Mainstream Media Asks Family to Discuss Gaza, Not US Tax Dollars Funding It
The Intercept's call to transform Thanksgiving dinner into a Gaza teach-in is commendable, if not a tad optimistic for most families hoping to avoid political fisticuffs over stuffing. Yet, what the mainstream conversation consistently omits is the critical, traceable thread: how US tax dollars, influenced by lobbying, directly fuel the tragedy. For instance, Senator Tim Kaine, co-sponsor of the
recent Senate resolution affirming Israel's right to self-defense, received over $50,000 from AIPAC-affiliated PACs in recent cycles, according to OpenSecrets.org. (Suddenly, 'right to self-defense' gets a pecuniary inflection, doesn't it?) So, as you pass the gravy, perhaps ask Uncle Bob not just about 'both sides,' but about the $3.8 billion in annual military aid the US provides Israel—much of
it spent on US weapons—and where your representatives stood on recent supplemental packages. How many civilians must be displaced, how many children orphaned, before we question whose interests are truly being served? It’s hard to have an honest debate when half the pantry is stocked by special interests.