Trump guts the First Amendment: signs Executive Order suppressing criticism of Israel

[Swordsmyth]

Exactly correct. It's just like when the feds threatened to withold federal highway funds to coerce states into adopting the 55 mph speed limit and to raise drinking ages up to 21. Universities will all fall in line, not one red cent in funding will be withheld and free speech will die a little bit more on campuses.

I absolutely agree that universities should receive no tax dollars but this is not the way to accomplish that. This is an attack on free speech plain and simple using the threat of doing something that ought to be done across the board selectively to accomplish it. "We won't steal other people's money and give it to you unless you help us violate their 1st Amendment rights." Trump gets no points for this.

ETA:And since when do conservatives come down IN FAVOR of expanding the reach of the CRA64? Seriously?

The colleges are awash in funding even if they lose federal money and it isn't free speech to preach your politics while being paid with my tax money.

This has nothing to do with free speech either way.

[juleswin]

Thank you for the clarification! I support first amendment right of socialists to put websites, organize and associate, and call for the boycott of whoever they choose and I support the right of conservatives to do the exact same thing.

You marxist radical, this is a liberty forum where govt should have the right to mold good, patriotic, zionist behaviour to its citizens. Trump said we should learn to love Israel more than we already do and that is what liberty stands for.

If this website adopted Trump's attitude towards free speech, you would have been banned a long time ago. SMDH.

[Swordsmyth]

You marxist radical, this is a liberty forum where govt should have the right to mold good, patriotic, zionist behaviour to its citizens. Trump said we should learn to love Israel more than we already do and that is what liberty stands for.

If this website adopted Trump's attitude towards free speech, you would have been banned a long time ago. SMDH.

Please tell me more about how government paying people who push a particular political agenda has anything to do with free speech.

[Brian4Liberty]

Hey Rick Perry, what was that thing we wanted to abolish? Oh yeah, The Department of Education.

Federal government should not be funding education at all. It’s a state and local government duty.

[Brian4Liberty]

^^^THIS^^^

I don't know why some people here fall for leftist propaganda just because they want to attack Trump.

The only thing happening here is that communist indoctrination centers are being denied taxpayer dollars, you can say that the reason for that is not as good as what we would prefer but you can't call it a violation of the 1stA.

Denying Federal money would be a happy, but unintended and unlikely unintended consequence. Odds of that happening because of this are almost zero. It’s about several other things, some obvious (pandering), some not so obvious.

[Swordsmyth]

Denying Federal money would be a happy, but unintended and unlikely unintended consequence. Odds of that happening because of this are almost zero. It’s about several other things, some obvious (pandering), some not so obvious.

Whatever is involved is just the mirror image of what was happening before.
Government money is being used for politics at universities.

I would much prefer that the money simply be cut off but I'm not concerned about this.

[unknown]

Whatever is involved is just the mirror image of what was happening before.
Government money is being used for politics at universities.

I would much prefer that the money simply be cut off but I'm not concerned about this.

Is there any aspect of Trump that you dont like or disagree with?

[jmdrake]

Sure. All good. The only problem being that the extreme radical left like Antifa will hide behind Free Speech while at the same time using violence to eliminate the speech of others.

Do you honestly believe that support for Israel is somehow a conservative thing? Newflash, AIPAC has its hooks in the left as much as the right. And this new rule doesn't affect Antifa in the slightest bit. But it will be used against conservatives who criticize Israel like Pat Buchanan.

[Swordsmyth]

Is there any aspect of Trump that you dont like or disagree with?

A few.
I disagree with this, I'm just not going to let it overshadow all of the good things about him because it is inconsequential.

[RonZeplin]

Zionist hack.



Justin Amash/Chuck Baldwin 2020!

[enhanced_deficit]

Another bold but controversial move:



Trump guts the First Amendment: signs Executive Order suppressing criticism of Israel

Trump’s Executive Order to Stifle Israel Critics Probably Violates the Constitution

By Jesse Singal
A protest outside the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., last year. Photo: Gili Getz

For a long time, some pro-Israel activists and lawmakers have been pushing a deeply authoritarian idea: using the power of the American state to punish those who take part in the so-called Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. BDS, as it’s known, spans a variety of efforts to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory and to treat Palestinian residents of Israel and the territories better.

