Anyone concerned with peace should ask the President-elect and his chief of staff to disassociate themselves from Rahm Emanuel’s Irgunist father’s racist and political statements about Emanuel’s pro-Israel bias.
ADC Action Alert:
Contact President-Elect Obama, Congressman Emanuel Regarding Anti-Arab Remarks by Emanuel’s Father
Washington, DC | November 11, 2008 | www.adc.org | The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee urges (ADC) you to take immediate action by using the contact info below to express your disappointment to President-Elect Obama and Congressman Rahm Emanuel for the anti-Arab remarks Emanuel’s father made this past week.
ADC wrote a letter (see full text below) to Congressman Emanuel and President-Elect Barack Obama asking the congressman to publicly repudiate the derogatory comments his father made. Benjamin Emmanuel was quoted by numerous Israeli and American publications as saying “Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he be? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floors of the White House.”
There should be no place for such demeaning rhetoric and these comments are contrary to the very type change the President-Elect promised he would bring to America.
Contact Congressman Emmanuel by fax at 202.225.5603 or via E-mail at emma.jurado@mail.house.gov
Contact President-Elect Obama by fax at 202.228.5417 or through this online contact form at:
http://change.gov/page/s/contact**************************************
TEXT OF ADC LETTER TO HON. EMANUELDear Congressman Emanuel:
I am writing to you on behalf of the largest American‐Arab Civil Rights group in the United States, with members in every State of the Union, founded in 1980. We work in coalition with all civil rights organizations.
This has been an historic election, one which energized our Country and gave many people the reason to vote for change. I know the Arab‐American community was very involved in this presidential election, and voter turnout in the community was exceptionally high. We wish to congratulate you on being named, by President‐Elect Obama, White House Chief of Staff. We were, however, deeply disappointed by comments made by your father, Mr. Benjamin Emanuel, on the momentous occasion of your announcement as Chief of Staff. According to numerous news stories in the U.S. and in Israel, he made the following comments in an interview with Ma’ariv, “Obviously he’ll influence the President to be pro‐Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to be mopping floors at the White House.”
The American‐Arab Anti‐Discrimination Committee (ADC) views this characterization of an Arab as an unacceptable smear. One can readily imagine the justifiable outcry if someone made a similar remark about African‐Americans, Jews, or Hispanics, concerning cleaning the floors of the White House. Do the normal standards of decency and civility not apply when talking about Arabs? ADC asks you to disavow and repudiate these remarks publicly. We sincerely hope you will distance yourself from any demeaning characterization of any ethnic, religious, or racial group. President‐Elect Obama pledged a respect for the diversity of this Nation, and Arab Americans certainly add, in a positive way, to our Country’s diversity.
Sincerely,
Hon. Mary Rose Oakar, ADC President
Kareem Shora, JD. LLM., National Executive Director# # #
NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.
The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.
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but shouldnt we be protesting emmanuel’s appointment, not just something his father said?
Posted by الفلسطينية | November 12, 2008, 9:56 amI expect the same policy toward the Middle East, except perhaps this time, Barak “Barry” Hussein Obama will try to wean us off of the Middle Eastern oil. Of course, the blood bath will continue. Joe Biden is a Zionist and Rahm Emmanuel is the son of a member of Irgum. So, after all, Barak “Barry” Hussein Obama is not good news for anyone in the Middle East.
Posted by Harami | November 12, 2008, 10:13 amAl filistinia, in my opinion, it is unfortunately only baby steps that are possible.
Idealism is a wonderful and beautiful thing, and it should be encouraged as much as possible. But realism is also something that needs to be considered.
With the state of American politics as they stand today, “minority” voters with pet issues of paramount importance are treated as whiners if they complain too loudly.
I am unfortunately very familiar with the Zionist smear machine as it is at work in my own home. They know what the hell they are doing.
Harami, your statements remind me of those of Robert Fisk prior to the election. You are completely right that Barack Obama will not change the middle east, and so was he. I respect him greatly and appreciate your perspective. It is unfortunately this cynicism, in my opinion, that continues to cripple the ability of change to occur.
