| Webmaster |
John Kerry
John Kerry and Israel
Virginia Abernethy forwards an article from which here is an excerpt: "Why
is the Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States, Senator
John Kerry, kowtowing to Israel? In a speech at Brown University Kerry said,
"...we must again reaffirm we are enlisted for the duration - and reaffirm
our belief that the cause of Israel must be the cause of America - and the cause
of people of conscience everywhere". All of Kerry's talk elsewhere of making
serious changes becomes mere "blowin' in the wind", and the song was
100 times better than the political spin. How can an "honest" pretender
to the White House completely ignore the terrible plight of the Palestinians
while worshipping at the altar of a stream of Israeli thugs and murderers, ranging
from Begin to Sharon?"
Commenting on speeches in which John Kerry expresses his strong support for
Israel, Randy Black says: "It is likely that Kerry is sucking up to the
Israelis for the same reason that President Clinton did, for the votes. Did
you miss the fact that among the surprise President pardons on his last day
in office were the pardons of the New York Hasidic Jews who had swindled tens
of millions from the US government, were convicted, but then pardoned just in
time for Hillary to get elected Senator, thanks to the New York Jewish vote?"
Randy Black said: "among the surprise President pardons on his last day
in office were the pardons of the New York Hasidic Jews who had swindled tens
of millions from the US government, were convicted, but then pardoned just in
time for Hillary to get elected Senator, thanks to the New York Jewish vote."
From New York, Hank Levin writes: "This is exactly the kind of message
that is inflammatory by assuming that Jews care only about other Jews, even
bad ones that are an insult to humanity. Most of the Jewish community was inflamed
at the pardon of persons such as Mr. Rich. Check the Jewish press. The Hasidic
community is only a small part of the overall Jewish community in New York (probably
less than 5 percent) and is at war with what they call Secular Jews, who are
pretty much all other Jews by the Hasidic standard. The overgeneralization on
"Jewish interests" and demonization of Jews has dangerous historical
precedent. Clinton's pardon of Rich may have got him contributions from Mr.
Rich, but it hardly inspired others to support Hillary. Whatever you think of
Hillary, she got the support of Democrats in a Democratic state. This is hardly
a big surprise".
Hank Levin writes: "You can criticize Israel all that you want. I do not
find that offensive. What I find offensive is the constant assertion that people
like Sharon are the representatives of all Jews and that all Jews support him
and his policies. That is certainly not the message that I am hearing and have
heard from fellow Jews. Further, I find offensive that the assertion that Bush's
policies on Israel are those of the Jewish community. Bush should have pushed
for a two state solution long ago. This would have been more effective prior
to the Iraq invasion when the U.S. still had some credibility in that part of
the world. But, it is not too late. Even-handedness is exactly where we should
be as opposed to the one-sidedness (on both sides) of many commentators."
John Kerry, Jane Finda and the Iraq war
Clyde McMorrow writes: "Randy Black is again wrong on the facts.
It is becoming more clear that there were substantial violations of law by the
Florida election commission, particularly with regard to disenfranchisement
of voters prior to the election. The "hanging chad" issues have been
discussed in the media and the Supreme Court action was probably ill-advised,
but these are not as serious as tampering with the election rolls. This is denying
rights of citizenship, the one absolute and overriding right guaranteed by our
constitution.
I enjoyed Miss Fonda's work in "Barbarella" (1968) and "Barefoot
in the Park" (1967). I remember her contribution to the discussion of the
Vietnam war and didn't understand the negative response at the time and do not
understand it now.
As a further point, it is time for the U.S. to finally shed its royalist baggage
and become a true democracy. A democracy has no concept of treason, traitor
or "aid and comfort to the enemy". This nonsense is left over from
the days when the king could demand unwavering support from all of the vassals
and they, in turn, could demand the same from the serfs. In a democracy we not
only permit but must actively encourage each citizen to speak his view and present
his or her case as best they can. We cannot allow ourselves to become involved
in picayune dissections of method but must accept and evaluate every intellectual
discussion.
I am sure that Jane Fonda would encourage Randy Black's expression of opinion,
as do we all".
From France, Carmen Negrin writes: "Bush is only in place because
of the meanders of the US Constitution. The Florida Supreme Court, headed by
Governor Jeb Bush, made the difference indeed. That is what I, and many others
who voted as we did, call a "nomination" and not an "election".
At the time, quite a few papers around the world compared the US to a "Banana
Republic". As for Jane Fonda, I think she had a lot of courage to go to
Vietnam when she did, many people approved her point of view. Not being a soldier
and, as far as I know, the US not having formally declared war, she was a citizen
free to express her opinion. As usual the US, my country, talks about freedom
but hardly ever encourages other countries to practice it. As far as her so-called
relation with Kerry, if they had one, good for them, and if the relation was
limited to a picture in a meeting with thousands of other people, one way or
another, I find it totally irrelevant. The only important thing is that after
having "practiced" Vietnam, Kerry decided against war, whereas Bush
favors something he avoided for himself".
RH: The Florida Supreme Court headed by Governor Jeb Bush??
Randy Black disagrees with Carmen Negrin about Jane Fonda: "Ms. Negrin
is evidently not familiar with US election laws, nor the US Constitution, or
she would know that President Bush was in fact elected by the citizens based
on the laws that were in place at the time of the election. Further, her comment
that Jane Fonda is not seen as a traitor really depends upon whom you ask. I
am not saying she is a traitor. However, to many, her trip to North Viet Nam
and her photographs posing with the enemy's weapons and her public speeches
on behalf of the enemy do, in fact, appear to support the label as traitor,
using the laws in place at that time which involve Ms. Fonda (a really great
and popular actor) giving aid and comfort to the enemy". RH: Is Jane Fonda
a great and popular actor, or should I say actress? It depends on whom you ask.
Since I have never seen her, she has not given me aid and comfort. All this
adds nothing to the question of her relationship with John Kerry.
John Kerry's wife
With few exceptions, First Ladies have influenced some decisions of
their husbands, the Presidents of the United States. The electorate therefore
has an interest in knowing about candidates' wives. Mrs. Bush is well.known,
Mrs Kerry much less so. Cameron Sawyer gave us some information about her. Here
is more.´ She was born in Mozambique Teresa Ferreira-Simoes. She was educated
in South Africa and Switzerland. She is described as an African American, but
whether she is of pure Portuguese ancestry I do not know. Senator Henry John
Heinz III, a respected Jewish senator, married her in 1966. He died in a plane
crash, She then married John Kerry. She is Catholic, but how actively so I do
no know. The Kerry campaign has posted this about her: http://www.johnkerry.com/about_teresa/index.html
. It should be viewed as a party statement
Cameron Sawyer says: "I don't believe that H. John Heinz III was
Jewish. The Heinz family sprang from German immigrants, Lutherans if I am not
mistaken. There is a Heinz Chapel at Carnegie Mellon University". RH: He
did not list his religion in Who's Who in America, but he belonged to organizations
like the Antidefamation League. In any case, he was generally respected.
Cameron Sawyer said "There is a Heinz Chapel at Carnegie Mellon University".
Randy Black adds: "There is also Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz
III School of Public Policy and Management. Also, The H. John Heinz III Center
for Science, Economics and the Environment in D.C. (a non-profit) founded by
his widow, the current wife of John Kerry. I can find nothing on the religion
of John Heinz, and the only reference to anyone’s religious heritage to
Judaism is John Kerry, whose grandfather was a Austrian-Czech Jewish immigrant
who changed his name to Frederick Kerry, from Fritz Kohn".
| Webmaster |