As a constitutional matter, the problems with this couldn’t be more obvious: Americans have an ironclad right to protest against any country they want, for any reason they want, however they want, without the government interfering. There are some very narrow, very specific exceptions — you obviously can’t burn down a synagogue because you’re so upset at Israel — but as a general rule, the government really can’t regulate this sort of speech. That hasn’t stopped lawmakers, apparently unconcerned about such matters, from trying to pass legislation effectively outlawing certain types of activism. In 2017, for example, almost 300 members of the House and Senate co-sponsored bills that would have made certain boycotts of Israel a federal felony.

Some states have gotten in on the act, too. Texas’ dabbling in this sort of legislation led to some genuinely ugly results: “A children’s speech pathologist who has worked for the last nine years with developmentally disabled, autistic, and speech-impaired elementary-school students in Austin, Texas, has been told that she can no longer work with the public school district,” wrote Glenn Greenwald in 2018, “after she refused to sign an oath vowing that she ‘does not’ and ‘will not’ engage in a boycott of Israel or ‘otherwise tak[e] any action that is intended to inflict economic harm’ on that foreign nation.” (For those keeping track at home, yes, a state tightly associated with hands-off-my-guns anti-government conservatism passed a law attempting to force its employees to sign a document restricting their ability to criticize another country.) She sued, and, unsurprisingly, the courts weren’t having the law.

A separate but related effort has involved a State Department definition of “anti-Semitism” that, as I wrote in 2016, is both vague and overly broad: It “describes as ‘anti-Semitic’ holding Israel to a double standard, demonizing it to an undue extent for the state of the world, and a wide variety of other sorts of speech that, yes, may be anti-Semitic in a given context, but which are undoubtedly protected by the First Amendment.” For a long time, some lawmakers have attempted to pass legislation which would empower the Department of Education to crack down on campus activity that runs afoul of this standard. They’ve failed, in part because many believe such a law would be unconstitutional — an argument the nonpartisan, free-speech-focused Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has made.

Now, according to the New York Times, President Donald Trump has resurrected this idea in the form of an executive order he plans on signing later today: “In signing the order, Mr. Trump will use his executive power to take action where Congress has not, essentially replicating bipartisan legislation that has stalled on Capitol Hill for years.”
nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/trump-anti-anti-semitism-order-likely-violates-constitution.html

Trump reverses longstanding policy on Israeli settlements
Nov 18, 2019
CNN
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announced a major reversal of the US' longstanding policy on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, rejecting a 1978 State Department legal opinion that deemed the settlements "inconsistent with international law." The announcement, which breaks with international law and consensus, is the latest in a string of hardline, pro-Israeli moves that are likely to inflame tensions between the Trump administration and Palestinians and widen the divide between the Trump administration and traditional US allies in Europe.

Pompeo says God may have sent Trump to save Israel

Iraq invasion architect Elliott Abrams quietly slips into Trump administration



However, perceptions borne out of such moves could play into the hands of far right extremists that made headlines recently and further fan conspiracy theories popular among some segments of right wing and had lately resurfaced after reported suicide of alleged Israeli spy/politicians blackmailer Jeffrey Epstein.



Anti-Trump antisemitism

https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/rober...ican-democrat/

If this EO stands, maybe the GOA needs to see if Trump will appoint them to be the guardians of the Second Amendment.

GOA leadership may have already alienated MAGA leadership by calling him 'fraud' after reports like this made headlines/memes.

[showpan]

When the feds blackmailed the 55mph to the states, New Hampshire did not comply and therefore lost some federal funding. Guess what, their roads were way better than the other states around them. I couldn't wait to ride my bike out of Vermont or Mass and into NH. What a difference. Gas was a little higher but so what!!