It reminds of me those who believe in so many conspiracy theories that they literally are almost unable to get out of bed in the morning. I know people who sit at computer screens watching Alex Jones until they are bleary eyed, do a little ranting and raving to those around them, and then continue preparing for internment camps and WW3. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live that way.
Of course Obama is not a ready made perfect candidate as far as the middle east goes. Did anyone expect that? No, I don’t think so. Personally, what I expected, is the opportunity to begin to explore ways in which we can effectively counter Zionist machinery.
At times it appears so massive, but at other times, it’s weaknesses are self evident. This is what gives me hope. We HAVE to keep trying new things, seeing which have an effect and which don’t…
From where I am standing, being outraged and correct has not worked so far….
so what next?
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 12, 2008, 11:50 amI disagree with Rahm Emmanuel on plenty of things, but his appointment makes perfect sense — he’ll be indispensible for his skill at getting the President’s agenda passed, not his policy views (he’s a DLCer who more naturally lines up with the Clintons than with Obama). Israel/Palestine isn’t one of the most important policy issues at the moment (and indeed, hasn’t been for quite some time), and I doubt Rahm is going to be any sort of tipping point on that front.
His father’s a racist asshole. Then again, I’m not a big fan of holding the sins of the father against the son. There’s no evidence that Rahm believes the same bullshit his father does, simply because he’s pro-Israel.
Now, I’m curious in getting comment from people here:
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/11/12/syria-assad-obama-oped-cx_mr_1112rubin.html
What do you think of this? Is his analysis accurate? Are negotiations with Syria likely to bear any fruit?
Posted by Joe | November 12, 2008, 1:56 pmWell Joe, children learn to be bigots from somewhere. And Zionists…
I’m not saying anything, I’m just saying…
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 12, 2008, 3:06 pmSince Zionism is at root a racist ideology, publicly embracing Zionism ought to put you in the same category of “untouchable” for US office as the endorsement of any other racist ideology. When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 in an illegal war of aggression, 250,000 Israelis took to the streets to protest. Emmanuel signed up as a civilian volunteer in the Israeli army to support that war. He has been an active promoter of America’s wars of aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan, and is presumably a cheerleader for attacks against Lebanon, Syria, Iran or whatever other Muslim country Israel chooses to paint a crosshair on. After all we have been through with Bush and the desires of the people who put Obama in office have been made clear, this malignant little fuck shouldn’t be anywhere near the reins of power.
Posted by Sean | November 12, 2008, 5:33 pm“”Since Zionism is at root a racist ideology, publicly embracing Zionism ought to put you in the same category of “untouchable” for US office as the endorsement of any other racist ideology.”"
Er, no. Classical Zionism simply calls for Jews to emigrate to Israel. Before you even get to the duress under which so many Jews migrated to Israel, mass migration is an inherently moral act, and the receiving nation has a moral obligation to welcome those migrants as best they can. Indeed, America’s relative openness to immigrants (note I said ‘relative’) is one of the pillars of its modern moral legitimacy. (American Jews were critical in passing the 1968 immigration reforms, by the way)
Revisionist Zionism, of the Jabotinsky tilt, is what could more fairly be called ‘racist’ — though even then, the state established by such a philosophy is in theory and practice less racist than the majority of its neighbors.
So, at best, there is such a case to be made against certain forms of Zionism, though not others — though for one to be intellectually honest, you’d first have to be making that case, and with the appropriate additional vigor, against the other states in the region that are worse.
This is all, again, from the perspective of a non-Zionist (myself).
Posted by Joe | November 12, 2008, 6:11 pmSean-
I think it was the 1991 Gulf War, not the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, that saw young Emmanuel stirred to the service of the Zionist state. But your larger point about this guy’s utter political monstrousness is entirely correct.
Saffiyah-
Correctly noting that Obama will not herald a change in US policy towards Palestine-indeed, as the loathesome Dershowitz has pointed out, his good odor among “progressives” will make his anti-Palestinian policies go down easier-is not tantamount to cynicism. Your entirely unsupported and emotional attachment to some miasmic notion of a “third way” that Obama will lead us to is a complete fairy tale. Obama is an entirely unexceptional politician, always acting in the service of the powerful and without a substantial progressive record. Somehow, in the face of these brute facts, wide-eyed millions forget every particle of whatever political insight they may have once enjoyed, surrendering to nursery school notions of “change” and “hope”, notions to which Obama’s every act and utterance give the lie.
