More disconcerting is their public expression of devotion to Israel and domestic Jewish causes, rather than the true patriotic love for one's own country as revealed in a healthy nationalism.

Barely a week goes by without the introduction or passage of legislation relating to Israel. "Dear colleague" letters are circulated continuously among congressmen urging for more support and foreign aid to this small country in the Middle East. Public requests for the president to support and increase Israel's position in the international community are commonplace.

This is nothing new however in the American political arena. Every president since Truman has given support to Israel in varying degrees, and most representatives in Congress are on the payroll of various pro-Israel pressure groups - Democrats and Republicans. Each understands that critical opposition of Israel is political suicide.

At the same time, almost unanimously, the international community, including some of our strongest historical allies, condemns Israeli governmental policy in the Middle East. It is truly becoming Israel and America against the world, a battle that we are unlikely to win.

In October 2003, at an international conference attended by 57 countries, including Russia, the prime minister of Malaysia openly and unapologetically declared, "Jews are so powerful they rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."

This speech created quite a stir in the halls of U.S. Congress, and leaders there quickly drafted two resolutions:

1. H. Res 409 - repudiating the statement, which passed 411-0

2. S. Res 247 - urging the president to "condemn the anti-Semitic sentiments expressed by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the outgoing Prime Minister of Malaysia."

Unfortunately, our representatives missed an important and extremely relevant point. As they drafted resolutions condemning free speech (wherever it is found), they failed to notice the standing ovation Dr. Mohamad received, including from Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, the world approved and endorsed his statement, while American politicians feverishly engaged in activity to appease lobbying groups, rather than understanding why the world sees things so much differently and - on this matter, anyway - much more clearly.

America should not necessarily cave in to international pressure or adopt the beliefs of the international community for the sake of belonging, which would contradict the spirit of nationalism, but we should try to understand the position of the international community, if only in an attempt to check the rightness of our own government's decisions. It is possible, and I believe accurate, in this case, that the world sees America's relationship to Israel for what it really is: a marriage to a terrorist state with hegemonic aspirations in the Middle East and abroad.

Israeli foreign policy is proving devastating if not fatal for America, in terms of American lives and treasure. But more distressing is the subtle and gradual erosion of liberties in our homeland spawned by the rise of what I will call Jewish supremacy - as witnessed by the actions of America's bought politicians and their Zionist speech writers.

Fortunately, American citizens still have the right to purchase materials and literature that many in Washington find unacceptable, offensive or "hate speech," information that often promotes truth and leads to enlightenment. How long this will continue remains to be seen.

Censorship in this country takes on a different dimension of its own as opposed to the direct elimination of specific forms of speech. If a citizen is courageous enough to speak out, he still has the right to do so, but at his own risk. Many will endure pressure from different sources and in different ways, which silences many individuals nonetheless. This is the pressure fear.

In America, the threat of losing a job or a career proves effective at quieting those who speak out. The threat of boycotts against businesses and media outlets or a flood of angry callers to a dissident politician is usually sufficient. American politicians understand how the media can derail their aspirations in government, thus the public often finds them glorifying pro-Israeli issues.

For example, when the two presidential candidates are juxtaposed, one finds the wording of their speeches nearly identical, with only a small emphasis on various issues that may differentiate them from their opponent.

In a recent speech given at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs committee, President Bush nuzzled up to this powerful lobbying group and read his scripted statement while declaring, "The United States is strongly committed, and I am strongly committed, to the security of Israel as a vibrant Jewish state ... we have a duty to expose and confront anti-Semitism, wherever it is found. ... You understand that anti-Semitism is not a problem of the past."

Considering the numerous applauses the president received in his speech, it is obvious that those in attendance were more than grateful for his servitude. However, in this same speech, the president acknowledges the grip that AIPAC has on Washington and Israeli foreign policy and shockingly thanks them for it.