Ok, so federally funded universities can no longer criticize Israel. They can no longer discuss (if they wanted to) how "some people" run woman and children over with bulldozers as the clear other peoples homes to make room for "their" homes. They can no longer discuss how "some people" withhold food, water and medicine to people who are not "Jewish". Nor can they talk about how certain areas are off limits to "non Jews" or the original Jews who were there long before them. ok, so they can't make any more jokes about Jews either. you can't say to your buddy who doesn't want to spend $3,50 for a beer...."Don't be a Jew"....lol....You might get kicked out now in fear of losing fed funding. What about Polish jokes? Are they not worried about other ethnic groups or is it just anything negative towards Israel. I'm Irish and I kind of like being made fun of...lol...especially after a few pints but how is THAT fair???? The Jews can make fun of me but I can't make fun of them anymore...lol. Oh well, maybe Trump just wants to make sure "some' (not everyone's since it only deals with Israel) peoples feelings aren't hurt given how everyone is so super sensitive these days...lol...what a guy. I especially like his fondness for EO's now.

Would this be another example of "quid pro quo"?...lmao

Disclaimer: I am not a racist and none of my remarks should be construed or twisted into anything other than ironic sarcastic humor made by an old biker who keeps wondering....how fooked are we.....oh wait...hold my beer.

[Anti Federalist]

When the feds blackmailed the 55mph to the states, New Hampshire did not comply and therefore lost some federal funding. Guess what, their roads were way better than the other states around them. I couldn't wait to ride my bike out of Vermont or Mass and into NH. What a difference. Gas was a little higher but so what!!

We also get screwed by the feds because we won't pass a helmet law.

But $#@! 'em.

[showpan]

We also get screwed by the feds because we won't pass a helmet law.

But $#@! 'em.

...or take my helmet off. At least we didn't let them pass helmet laws in CT either

[mattniers]

Great article by Philip Giraldi. It's completely accurate regarding this particular issue:

The pandering by Donald Trump and those around him to Israel and to some conservative American Jews is apparently endless. Last Wednesday the president signed an executive order that is intended to address alleged anti-Semitism on college campuses by cutting off funds to those universities that do not prevent criticism of Israel. To provide a legal basis to defund, the administration is relying on title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits any discrimination based on race, color or national origin. Since the Act does not include religion, Trump’s order is declaring ipso facto that henceforth “Jewishness” is a nationality.

The executive order does not mention Israel by name, but it does state that its assumptions are based on “the non-legally binding working definition of anti-Semitism adopted on May 26, 2016, by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which states, ‘Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities’; and (ii) the ‘Contemporary Examples of Anti-Semitism’ identified by the IHRA, to the extent that any examples might be useful as evidence of discriminatory intent.”

The IHRA “contemporary examples” supplementing the basic description are important. They considerably broaden the definition of anti-Semitism, to include “Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations” and “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The examples also included holding Israel to a higher standard than other nations when criticizing it, and IHRA offers no possible mitigation even if the accusations are, in the case of the behavior of some Jews and of Israel, accurate.

Those who are confused because in the past expressions like “Italian” or “Irish” or “British” meant actual countries should recognize that Trump-speak never respects any connection with reality when there is political advantage just sitting out there waiting to be snatched and exploited. And that imperative is considerably multiplied when one is referring to either the state of Israel or of Jews in general, particularly as seen by the Trump White House, which clearly and repeatedly sends the message that it reveres both. Trump’s order will in effect constitute a government-promoted argument that Jews are a people or a race with a collective national origin, like Italian or Polish Americans, an assertion that clearly is untrue.

In fact, suppressing criticism of Israel on college campuses using a “weaponized” claim of anti-Semitism has long been a major foreign policy objective of the Israeli government even though nonviolent assembly and free speech are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Congress has several times considered a comprehensive Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, though it has not passed due to legitimate free speech concerns. The nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (B.D.S.), which is very active on American campuses, has been particularly targeted and criticism of it is frequent in the media and from Congress while also emanating from the White House. As most accredited colleges receive federal funding, which can be considerable at a major research university, the executive order will create a major dilemma over how to respond, particularly for those schools that have Middle East study programs.

