Will Chuck Hagel be Borked by the Israel mafia?

The New York Review of Books has a good piece on the attempt by the Israel mafia to “Bork” Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s likely nominee to be the new secretary of defense.

This wrath has been struck on the former Nebraska senator because in the past, Hagel has taken the highly politically incorrect position of refusing to mindlessly agree with every single policy, no matter how belligerent or immoral, of the Israeli government.

Israel is America's ally. The US is correct to stand up for Israel's right to exist and to be safe. But the mafia goes well beyond this reasonable objective.

The McCarthyistic tactics of this mafia - reflexively equating any disagreement with the Israeli government of the day to anti-Semitism - is despicable and downright un-American.

Israel may be America’s ally but it’s not the 51^st state. It is not American territory. To demand that an American cabinet official should give greater loyalty to a foreign government than the United States is not only absurd, but arguably treasonous.

The lobbyists of Gov. One Percent

The New York Public Interest Research Group (via the Albany Times-Union) has revealed the 100 top spending special interest groups in New York. Who was the most free spending group? The health care workers union? The evil teachers union? Supporters of civil rights for gays? Opponents thereof? Nope. #1 slot goes to the misnamed Committee to Save New York. This is an organizing comprising the top "donors" to the campaign of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and is dedicated to lobbying on behalf of the agenda of the One Percent.

Do mom and pop wine shops support their own extinction?

An ad on the website of The Daily News pointed out this website.

It claims It is time for New York to support small businesses throughout the state, from Upstate family farms to mom and pop wine shops.

Yet in fact, it calls for support of a bill that would allow wine and liquor sales in mega chain supermarkets, something that "mom and pop wine shops" can't be too thrilled about.

Its deceit is further evidenced by repeated use of the phrase "Big Liquor Myth" to hammer home its dubious pretense to represent small wine shops.

This group, which is backed by the mega chain supermarkets, claims that "Big Liquor" (whatever that means) is opposed to this change. But it also claims that sales of alcohol would skyrocket if this change were implemented. So why would the mythical "Big Liquor" oppose something that would see liquor sales increase?

Whether you support or oppose the sale of wine and liquor in mega chain supermarkets, this self-interested deceit is something that we could do without.