Israel: Got Culture ?

Israel is very much in the news lately involving American interests in a negative way.

Lawrence Franklin on May 4, 2005 was arrested by Federal agents for passing top secret intelligence to two AIPAC ( American Israel Public Affairs Committee) opertives. The opertives are being investigated for passing the information about Iraq/Iran intelligence and policy options to Israel. Franklin worked with team Wolfowitz and other Zionists in the Pentagon like Douglas Feith who has been cited by Senator Carl Levin's Senate Select Committee for a "continuing deception of Congress" as related to doctored Iraq information concerning WMD/Al Qaeda . This contributed to Bush's rush to war arguments.

On May 1, 2005 Turkey's Prime Minister Erodogan visted Israel and what remains of historic Palestine. Among gestures of peace making, he was considering a $ 400 million upgrade on 30 Turkish F-4 Phantoms. The F-4 Phantom is an American fighter. Why is Israel getting the contract? Because AIPAC has over the years appropriated American military business and American jobs through it's legal underworld of influence on our money-addicted politicians. Israel is an alternative manufacturing and parts supplier of American products. A truly low form of outsourcing-legislated job loss.

And then there is talk about the logic of the Cranston Amendment in these hard times of huge Federal deficits. The Cranston Amendment was named for the late Alan Cranston,D.-Ca. It was
started in 1983. The Cranston Amendment reads in part " It is the policy and the intention of the United States that the funds provided in annual appropriations for the Economic Support Funds which are allocated to Israel shall not be less than the annual debt repayment ( interest and principal) from Israel to the United States Government in recognition that such principle serves United States interests in the region." Israel has a blank check that does not have to be repaid to the U S . Since 1997 aid in all forms to Israel, including cash grants and U S Tax Code deductable contributions to that country ( no other country has that perq) have been running about $10 billion per year.

Israel takes our money, steals our intelligence, takes U S jobs when it upgrades our manufactured planes and what does the U S get in return?

Israel has a cultural deficit. Culture comes from the land. Israel has always had a problem finding a homeland.