Work on the presidential executive order was initiated in the summer inside the White House by a team led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, together with his close aide special assistant to the president Avi Berkowitz. They sought to develop a formula whereby government policy would equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, and Donald Trump both agreed with that assessment and followed through on it. On December 8^th he promised to take action against B.D.S. and other critics in a speech delivered before the Israeli-American Council. The speech is worth reading in full by anyone who is concerned that the United States now has a government that favors one already privileged, wealthy and powerful constituency in particular and is not committed to upholding the civil liberties of all Americans.

Israel is an apartheid state. Covering up for its crimes against humanity as well as its war crimes is something of a growth industry in the United States, with Zionist billionaire oligarchs launching new foundations on a regular basis. Jewish power in the U.S. means that Israel always has been given a pass, even when it deliberately attacked and sought to sink the U.S.S. Liberty, an American Naval vessel in international waters in 1967. Thirty-four crewman died in the assault. The subsequent investigation of the attack was whitewashed by the president, secretary of state and the Navy department while the survivors were threatened with imprisonment if they revealed what had occurred. That is how a powerful and ruthless Israel acting through its traitorous domestic proxies operates and it illustrates how feeble the Establishment is in standing up to it.

This latest outrage, in which free speech and association will be denied to benefit one group on the basis of its claimed perpetual victimhood, had its genesis earlier this year when the federal government’s Education Department ordered Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to reorganize the Consortium for Middle East Studies program run jointly by the two colleges in part based on their failure to include enough “positive” content relating to Judaism. The demand came with a threat to suspend federal funding of Title VI Higher Education Act international studies and foreign language grants to the two schools if the curriculum were not changed.

The Education Department was particularly irate over a conference in March called “Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics and Possibilities.” A Republican congressman was outraged by the development and asked Secretary DeVos to investigate because the gathering was full of “radical anti-Israel bias.”

Coverage of the story revealed that “Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, has become increasingly aggressive in going after perceived anti-Israel bias in higher education.” Her deputy who has served as a focal point for the effort to root out anti-Israel sentiment is Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights Kenneth L. Marcus, who might reasonably be described as “a career pro-Israel advocate,” the founder and president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which he has used to exclusively defend the rights of Jewish groups and individuals against BDS and other manifestations of Palestinian pushback against the Israeli occupation of their country. He has not hesitated to call opponents anti-Semites and has worked with Jewish students to file civil rights complaints against college administrations, including schools in Wisconsin and California. In an op-ed that appeared, not surprisingly, in The Jerusalem Post, he observed that even when student complaints were rejected, they created major problems for the institutions involved. “If a university shows a failure to treat initial complaints seriously, it hurts them with donors, faculty, political leaders and prospective students.”

Last year Kenneth Marcus reopened an investigation into alleged anti-Jewish bias at Rutgers University that the Obama Administration had closed after finding that the charges were baseless. Marcus indicated that the re-examination was called for as his office in the Education Department would henceforth be using the IHRA-derived State Department definition of anti-Semitism that also includes “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” making virtually all criticism of Israel a civil rights violation or even a hate crime.

Critics of the Trump move, many of whom are themselves Jewish, are uncomfortable with being placed by government into one category, noting inter aliathat ALL students are de facto already protected by Title VI, which has been interpreted as making all forms of discrimination illegal. And they also note that the law was never intended to protect individuals whose feelings were hurt or who claim to be unwelcome or even threatened by someone saying something that they disapprove of. Since such protection is clearly the intention of the executive order, it is undeniable that the Trump’s latest ploy is little more than a mechanism to pressure colleges into effectively banning B.D.S. and other groups critical of Israel.

And the order itself raises at least one unpleasant thought: if “Jewishness” is a nation even though it is demonstrably not one, what is the alleged Jewish nationality all about? Is this just one more example of the politics of Jewish identity or is it really some form of dual loyalty, with American Jews divided between those who are loyal to the U.S. and those who are loyal to some supra-nationality or allegiance? The fact is, that Donald Trump himself has several times expressed the view that American Jews, particularly those who are politically liberal, should be more loyal to Israel.

