Sunday, May 19, 2013

More Than Rearrange The Titanic Chairs


When things look bleak inside a big organization such as the government or a large corporation, a metaphor associated with the sinking of the Titanic, is usually employed to describe the situation. Someone would say, for example, that what the people at the top of the institution are doing to save it is akin to rearranging the chairs on the Titanic. This is to mean that what is being done is too little or too late or both; the ship is going to sink no matter how the chairs are rearranged on its deck.

Well, the reality is that much that is not encouraging is happening to the American ship of state these days. A list of the current troubles could, of course, be drawn up but there is really no need for that because no matter how much will go on that list, the troubles are so numerous, something will inevitably be left out either by chance or by design. And besides, a great deal is already out and well known to the public. Still, however, a number of people are doing all they can despite the difficulties to save the American ship of state, including the proverbial rearrangement of the chairs on the deck.

But that is not where the real story lives because many Titanics have sailed and sunk throughout the centuries, and many more have sailed and made it safely to port. What is happening this time in America is that some people – in fact many of them – are doing a lot more than rearrange the chairs on the deck; they are drilling holes in the hull of the ship for a very strange reason. You can see all that in the Julian Pecquet article that was published on May 18, 2013 in the Hill's Global Affairs online publication. The article comes under the title: “Congress defies White House with new round of Iran sanctions.”

The heart of the story is that compared to the other powers, America is no longer the super massive giant that can exist independently of everyone else the way that things used to be a generation or two ago. Thus, to flourish, interact usefully with the other nations, develop influences abroad and prosper internally, America must take into consideration the interests of the others so that they be inclined to take America's interests into consideration when they make their own decisions. But for half a century now, history has unfolded in such a way that the choice for America has come down to being with the rest of the world or being with Israel.

And that, my friend, would be the entity whose leaders are so disturbed mentally and emotionally, they have developed the conviction that their interests will be better served with a sunken America than with a floating America that is drifting away from them by virtue of moving closer to the rest of the world. For half a century, the leaders of Israel and their cohorts in America have used Svengali-like political sorcery to put the legislative branch of the American government into a kind of trance that has paralyzed it when it came to serving the American people, yet brought it to action when it came to serving Israel and the other Jewish causes.

Julian Pecquet begins the article by describing the ongoing tug of war between the American administration and the legislative branch of the government: “Congress is ramping up a new round of sanctions against Iran, ignoring the administration's request to let diplomacy run its course.” He then shows how much the Congress is taking the side of Israel against its own administration, and how dedicated to the Israeli causes it is: “lawmakers put the State and Treasury departments on notice that their patience is wearing thin – but the administration is warning against any moves that could undermine international support.”

The author goes on to describe in great detail the tug of war that is ongoing between the two branches of government. He also describes in depth the stubborn determination of the legislators to defy their own administration so as to fully implement the commands they receive from Israel and from the Jewish lobby working on its behalf inside America.

Then, speaking of Wendy Sherman who is Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, he mentions her appearance before the Congress when “she warned against imposing sanctions that other countries that depend on trade with Iran aren't willing or able to endorse.” To show how risky it would be for America and for the world if the Congress ignored her warning, she went on to explain: “it will be critical not to take steps that would signal to Iran that it could and likely would exploit.”

But did the legislators heed that warning? Of course not. These people may call themselves American, having been elected by the American people, but they are American in mane only. Meanwhile their hearts beat for someone else; someone who is far away from America's shores. In fact, to be considered American regardless of what they do is a convenient thing for these legislators because they can do things in America that may not be of use to Americans but would be to far away Israelis.

Pecquet gives an example of that: “Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced legislation that calls for drilling on federal U.S. lands in order to 'dry up' Iranian exports.” Thus, to play the Judeo-Israeli game of hating someone for the sake of hate, this senator would screw up the judicious management of the land and the resources of America so that Israel may be satisfied. This is more than scandalous; it is treasonous. And this senator is not alone when it comes to betraying his country; the author of the article also mentions Mark Kirk and Joe Manchin who followed suit with legislation of their own.

And so, while America's problems are piling up and the ship of state is slowly sinking, the legislators are not even trying to rearrange the chairs on the deck. On the contrary, they are drilling holes in the hull to bring about the state of extreme emergency that will force the administration to start another shooting war in the Middle East, one that will possibly – just possibly – result in a gain for Israel. And damn America, damn the lives of its young and damn the health of its economy.

If Israel gains something, however little it may be, they will consider their mission to have been worth it.