"For more than 50 years, the United States and Israel have been steadfast allies. AIPAC is one of the reasons why. By defending the freedom and prosperity and security of Israel, you're also serving the cause of America. ... I know there are buses outside waiting to take you to Capitol Hill. ... There's over 500 meetings scheduled with members of the Senate and the House. That is good news. I'm sure you're going to pass this message on to them: A free, prosperous and secure Israel is in this nation's national interest. In Washington and beyond, AIPAC is calling attention to the great security challenges of our time. ... You've spoken out on the threat posed by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons."

Yes, you read that right; he said Iran not Iraq.

Is there any wonder who's next on Washington's hit list?

And just to make sure that the pressure groups and the coffers they maintain understand that both Republicans and Democrats serve them without restraint or hesitation, Sen. John Kerry proclaims unashamedly, when speaking to the Anti-Defamation League, "What ADL stands for is what I would like to fight for. ... The people of Israel should also know that for the entire 20 years that I have been in the United States Senate, I'm proud that my commitment to a secure Jewish state has been unwavering; not even by one vote or one letter or one resolution has it wavered. The security of Israel is paramount."

Yet as the feet of campaign financiers are drooled upon, journalists and opinion writers are taking a different course of action - most of them outraged by the Jewish neo-conservative braintrust that pushed for the Iraq war.

It is people in the media that U.S. officials and their allegiance to groups like AIPAC will move to censor. But traditional strategies at censoring are beginning to lose their effectiveness. There is a new stirring in Washington that looks very similar to a dark storm approaching over the horizon.

The first winds were felt on April 28, 2004, in a bill submitted to Congress by Rep. Tom Lantos (D) California - the #4 ranking beneficiary of pro-Israel PAC money for 2004 according to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.

The bill, known officially as HR 4230 - the 2004 Global Anti-Semitism Awareness Act - states as its intended purpose: "To authorize the establishment within the Department of State of an Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, to require inclusion in annual Department of State reports of information concerning acts of anti-Semitism around the world, and for other purposes."

With 31 individual cosponsors, the bill will create a monitoring division within the Department of State, not just for alleged anti-Semitic acts that occur in the U.S., but across the world.

The bill continues, "It is the sense of Congress that - (1) the United States should continue to vigorously support efforts to combat anti-Semitism worldwide through bilateral relationships and interaction with international organizations; (2) the United States delegation to the OSCE conference in Berlin should advocate for the appointment of a High Commissioner on anti-Semitism; (3) the president should direct the United States ambassador to the United Nations to introduce in the most appropriate forum in the United Nations a measure condemning anti-Semitism; (4) the Secretary of State should establish a permanent office in the Department of State to monitor and combat anti-Semitism; and (5) the Department of State should thoroughly document acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement that occur around the world."

Of utmost importance is the word in the last sentence: incitement. As our cousins across the Atlantic in Europe know all to well, incitement often leads to incarceration and prison sentences. As most European countries and Canada have laws against incitement, it is long overdue, apparently, for America to join the other nations and their coalition against freedom of speech and expression.

Journalists, reporters, book publishers, scholars, academics, etc. who may offer a critical argument against Israeli foreign policy are sure to be counted as those in violation of incitement.

For certain, HR 4230 lacks any real teeth when dealing with penalties and punishment. But as millions if not billions of dollars are spent policing the world for anti-Semitism, one would be hard pressed to not think that the penalty phase will eventually follow.

I am not sure if this is the first official attempt of the U.S. government to monitor actions of people around the world that they consider anti-Semitic, but as I conclude this series, I am left with an unsettling feeling that I can’t seem to shake.

Something wicked this way comes.

David Mullenax resides in Fishersville. His column, "Dave's Diatribe - Unfair and Unbalanced," appears every Friday in The Augusta Free Press.

The views expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect those of management of The Augusta Free Press.

What do you think? Share your thoughts on this story at letters@augustafreepress.com.

(Published 06-17-04/Columns)

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