Trump’s maneuver is unfortunately part of a well-funded and highly coordinated federal and state campaign to pass laws to criminalize critics of Israel. And the issue has also surfaced within the Democratic Party among those campaigning for the presidential nomination. Speaker Nancy Pelosi forced Representative Ilhan Omar to apologize after she criticized proposed anti-boycott legislation. More recently Bernie Sanders is being smeared as an anti-Semite even though he is Jewish because he associates with critics of Israel and has spoken out in favor of defending free speech while also supporting Palestinian rights.There is a certain irony in all of this political theater, that the wealthiest and most powerful identifiable group in the United States should yet again be playing the victim is in itself astonishing. And making it a crime to deny Israel legitimacy while at the same time denying the same thing to Palestinians should give anyone pause.

And there is also considerable hypocrisy in that pro-Israel groups on campus have been if anything better funded and more aggressive in promoting their point of view than B.D.S. has been without any consequences. Canary Mission, for example, claims to “document people and groups that promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses” by posting their names, photos and personal information on its website. Israeli-American real estate investor and billionaire Adam Milstein is reported to be its principal funder while the site’s listings have been allegedly used by the Israeli border security officials to deny entry to pro-B.D.S. American citizens and also with potential employers to deny applicants jobs.

The Lawfare Project’s Campus Civil Rights Project meanwhile helps aggrieved Zionist students to “take legal action to ensure that schools live up to their legal obligations to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation, and discrimination.”

So here we are again. Special privileges for the perpetual victims. And no one in the media is willing to tell it like it is, while the handful of meek voices in congress have been effectively silenced. So sad, particularly as an election year is coming up and there will undoubtedly be much more of this. When the Israelis occupy nearly all of the West Bank with Donald Trump’s approval and start “relocating” the existing population, who will be around to speak up? No one, as by that time saying nay to Israel will be a full-fledged hate crime and you can go to jail for doing so.

[enhanced_deficit]

In related news:

''Eyepatch Guy' Attacks Rand Paul for his Pragmatic Foreign Policy Advice to DJT

[Sammy]

In related news:

Dan Crenshaw is a shabbos goy!

[enhanced_deficit]

Social media, facebook and others are not showing as bold leadership on this issue as Trump has.



Related

Poll shows Israelis overwhelmingly favor Trump over Biden

[enhanced_deficit]

Pompeo expected to announce process for U.S. to label human rights groups 'anti-Semitic'

The secretary of State’s decision, confirmed by three people, would address certain organizations’ alleged actions toward the Israeli government.


11/11/2020


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has decided to establish a new process by which the United States can declare groups, including NGOs, to be anti-Semitic.

Supporters of designating Oxfam, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as anti-Semitic allege that they back the BDS movement. But Oxfam representatives say their organization does not support the movement, while Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say they do not take a position on it.
politico.com/news/2020/11/11/pompeo-us-label-groups-anti-semitic-436081


Sad tragic irony.



Related

Pentagon senior adviser accused Pompeo and senior politicians of taking money and getting rich from 'the Israeli lobby'

[enhanced_deficit]

Abusers of Constituional Free Speech rights/hate speechers are already being held accountable:


December 30, 2020

University of California Merced Calls for Inquiry Into Professor Who Engaged in Social Media Antisemitism

The University of California Merced chancellor and executive vice-chancellor on Tuesday called for an inquiry into a School of Engineering professor who posted antisemitic and anti-Zionist tweets for nearly two years.

algemeiner.com/2020/12/30/university-of-california-merced-calls-for-inquiry-into-professor-who-engaged-in-social-media-antisemitism/



In case Trump administration is now rethinking its decision after 'recent backstabbing'/'treacherous stolen election coup', they may not have much time to change things with only few days to go before Biden grabs power.

[enhanced_deficit]

Despite some social media comparisons, still not convinced that Karma narrative really fully applies here; the two situations may be like apples and oranges.

Dec 22, 2019
Trump guts the First Amendment: signs Executive Order suppressing criticism of Israel



Jan 8, 2021
Twitter and Facebook both banned Trump from their platforms
Here's why that doesn't violate the First Amendment

• Twitter suspended President Donald Trump's personal account permanently on Friday, a day after Facebook banned him indefinitely, in the wake of pro-Trump rioters storming the US Capitol.
• Trump quickly tried to use the official presidential Twitter account to accuse the company of violating the First Amendment, before Twitter blocked those tweets as well.
• But "the First Amendment is a constraint on the power of government," Daphne Keller, an internet law expert at Stanford University, told Business Insider. "It doesn't apply to Twitter."
• Here's why Twitter and Facebook are on solid legal ground when it comes to banning Trump, his allies, or any other users.

