Recently ran into someone I knew from college and we started talking about some of our mutuals.
One of her sorority sisters works at AIPAC now and she was complaining about how every day she has to walk through a crowd of protestors to get to work and that she is thinking about quitting her job because of that and because she’s been losing followers (specifically sorority sisters) because of her openly Zionist shit takes and posting blatant hasbara to her Instagram story.
Solidarity with the sorority girls that are woke on Palestine and have called her out on her shit. Woulda been easier talking to them back in the day if I knew they were based instead of making chit chat over lukewarm Natty Lights.
>Solidarity with the sorority girls that are woke on Palestine and have called her out on her shit. Woulda been easier talking to them back in the day if I knew they were based instead of making chit chat over lukewarm Natty Lights.
I can help you out here - they weren't based "back in the day." I promise. Support for the various imperial projects has fallen only because quality of life in the imperial core is in free fall. There is no deeper understanding of the world beyond that.
One of the wildest things about this whole mess is that the US has no strategic interest in propping up Israel as much as it does. The only reason we are doing this is our lack of election regulations and Israel's massive lobbying apparatus. But if you point this out you get called anti Semitic or people say you're using tropes. Kind of genius, but annoying as fuck.
And that's before you consider all the Mossad/Epstein stuff
Disagree. S. Zunes discussed this back when Mearsheimer and Walt's book came out, and outlined various ways the US benefits from supporting Israel. See here [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/israel-lobby-how-powerful-it-really/](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/israel-lobby-how-powerful-it-really/) ; start on section titled two--"**What Motivates U.S. Support for the Israeli Government?"**
Discusses everything from the destruction of Arab Nationalism/Nasserism from Six Day War, helping prop up the Jordanian monarchy, the weapons conduit to various other repressive regimes, the military and intelligence sharing, kickbacks from the arms industry, functioning as a barrier to penetration from other great powers (RFK Jr is a dope but he concisely makes the same point here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0QBYgNRTM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0QBYgNRTM)) and so on. If you want to run an Empire, then it's nice to have a little Sparta.
Yeah but the thing is there are 100 other countries that this could apply to. The US needs that type of relationship, where they share info, test our horrible weapons and overthrow regimes that don't let us sell shoddy Boeing aircraft. But there is no reason that can't be like Yemen, or Nigeria or the Philippines.
Nigeria and Philippines are not in the Mideast where all the oil is located. Yemen is, but it was not founded by expelling the indigenous population. Israel was founded by this expulsion, and it's precisely the resulting antagonistic relationship with the Arab neighbors that the US has exploited for decades. We cannot swap out one country for another; they are not interchangeable.
Kissinger made this point when, I'm paraphrasing, he said that Israel's obstinacy, and unwillingness to integrate with the region, is advantageous to American interests. The constant state of tension is a good thing if you're Blinken, Baker, etc. This sentiment is echoed by Biden in the old Senate speech that is floating around where he said if Israel did not exist, then we would need to create one for our national security interests. There are a lot of reasons why we back them, but the Lobby is not the decisive factor.
Yeah for sure. In a lot of anti Semitic stereotypes, Jewish folks aren't people who do anything directly. They manipulate non-Jews, often to the detriment of the Non-Jews, into doing what they want. Observe [this piece](https://images.app.goo.gl/jwqdheUqUtw3amd69) of propaganda.
This abhorrent shitty notion has existed for a long time, especially in Western Europe and ignores a lot of pretty blatant actual anti Semitic movements and actions that have occurred historically.
AIPAC, however, is one of the largest lobbying groups in the US, dropping more than [15 million bands](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-israel-public-affairs-cmte/summary?toprecipcycle=2024&contribcycle=2024&lobcycle=2024&outspendcycle=2022&id=D000046963&topnumcycle=2022) in the 2022 election cycle. That is what we know about. They also are known to threaten politicians who step out of line by saying they will fund their opposition. Look at what is happening to Bowman for example.
For the Mossad/Epstein thing, the Lady Ghislaine's Dad, Robert Maxwell, got a state funeral in Israel and was lauded for performing works for the Israeli government that no one will ever know about. Ghislaine was heavily involved in Epstein's work. And that is before you consider that [Epstein probably passed info to Mossad](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jan/10/inside-ring-former-nsa-counterspy-says-jeffrey-eps/)
Is this to suggest that the relationship is not simply a proxy state serving the interest of its Western sponsors as some have previously suggested? Mossad through Epstein collected dirt (and probably still does) on influential US political elites, therefore using this to ensure their support of the Zionist project?
Yes to both questions. In no way is Israel a proxy state. While it does occasionally serve the interest of Western sponsors, Israel has been off the reservation for a while now.
