Yes We Can! Long Island 2012| Throughout a half-century of international diplomatic work, I have learned to tell the politicians from the friends and the charlatans from the statesmen. Charlatans scream. They tell you what you want to hear and call other people names. Friends and leaders need not rely on rhetoric or boisterous bravado. They produce results and act on principle.
President Obama is such a friend and leader. In his 3 1/2 years in office he has deepened and strengthened the relationship between the United States and Israel. And today, Obama continues to implement a comprehensive pro-Israel agenda that has made Israel safer and more secure. Under Obama, U.S. financial aid to Israel is at its highest levels ever. During the past four years, Israel has avoided becoming engaged in any substantial frontal military engagements, advanced its notable economic development and remains prepared for negotiating a comprehensive peace. Obama as president has led a mutually beneficial resurgence in the exchange of strategic technology, intelligence and cooperation between U.S. armed forces and the Israel Defense Forces. Standing by Israel, Obama opposed the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and blocked its recognition at the United Nations. He supported Israel’s right to defend itself and confronted head-on the now-discredited Goldstone Report that condemned Israeli defensive action off its coast. He also ordered the United States to withdraw from the Durban Review Conference, whose namesake conference was supposed to be about racism but instead became an anti-Israel hate-fest. Obama stated unequivocally that “The United States will stand up against efforts to single Israel out at the United Nations or in any international forum.” Going even further, Obama has taken the floor of the United Nations to declare that “Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate” and that “efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will be met only by the unshakable opposition of the United States.” When Fatah and Hamas joined political forces and pressured Israel to enter negotiations with them, Obama told the world that “No country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organization sworn to its destruction,” concluding that “Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with Palestinians who do not recognize its right to exist.” And this is also why Obama has taken such a strong stand against the Iranian nuclear program — the single greatest threat to the State of Israel and the stability of the Middle East. After years of inaction and neglect by the Bush administration, Obama constructed an international coalition to impose the most crippling sanctions ever on the Iranian regime. These sanctions have already chocked off Iran’s access to many capital markets and have had a profound effect on the way Tehran finances its nefarious operations. Covert U.S. operations targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure reportedly have also slowed their rate of progress. While his opponents can talk tough on Iran, the president is doing what is necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Nevertheless, despite clear facts and substantial evidence, political partisans and opponents of the president continue a coordinated campaign to distort reality in a brazen attempt to fool the public. The same type of people who called Obama a closet Muslim and claimed he was not born in the United States now exercise linguistic calisthenics to obfuscate the truth and portray the president as hostile to the Jewish state. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not long ago, while sitting in the Oval Office, Obama looked me in the eye and said, “My commitment to Israel’s security is bone deep.” He did not have to say it. I already knew that President Obama would never forsake the Jewish state, its security and its people. His record of performance is crystal clear and the charlatans cannot change that. My father before me actively supported Jewish communities around the world and prior to 1948 closely worked with those establishing the modern State of Israel. For more than a half century, I have worked with successive Israeli governments and U.S. presidents — Republican and Democrat — to provide for the safety and security of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. My family has loved, worked, invested in and supported the State of Israel, its security and its people since before its founding. We have not always agreed with its policies, but we have always been there to support and defend its government and people. We are connected to every facet of Jewish life and want nothing more than Israel’s peace, security, vibrancy and prosperity. I am confident that President Obama shares our values and I shall confidently vote for him in November. (Edward Bronfman is the former CEO of Seagram and former President of the Word Jewish Congress. He remains absolutely committed to the re-election of our President) ***** Rabbis for Obama (this listing is for New York State and unrelated to piece above) Renni Altman,Great Neck, Andy Bachman,Brooklyn, Carole Balin,New York, Shelley Kovar Becker,New York Rena Blumenthal,New Paltz Gary M. Bretton-Granatoor,Brooklyn Ken Brickman,New York Donald P. Cashman,Albany Michael S Churgel,Old Bethpage, Ayelet S. Cohen,New York Judy Cohen Rosenberg,Westbury Rachel Brown Cowan,New York Jerome K Davidson,Great Neck Eliezer Diamond,New York William Dreskin,Ardsley Mark Elber, Huntington Barat Ellman,Brooklyn Shira Koch Epstein,Brooklyn Rachel Esserman,Endwell Daniel J Fellman,Syracuse Brian Fink,IthacaAdam David Fisher,Stony Brook Ellen Flax,New York Rebecca Joy Fletcher,Brooklyn Larry Freedman,Newburgh Abe Friedman,Brooklyn Kim Sara Geringer,New York Laura Gold,New York Irwin Schuster Goldenberg,Forest Hills Barbara Goldman-Wartrell,Binghamton Debra Edelson Goldstein,New York Sheila Beth Goloboy,Port Washington Linda Henry