What is the First Amendment?
The First Amendment to the US Constitution says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" [emphasis added].
In other words, it bans the government from infringing on free speech (with some limited exceptions).
businessinsider.com/why-trump-bans-from-twitter-facebook-dont-violate-first-amendment-2021-1

Amazon, Apple and Google Cut Off Parler, an App That Drew Trump Supporters

The companies pulled support for the “free speech” social network, all but killing the service just as many conservatives are seeking alternatives to Facebook and Twitter.
Jan. 13, 2021
nytimes.com/2021/01/09/technology/apple-google-parler.html

Such sweeping restrictions on free speech and expression of MAGA supporters could radicalize and push underground communication channels of a growing segment of population.


Irony here is that in an apparent stunning reversal, some high profile pro-Israel figures seem to be behind the drive to muzzle Trump and his supporters:

Trump antagonizes GOP megadonor Adelson in heated phone call
politico
Aug 8, 2020 — Adelson's allies say it's unclear whether the episode will dissuade the Las Vegas mogul — long regarded as a financial linchpin for Trump's ...

Time will tell but they have plenty other troubles to handle right now after their 'treacherous' leader (incidentally also funded by Adelson) stabbed MAGA in the back at the worst time. With exception of a small far right fringe of its lobbies that has gone quiet, big part of its lobbies appear to be supporting/funding impeachment effort. It's a stunning development, not too long ago Trump's richest top donor ( Adelson's Israeli wife) had called for "Book of Trump" to be added to Bible.
MAGA was in deep treacherous waters, he took money from globalist deep pockets but didn't fully deliver. Chances of any Iran war play to defend our democratic allies in mideast in next 9 days are of course 0% now. And all signs suggest he will be made an example of for a combination of reasons.

Trump Has a $259 million Reason to Bomb Iran
lobelog
Jun 22, 2019 — Sheldon Adelson... Much analysis of Trump's slide toward war with Iran has focused on his hawkish national ...

Fracturing of perpetual-insecurity-driven pro-interventions/pro-wars/pro-occupations lobbies appears pretty severe, has MAGA coupled with outcome of Forever Wars done irreparable damage to Deep Neocons? Time will tell but this will be consequential.

Seems that only 'crazy wing' of old GOPA/Zionism lobbies (extremist Lara Loomer types) is still with MAGA but big part (mainstream) has turned on him and is in full "backstab" mode trying to punish MAGA. Widely respected zionism movement leader who held fund raisers for Israeli military with Trump's top donor Adelson and other showbiz figures says "media should cut off Trump to stop divisions":
finance.yahoo.com/video/influencers-andy-serwer-haim-saban-110000035.html

Friends of IDF raise record $60 million at LA gala
Saban, Trump top donor Adelson and other media figures with IDF soldiers

Influencers with Andy Serwer: Haim Saban

Thu, January 14, 2021, 6:00 AM

ANDY SERWER: Do you agree that he should leave office before January 20, impeached by Congress or resign, perhaps?

HAIM SABAN: What I really believe is that after what he did and after the way he treated the very loyal lieutenant, I really think that Pence should call for the 25th Amendment. That's what I believe. It would make sense for him to go play golf in Florida and leave us alone. That's what I believe. But apparently, Pence is not ready to do that. So there is no reason-- no rhyme or reason-- to have somebody who committed a crime-- to let that person off the hook. I don't see the reason.

ANDY SERWER: Do you think that Donald Trump is going to continue to play a dominant role in the Republican Party after this, Haim?