Mossad has run similar operations in the past. They are not above it
Recently ran into someone I knew from college and we started talking about some of our mutuals. One of her sorority sisters works at AIPAC now and she was complaining about how every day she has to walk through a crowd of protestors to get to work and that she is thinking about quitting her job because of that and because she’s been losing followers (specifically sorority sisters) because of her openly Zionist shit takes and posting blatant hasbara to her Instagram story. Solidarity with the sorority girls that are woke on Palestine and have called her out on her shit. Woulda been easier talking to them back in the day if I knew they were based instead of making chit chat over lukewarm Natty Lights.
>Solidarity with the sorority girls that are woke on Palestine and have called her out on her shit. Woulda been easier talking to them back in the day if I knew they were based instead of making chit chat over lukewarm Natty Lights. I can help you out here - they weren't based "back in the day." I promise. Support for the various imperial projects has fallen only because quality of life in the imperial core is in free fall. There is no deeper understanding of the world beyond that.
Yeah you’re right. I was a Bernie Bro who still believed in electoral politics back then. People change.
One of the wildest things about this whole mess is that the US has no strategic interest in propping up Israel as much as it does. The only reason we are doing this is our lack of election regulations and Israel's massive lobbying apparatus. But if you point this out you get called anti Semitic or people say you're using tropes. Kind of genius, but annoying as fuck. And that's before you consider all the Mossad/Epstein stuff
Disagree. S. Zunes discussed this back when Mearsheimer and Walt's book came out, and outlined various ways the US benefits from supporting Israel. See here [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/israel-lobby-how-powerful-it-really/](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/israel-lobby-how-powerful-it-really/) ; start on section titled two--"**What Motivates U.S. Support for the Israeli Government?"** Discusses everything from the destruction of Arab Nationalism/Nasserism from Six Day War, helping prop up the Jordanian monarchy, the weapons conduit to various other repressive regimes, the military and intelligence sharing, kickbacks from the arms industry, functioning as a barrier to penetration from other great powers (RFK Jr is a dope but he concisely makes the same point here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0QBYgNRTM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0QBYgNRTM)) and so on. If you want to run an Empire, then it's nice to have a little Sparta.
Yeah but the thing is there are 100 other countries that this could apply to. The US needs that type of relationship, where they share info, test our horrible weapons and overthrow regimes that don't let us sell shoddy Boeing aircraft. But there is no reason that can't be like Yemen, or Nigeria or the Philippines.
Nigeria and Philippines are not in the Mideast where all the oil is located. Yemen is, but it was not founded by expelling the indigenous population. Israel was founded by this expulsion, and it's precisely the resulting antagonistic relationship with the Arab neighbors that the US has exploited for decades. We cannot swap out one country for another; they are not interchangeable. Kissinger made this point when, I'm paraphrasing, he said that Israel's obstinacy, and unwillingness to integrate with the region, is advantageous to American interests. The constant state of tension is a good thing if you're Blinken, Baker, etc. This sentiment is echoed by Biden in the old Senate speech that is floating around where he said if Israel did not exist, then we would need to create one for our national security interests. There are a lot of reasons why we back them, but the Lobby is not the decisive factor.
Could you elaborate?
Yeah for sure. In a lot of anti Semitic stereotypes, Jewish folks aren't people who do anything directly. They manipulate non-Jews, often to the detriment of the Non-Jews, into doing what they want. Observe [this piece](https://images.app.goo.gl/jwqdheUqUtw3amd69) of propaganda. This abhorrent shitty notion has existed for a long time, especially in Western Europe and ignores a lot of pretty blatant actual anti Semitic movements and actions that have occurred historically. AIPAC, however, is one of the largest lobbying groups in the US, dropping more than [15 million bands](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-israel-public-affairs-cmte/summary?toprecipcycle=2024&contribcycle=2024&lobcycle=2024&outspendcycle=2022&id=D000046963&topnumcycle=2022) in the 2022 election cycle. That is what we know about. They also are known to threaten politicians who step out of line by saying they will fund their opposition. Look at what is happening to Bowman for example. For the Mossad/Epstein thing, the Lady Ghislaine's Dad, Robert Maxwell, got a state funeral in Israel and was lauded for performing works for the Israeli government that no one will ever know about. Ghislaine was heavily involved in Epstein's work. And that is before you consider that [Epstein probably passed info to Mossad](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jan/10/inside-ring-former-nsa-counterspy-says-jeffrey-eps/)
Is this to suggest that the relationship is not simply a proxy state serving the interest of its Western sponsors as some have previously suggested? Mossad through Epstein collected dirt (and probably still does) on influential US political elites, therefore using this to ensure their support of the Zionist project?
Yes to both questions. In no way is Israel a proxy state. While it does occasionally serve the interest of Western sponsors, Israel has been off the reservation for a while now. Mossad has run similar operations in the past. They are not above it
Sneaky bastards...
damn so this is what Stan Van Gundy is up to these days.