Americans appear to be bored by policy, titillated by private misdeeds. I get it. But, despite the fact that salacious news has always sold well, at least once upon a time it was only sprinkled in between real dialogue and serious journalism.
I honestly don’t care what Anthony Weiner does with his penis. It is between him and his wife. And, I can’t understand how his sex life has any correlation with how he governs. Heck, Bill Clinton presided over one of the great economic growths in this country, and if getting blown by Monica Lewinsky was the catalyst, than we should have demanded her attendance in the Oval Office every single day.
I’m more worried about the straight-laced Christian Republicans who take money from corporate interest lobbyists, vote against public interest, and strip civil liberties to further religious agendas. To me, that is a worse crime.
While everyone is so caught up with Weiner’s wiener, and the many puns that can be created for headlines, the real scandal and reason why he should not be running for office is going unnoticed. The outrage should be over his bigotry towards Palestinians and how he has misused his past position in Congress to support punitive policies against the Palestinians.
1. In 2005, Weiner began a witch-hunt against a Columbia University professor, CALLING FOR HIM TO BE FIRED for being critical of Israel. When that didn’t work, he sponsored legislation (HR-3077 International Studies in Higher Education Act) to mandate that area studies programs that receive federal money must “foster debate on American foreign policy from diverse perspectives,” and would monitor professors’ teaching to make sure it is devoid of “political bias.” A heavy-handed attempt to mandate teachings that supports the American administration in power and supports Israeli policies uncritically.
2. CLAIMED THAT THE NEW YORK TIMES was anti-Israel when the newspaper and other human rights organizations called for an investigation into Israel’s use of cluster bombs in Lebanon. “Amnesty International in particular, has always had bias against Israel, and frankly I would argue that in many cases, the New York Times has, as well. You know, Israel didn’t choose to have a war.” ~ Anthony Weiner. Let me add, yes, Israel chose to have a war when it launched a land grab in the Six-Day War.
3. In the same interview where he claimed the New York Times was an anti-Israel, he also claimed that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is still listed by the US as a terrorist organization. It’s not. It was dropped from the list in 1988, over two decades ago.
4. He tried to BAR THE PALESTINIAN delegation to the United Nations from New York, at the time, famously stating that the delegation “should start packing their little Palestinian terrorist bags.”
5. Alleged that Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestine Authority, is not the head of the PLO. He is.
6. ALLEGES that the Israeli army does not occupy the West bank and that there is no Israeli Army presence in West Bank.
7. Weiner has CALLED Israel’s war on Gaza a “humane” war, despite its killing of 900 civilians – 400 of them children. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem have all found overwhelming evidence of widespread indiscriminate attacks on civilian population centers.
8. In 2010, Weiner defended the Israeli attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla in the high seas, during which Israeli commandoes killed nine people, including a 19-year-old US citizen, who was initially shot while filming the attack, then fatally shot, execution-style, in the back of the head while lying on the ship’s deck. In Weiner’s view, murdering humanitarian aid workers in international waters is legitimate “self-defense” which he “strongly support(s).”
Weiner is being treated as if he was a leading progressive voice on Capitol Hill despite his decidedly right-wing political agenda, particularly on foreign policy. That is low bar for American politics. So, as mainstream media and New York City residents concentrate on his solicitation of sex online, Weiner is busy PANDERING TO PRO-ISRAEL Zionist organizations and neo-conservatives for cash money.
Danielle DeAbreu
Danielle DeAbreu is a former model and student at William Paterson University studying Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Political Science.
Follow me on Twitter @DaniDeAbreu13
