Watching and listening to Stephen Harper's bizarre and unnerving speech about anti-Semitism and Israel raises the question as to whether or not the man is mentally fit to be prime minister.
In effect, Harper has taken the position of being Israel's defender no matter what -- in other words, this commitment comes before his duty as prime minister, before his duty to represent Canada's interests abroad, before his role of elected representative. Harper is a defender of Israel no matter the consequences for Canada. He stated:
"[As] long as I am Prime Minister, whether it is at the United Nations, the Francophonie, or anywhere else, Canada will take that stand whatever the cost. I say this, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israeli mob tell us all too well if we listen to it, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are a threat to all of us."
His dedication to that country supersedes his commitment to his own. That would be disturbing enough if Harper were merely a private citizen. But as prime minister it is beyond the pale and it isn't much of a stretch to suggest it borders on the betrayal of Canada and certainly Canadian interests. For what does it mean that Harper will defend Israel no matter the consequences for Canada?
Harper referred in his speech to "the anti-Israeli mob." I have to presume here that he is referring to all the Arab and Muslim countries which regularly criticize Israel at the UN. But, of course, not only them. UN resolutions criticizing Israel are regularly supported by virtually every country with the exception of Israel, the U.S. and -- sometimes -- El Salvador. Is the whole of the UN membership part of the "mob"?
Harper's disturbing performance sends a clear message: Canada is prepared to sacrifice relations with all other countries if it has to defend Israel. Coming off the rejection of Canada for a Security Council seat, Harper deems determined to islate himself even more, and Canada along with him.
Harper's speech was given to the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism an international pro-Zionist group whose sole task is to redefine anti-Semitism to mean virtually any criticism of Israel. It claims members from 40 countries and is holding its second conference -- the first was held last year in London, England. The Canadian contingent is called the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA).
It is unofficial but had members from the four major Canadian federal parties until the Bloc members quit the organization last spring citing the "the inequality of opinions presented before the Coalition," and "the refusal of the Steering Committee to hear groups with opposing viewpoints."
Harper expressed the position of the organization perfectly -- a position designed to counteract the global effort to de-legitimize the Israeli apartheid state. He said:
"Harnessing disparate anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel...We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is."
This declaration of the "new anti-Semitism" is pure hogwash and everyone stating it or using it to attack critics of Israel knows it. For one thing, thousands of North American and European Jews regularly attack Israel's brutal treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank. Of course, Zionists refer to these humanitarians as "Jew-hating Jews," a clever bit of racist spin but far from the mark.
Israel's flunkies have to come up with something to attack because the evidence is clear - actual incidents of anti-Semitism have been on the decline for years. Something had to be done to make it look otherwise. Harper claims anti-Semites, instead of actually targeting Jews here, attack them by criticizing Israel. The pretzel-like twisting of that argument is obvious. We are being asked to believe that thousands upon thousands of Canadian human rights activists are closet anti-Semites and have to limit their anti-Semitism to attacking Israel.
Like most of Israel's hard-line supporters, Harper claims that no one is saying Israel can't be criticized: "Israel, like any country, may be subjected to fair criticism,"
But in fact Harper is saying Israel cannot be criticized. He has had ample opportunity to make "fair criticism" but virtually never does. (The single instance I am aware of was a very mild rebuke over continued construction of Israeli settlements on the West Bank.) He has never mentioned the brutal assault on Gaza which killed over 1,200 civilians, called the wanton destruction of Lebanon "a measured response" and backs Israel in all of its patently phony "commitments" to negotiating peace while deliberately taking positions that no Palestinian leader could possibly agree to.
The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism was originally going to issue a report last March. Then it was May. It was been delayed several more times and was supposed to be released at the meetings being held this week. It still hasn't surfaced. On the organization's website it still says "...we will be presenting a report of its findings in the late spring of 2010." The group seems to have been inactive for sometime.