HAIM SABAN: It depends on the media. If the media gives him the platform they gave him before the election, worth billions of dollars of exposure, and if they caught him off, like all the online entities cut him off-- Facebook and Twitter-- if-- outside of Fox News-- Fox News is a special animal within itself. But if all the other media-- television media-- simply don't give him a platform-- you give him a platform, he's going to continue with his shenanigans, from birther all the way to inciting this group of Meshuganas to go up on the Hill. You know, so he's going to continue. And if he's cut off from the media, you know, he won't be able to have the same impact.

ANDY SERWER: Meshuganas is Yiddish for crazy people?

HAIM SABAN: That's-- I thought that everybody knows what meshugana is, including in Georgia and Mississippi. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.

ANDY SERWER: Probably the case. Let me ask you about President-elect Biden because I know you've been a supporter of his, Haim. And he's talking about unifying the country. Is that still possible when a significant portion of the opposition party questions the legitimacy of the Democratic system?
HAIM SABAN: Well, it questions the legitimacy because they believe Trump. If Trump stood up and said, OK, we had a fair election, it is a legitimate election, he is the next president, we wouldn't see any of that. They are just following Trump. Yes, the 74 million people who voted for him, yes, 70% of those 74 million people believe the election was stolen because he says so-- because he says so.
So if he has no platform to continue spewing all these lies, then, you know, we're not going to have this kind of-- and there will always be division. There's always have been divisions but not at that level and not divisions that manifest itself-- a division that manifests itself with violence, the way we saw last Wednesday. So if Trump is cut off from the media, we're going to see that division, you know, really calm down, and there will be no one to fan those flames.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) co-chair Haim Saban, politician/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger


Arnold Schwarzenegger Compares Pro-Trump group Proud Boys/Capitol Hill Mob to Nazis


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhUxguC159o


A member of the Proud Boys holds a sign saying “Anti-Semite Left (Commies) Go Home! Proud To Defend Jews” while speaking with a Trump supporter at the counter-protest.

It's sad how this anti-MAGA "coup" has unfolded and has left many in mainstream MAGA movement without clear direction or leadership.

[enhanced_deficit]

Potentially bad news for already in turmoil GOP-Adelson wing's future funding and political future:


Federal court says Georgia BDS law violates First Amendment

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit that was filed against the state by journalist Abby Martin.
By Michael Arria May 25, 2021

Abby Martin (center) in a press conference detailing the lawsuit, along with representatives of CAIR and PCJF (Photo: Empire Files/Youtube)

A federal judge has ruled that Georgia’s anti-BDS law is unconstitutional. The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit that was filed against the state by journalist Abby Martin.
Martin, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights and director of the film Gaza Fights for Freedom, was invited to give a talk at Georgia Southern University as part of a media conference in 2020. Shortly before the event the school sent her a contract to sign and, because of the state’s anti-BDS law, it contained a loyalty oath to Israel. By signing the contract Martin would have promised not to boycott the country. The Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of Martin.
On May 21 District Court Judge Mark Cohen blocked the state’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. Cohen’s 29-page decision asserts that the Georgia law “prohibits inherently expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment, burdens Martin’s right to free speech, and is not narrowly tailored to further a substantial state interest.”

https://mondoweiss.net/2021/05/feder...rst-amendment/


Related

Abby Martin: Kushner invested in settlements, Israeli soldiers shot Palestinians in genitals

[Pauls' Revere]

Are you allowed to criticize Zionism?

You can, but only if you can afford to lose your job.

https://news.yahoo.com/mark-ruffalo-...154500381.html

Actor Mark Ruffalo's apology for social media posts that he said suggested Israel was "committing 'genocide'" amid the recent fighting with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is drawing praise and backlash — highlighting the delicate and fraught nature of the longstanding conflict.

Ruffalo, an outspoken Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor, tweeted Monday that he had "reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing 'genocide'" and that "it's not accurate, it's inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad."

It's unclear what posts Ruffalo was apologizing for, but he suggested in a May 11 tweet that Israel's actions were comparable to apartheid in South Africa and that sanctions could similarly work against Israel.

"1500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed," he wrote.

While some Twitter users are thanking Ruffalo, who previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he grew up in a Roman Catholic Italian family, for trying to tamp down the rhetoric surrounding the sensitive subject, others questioned if he is being "intimidated into silence" and "backtracking."