Enough! This guy will be a disaster for progressive politics. Wake up.
Posted by Ismail | November 12, 2008, 7:22 pmIsmail, I appreciate your insightful and perhaps very accurate assessment.
Would you please care to offer an alternative? Should we go to a lot of poorly attended rallies and try to convince others to vote for Nader? Sit in the basement and prepare rations for internment? Give into hedonism or some other coping mechanism? Stay really angry and comment on blogs in very powerfully sarcastic ways? I don’t know you very well, so honestly.
I am just…. curious….
Joe, there is nothing about you that isn’t Zionist. Sometimes I wonder if you are in denial or you are deliberately trying to confuse others. When you are argue the morality of mass migration, you are a zionist apologizer.
There is nothing inherently immoral in mass displacement and explusion either, I hear.
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 12, 2008, 7:29 pmSafiyyah has a dwarfed imagination. If everyone were like her, nothing of significance would ever change.
Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2008, 7:43 pmI am ready to learn from you Anon. Teach me, oh great master of intellect and vision!
I am ready to learn.
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 12, 2008, 8:12 pm“”Joe, there is nothing about you that isn’t Zionist. Sometimes I wonder if you are in denial or you are deliberately trying to confuse others. When you are argue the morality of mass migration, you are a zionist apologizer.”"
A Zionist is someone who, ultimately, supports a Jewish state in the land of Israel. I don’t.
You’re doing the same thing Orwell noticed people doing with the word ‘fascist’, where it evolved to simply mean ‘something I don’t like’.
Are you arguing, then, based on that last line, that the original decision among Jews to migrate en masse into the land of Israel was immoral, regardless of the political arrangement that followed it?
Posted by Joe | November 12, 2008, 11:01 pm“”
Safiyyah has a dwarfed imagination. If everyone were like her, nothing of significance would ever change.”"
Your theory of how change occurs is utterly ahistorical. Real change is driven either from the elite, top-down, or by transcendent trends in technology, economics, human knowledge, etc. whose effects spread virally through society. It’s not just a matter of ‘if enough people agree on something it’ll happen so the best use of our time is trying to convince other people to agree with us’.
Posted by Joe | November 12, 2008, 11:04 pmWell, Joe, not being one of the elite, or a power player in the fields of technology, human knowledge, or economics, I am simply looking for ways that I, and the billions of people like me, can live our lives and try to accomplish something.
Forgive my ambitiousness. I don’t believe I ever said that I thought that was the only way changes can occur, but I could be wrong.
You wouldn’t put words in my mouth, would you Joe?
Perhaps the “everything about you” line was a little over the top. You are a low weight Zionist apologist. I stand corrected.
Yes, I do think in modern, heavily populated times, that deciding that you must migrate en mass to one certain area where people are already living carries with it certain expectations about what it will do the existing population that make in inherently immoral. Thanks for the question.
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 13, 2008, 10:00 am“”Well, Joe, not being one of the elite, or a power player in the fields of technology, human knowledge, or economics, I am simply looking for ways that I, and the billions of people like me, can live our lives and try to accomplish something.”"
Well, assuming you want to affect systemic change, the first step is ‘become one of the elite’. It’s really, really not hard.
“”You wouldn’t put words in my mouth, would you Joe?”"
I was responding to the anonymous that responded to you, actually. Look at who I quoted.
“”Perhaps the “everything about you” line was a little over the top. You are a low weight Zionist apologist. I stand corrected.”"
If calling for an eventual end to the Jewish state and opining that it’s morally justifiable for illegal settlements to be met with lethal force counts as ‘Zionist apologist’, you’ve gone for such a degree of ideological purity that the term ‘apologist’ loses pretty much any meaning or sting.
“”Yes, I do think in modern, heavily populated times, that deciding that you must migrate en mass to one certain area where people are already living carries with it certain expectations about what it will do the existing population that make in inherently immoral.”"
First off, in population density terms, Israel wasn’t and isn’t all that bad. Ever been to China? When you look at the time that the actual migration occurred, it’s no contest. Secondly,
Posted by Joe | November 17, 2008, 1:40 am