already.
- Unfortunately, two-state solution is only a wishful thinking in the world of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing supporters from United States and his own country Israel. Speaker of the House John Boehner invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak at the House of Congress without any approval from the Obama administration. At first, I thought this was a joke: why would a powerful man in US politic committed a treasonous act by inviting a foreign leader without any permission?
- Netanyahu did came to the House of Congress gave a hawkish speech in front of Republicans, while others, including Democrats who supports Israel and even Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, boycotted the speech. Even worse, this happened at that time the Obama administration trying to make a deal with Iran about nuclear program that Netanyahu is afraid of. The Prime Minister of Israel warned everyone in Congress about the threat of Iranian nuclear program, the same way he warned everyone at United Nation about it few years ago. The problem with his speech was that, according to the leaked top-secret Mossad documents, Iran was “not performing the activity necessary to produce weapons”. He cried the wolf couple of times over the last decade and did not listen to advises from his Mossad chief whether or not Israel should attack other countries in Middle East that look threatening for them.
- Many pundits and commentators believe that the speech Netanyahu gave at the Congress would negatively affects his re-election campaign in Israel. As long as Israeli-supporting right wing billionaire Sheldon Adelson is on his side, this won't matters. Adelson subsidize largest printed media in Israel to push the agenda supported by Netanyahu's followers. So he used corporate funding, fear-tactic, and voters suppression on Arab citizens of Israel (and Palestinians) to gain more votes and re-elected for the fourth time. In other words, Israeli election is just as much as rigged as United States. People said Israel is the only democratic nation in Middle East? Well they should add two more words, "kind of".
- And funny thing is, Netanyahu stated that there will be no two-state solution before he got elected. After that, he backpedaled and said he SUPPORTS two-state solution. The truth is he and every Republicans in congress who applauded his speech still wants to bomb every Middle Eastern.
Speaking of the war, we then have Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
- While the Obama administration trying to make a peace negotiation with Iran, 47 Republican senators signed the letter to Iranian leaders written by newly elected Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas that tells them not to trust President Barack Obama.
- As you can see from Netanyahu speech about the nonexistence threat of Iranian nuclear program, obviously Republicans want to declare war on Iran and they would do it the same disastrous way they did with Iraq.
- Not surprisingly, Tom Cotton, who is leading on this, received campaign donation from private defense contractors (who usually keep hawkish lawmakers in power) and let them profit more from the pointless and unnecessary war.
- When I learned about this, it made me hit the roof. So these are the same people who claimed they care about life and yet they want to send their voters' children to war and let defense contractors to make money off of it. People who voted for them just disgusts me. This what happen if you let the rich people control the election results and made majority of the people too apathetic to vote.
Upside to this money in politics mess? Well we got an unusual ally for "get money out" movement and it is the Pope of Roman Catholic Church.
- Pope Francis has called for greater transparency in politics and said elections should be free from backers who fund campaigns in order to prevent policy being influenced by wealthy sponsors.
- The Pope also suggested that he would support a public financing system, noting that such a method of funding elections “would allow for me, the citizen, to know that I’m financing each candidate with a given amount of money.” The same five conservative (Catholic) justices who decided Citizens United, however, have also made public financing virtually impossible to implement successfully in the United States.
- Why's that matters is that he shares the same value Wolf-PAC believes in and ever since he got elected, he have preached against human greed and for the voice of the voiceless.
That's all for the overall summary of money in politic stories throughout first half of March. Even though I wanted to talk about Aaron Schock but I already pointed out this is the only thing the mainstream media would report on so I prefer not weighting on this.
For this spring break, I am going to do some trainings with new Wolf-PAC volunteers. I better get prepared. If you haven't sign up for Wolf-PAC: do it right away.
Wish me luck.