It was expected to call on the government to formally criminalize criticism of Israel. But perhaps its authors are beginning to realize that a document calling for the criminalization of free speech might not be the brightest idea they have ever come up with. Making a speech about the "new anti-Semitism" is one thing. Having it in a report, on permanent display for the whole world to see, is another. Personally, I hope they publish it. It might just be the last thing they do.
I think the old incident of Asper banning journalists working for him from criticizing Israel is well known for anybody who follows Canadian politics. Some were fired for the sole reason that their report was deemed not to be adhering to this rule. This was covered in the mainstream Canadian media at the time.
Knowing the background of the Global media companies will make Harper's bizarre devotion to Israel not seem so bizarre afterall. He's merely looking after his own interest. Yes, on the expense of that of the country. Which in some eyes makes him a traitor because his duty is to represent the interest of Canada.
Wow, Mr. Topham - you're the real thing.
You're the guy, that guy that the Xian dominionists and the Israeli apologists are always accusing us all of being here. And now you're really here, and they can be right about something for a change.
But let me point out for all that the regulars here don't believe in 'The Great Jewish Conspiracy to bring about One World Government'. It's not a 'lefty' thing at all.
And you don't really belong here, I'm afraid. But thanks for the fascinating glimpse of that distorted dimension that you live in.
Murray Dobbin's assessment of Stephen Harper's mental state is prescient indeed albeit tempered to the point where he refused to speak the obvious sentiments of many Canadians who realize that our PM is in fact a traitor to Canada.
Anyone knowledgeable of the criminal actions of the Ashkenazi Zionists who control the state of Israel cannot help but see the same form of psychopathy being displayed in PM Harper's seditious words spoken at the Zionist "anti-Semitism" conference in Ottawa.
Harper's abject and shameless obeisance to the incessant demands of the Zionist state make him unfit to lead a democratic nation.
I would ask Murray, should he read these comments, (why don't you provide an email contact for your readers Murray?) that he take a look at the article written by myself on this topic. It can be viewed here:
http://www.radicalpress.com/?p=1278
PM STEPHEN HARPER: CANADIAN TRAITOR AND ISRAEL’S “ANTI-SEMITIC” DRUMMER BOY
by Arthur Topham
November 11th, 2010
Harper's bizarre and slavish devotion to Israel is what earns his government unconditional favourable coverage in media networks such as CTV and Global.
The "new anti-Semitism" is right up there with the new wave if unreported crimes.
Aren't Arabs Semites? If they are, then criticizing Israel in defense of Palestinian rights would be Pro-Semetic.
Poor Harper.
Setting aside the fact that Harper's bizarre and slavish devotion to expansionist/occupier/oppressor Israel contributes nothing to ending the conflict between Israel and the Arabs and is harmful to Canada's international status/interests, for what should be obvious reasons, it is also putting Canadian Jews in an increasingly awkward position.
"American Indians, who, in all the millennia preceding the arrival of evil white people, literally failed to invent the wheel, are being portrayed in American movies as carriers of elusive ancient wisdom."
Hahahahaha.
Good one!
Everyone knows that having the wisdom to live in divine harmony with nature into perpituity is way more impressive than inventing the wheel.
Right?
The United States and Canada have been afflicted with political correctness to a degree far beyond the loss of touch with reality. American Indians, who, in all the millennia preceding the arrival of evil white people, literally failed to invent the wheel, are being portrayed in American movies as carriers of elusive ancient wisdom. The police are not allowed to rely on statistics of violent crimes lest it offends African American sensitivities. Security personnel at airports are warned against "profiling" Muslims, despite the commonly known fact that Islam is the main source of terrorism against our countries. And yet a movie whose message is most accurately described in three simple words, Jews killed Jesus, has raised no objections from the politically correct crowd: Jews are not subject to the same considerations. That's anti-Semitism. Many good Christians who enjoyed Mad Mel's production would tell you that some of their best friends are Jewish. Never mind their best friends; it is still anti-Semitism.
I used to think that World War II had cured Christians of anti-Semitism, leaving it to the most backward people on the face of the planet, Muslim Arabs. I was wrong. Worse than that, I was ridiculously wrong. Evil that has flourished for 2,000 years does not go away because of a war - not as long as there are both Jews and gentiles among survivors.
I used to think that the endorsement of the Jewish State by the UN was an implicit admission by the civilized nations of this planet that they were unable to guarantee the same safety for their Jewish citizens as was afforded to everyone else; therefore, the restoration of Israel was necessary for the survival of the Jewish people. Now I believe I was wrong. Now I believe that it was an attempt to gather all Jews in one place and leave it to the Arabs to render this planet judenrein. Jews were dreaming of coming home; they were dreaming of the biggest ever death camp for Jews. That's anti-Semitism.
Wow, great comments! Agree, the NDP should immediately withdraw from the farce of the CPCCA. Too bad Duceppe couldn't see his way clear to broadening his vision - he'd make a great prime minister.
As for literal interpretations of the Old Testament, Orthodox Jews who adhere to the Talmud believe that only the divine will determine when Jews should be returned to the land of Israel, and that the murderous ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians is abhorent, wrong and against God's will; more than a little ironic, then, that Christian dispensationalists and Zionists feel that they can justify it in any way.
Israel is sacrosanct because it is central to Harper's belief system.For the PM,the bible is history,literally.Harper's religion is "literal Christianism" as described in Tom Harpur's book,The Pagan Christ.Zionism today gets its political power from Orthodox Jewish belief that Palestine is the "Promised Land" given to the Jewish People some 3000+ years ago by one severe deity,and most of today's aging Jews,scarred by the 20th Century Holocaust,need to have faith in this so-called Old Testament Revelation.Interestingly,younger,thinking Jews today do not view Israel as inviolable,or beyond criticism.They see things clearly,not through the eyes of their senior's haunted mythology.Most fundamentalist believers are trapped in the bog of literalism,be they Jews,Christians or Moslems et al.
When belief systems mix with politics,all hell breaks loose.Or in the case of the Middle East,an unwelcome "Nuclear Winter"threatens.
Unless there is room for honest talk through regular diplomatic channels,we all suffer.
And Harper's closed mind does not augur well for Canada or the rest of the world.
It is long past due for the NDP to remove itself from the "CPCCA". I am replying to their latest fundraising request with this suggestion, and telling them that the party will see no further support from me until a more nuanced policy towards Israel and Palestine is taken.
But why? Who is threatening whom? Why does the Right side with Israel refusing to recognize any of the horrors it has been creating for sixty years. Is it the threat to the stability of the Mid-East coupled with Nukes? It is the threat to the rest of the world if we don't cave? Is it resources, the mess the English left behind? Why does the Left see both sides of the constant threat? What's the political conundrum that no one will speak?
Harper is definitely a serf of the Israeli propaganda machine as is Obama. It is so sad that our leaders are so weak and unethical and that we have a politcal system and co-opted mainstream media that nurtures this broken system.
The Wall Street globalization mantra continues despite the evidence that this is not working and the planet is being trashed. When the energy spike does hit, people are going to be shocked out of there socks with the exponential rise of shortages, poverty and crime. It is happening as we speak. The conservative party solution for this is to build more prisons and spend 500 Billion on the military over the next 20 years as well as cut back on health and education. Social housing is not even on the radar.
Speaking to you from lobbytown Canada.
Settler states stick together. Canada has acheived what Israel can only dream of...
Fingers crossed the CPCCA publishes their predetermined findings.
I am trying to find a copy of the 'Ottawa Protocol', too. No luck so far.
Great article, btw.
My take:
http://www.mcloughlinpost.com/Hate-Speech-Laws-to-Shield-Israel-from-Acc...