Goodman,Brooklyn Stephen W. Goodman,Garden City Emma Gottlieb, Plattsburg Daniel Gropper,Harrison Joshua Gutoff,Brooklyn Eytan Hammerman,Mahopac Robert A Harris,New York Shai Held,New York Alan Henkin,Brooklyn Lev R Herrnson, East Rockaway Deborah Hirsch,New York Jeffrey E. Hoffman,White Plains Mark Samuel Hurvitz,New York David A. Ingber,New York Jennifer A. Jaech,Peekskill David Kalb,New York Jeremy Kalmanofsky,New York Lori Koffman,New York Irwin Kula,Manhattan William Lebeau,New York Morton M. Leifman,New York Marion Lev-Cohen,New York Carol Levithan,New York Jonathan Lipnick,New York Ellen Lippmann,Brooklyn Janet Beth Liss,Bayville Marc Margolius,New York Iris Richman,New York Jeffrey Marker,Brooklyn J. Rolando Matalon,New York Michele S Medwin,Binghamton Miriam Midlarsky, Lichtenfeld Niskayuna, Joshua E Minkin, Brooklyn Leon A. Morris,Sag Harbor Jay Moses,New York Perry Netter,Buffalo Stacy K.F. Offner, Tuckahoe William Plevan,New York Daniel Polish,Poughkeepsie Stephen B. Roberts,New York David Rosenn,New York Jennie Rosenn,New York Dennis S. Ross,Albany Stephanie Ruskay, New York Arnold D. Samlan,West Hempstead Joanna Samuels,New York Shmuel Sandberg,New York Leonard A. Schoolman,New York Evan T Schultz,Brooklyn Fred Schwalb,Croton-on-Hudson Leonard A. Sharzer,New York Charles Edward Simon,New York Elliot Skiddell, Hewlett, Felicia L. Sol,New York Bradley Solmsen,New York S David Sperling,Peekskill Bonnie Ann Steinberg,New Hyde Park Joshua Strom,Brooklyn Irwin A. Tanenbaum,Williamsville Harvey Morton Tattelbaum,New York Lennard Ralph Thal,New York Jan Uhrbach,New York Burt L Visotzky,New York Andrew Warmflash,Hewlett Pamela Wax,Bronx Gerald I Weider, Brooklyn Simkha Y. Weintraub,Brooklyn Lina Zerbarini, Lynbrook |
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Really, Edgar? (It is Edgar, not Edward)…
The only Jewish “Junior” I know describes others as Charlatans in his sycophantic Saint Obama “open letter” (which got ONE Like!)
Let’s talk about charltans: if Obama is so good for Israel, why is his approval rating in the single digits compared to Bush’s over 90?
Charlatans peddle snake oil (or booze).
Demagoguery consists in implying that 600 Rabbis agree with this editoril. Bet they don’t.
Rabbis may prefer Obama to a Mormon.
Beyond that, to imply that the Jewish faith is in sync with Obama, and that he is her best friend is preposterous. Never mind the snubs of Netanyahu. US and Canadian lefties have always despised the Likud.
What is shocking is the gull to intrude on Israeli politics by annointing Peres and vilifying Netanyahu, and using THAT to return to voters’ choices on American policies.
The implication is that if you support Israel, you MUST vote for Obama.
Total drivel. Americn Jews by and large can’t vote for Republicans. By extension, they project that contempt onto Likud. Anyone interested in Israel as a vibrant democracy should remember this: vote in America, leave Israeli democracy to the Israelis.
guedy@aol.com
“Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!” – Patrick Henry
What a brilliant ruling by the United States Supreme Court on the affordable health care act (Obamacare). Stunningly brilliant in my humble opinion. I could not have ask for a better ruling on a potentially catastrophic healthcare act than We The People Of The United States received from our Supreme Court.
If the court had upheld the constitutionality of the individual mandate under the commerce clause it would have meant the catastrophic loss of the most precious thing we own. Our individual liberty. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Supreme Court.
There is no mandate to buy private for-profit health insurance. There is only a nominal tax on income eligible individuals who don’t have health insurance. This is a HUGE! difference. And I suspect that tax may be subject to constitutional challenge as it ripens.
This is a critically important distinction. Because under the commerce clause individuals would have been compelled to support the most costly, dangerous, unethical, morally repugnant, and defective type of health insurance you can have. For-profit health insurance, and the for-profit proxies called private non-profits and co-ops.
Equally impressive in the courts ruling was the majorities willingness to throw out the whole law if the court could not find a way to sever the individual mandate under the commerce clause from the rest of the act. Bravo! Supreme Court.
Thanks to the Supreme Court we now have an opportunity to fix our healthcare crisis the right way. Without the obscene delusion that Washington can get away with forcing Americans to buy a costly, dangerous and highly defective private product (for-profit health insurance).
During the passage of ACA/Obamacare some politicians said that the ACA was better than nothing. But the truth was that until the Supreme Court fixed it the ACA/Obamacare was worse than nothing at all. It would have meant the catastrophic loss of your precious liberty for the false promise and illusion of healthcare security under the deadly and costly for-profit healthcare system that dominates American healthcare.
As everyone knows now. The fix for our healthcare crisis is a single payer system (Medicare for all) like the rest of the developed world has. Or a robust Public Option choice available to everyone on day one that can quickly lead to a single payer system.
Talk of privatizing/profiteering from Medicare or social security is highly corrupt and Crazy! talk. And you should cut the political throats of any politicians giving lip service to such an asinine idea. Medicare should be expanded, not privatized or eliminated.
We still have a healthcare crisis in America. With hundreds of thousands dieing needlessly every year in America. And a for-profit medical industrial complex that threatens the security and health of the entire world. The ACA/Obamacare will not fix that.
The for-profit medical industrial complex has already attacked the world with H1N1 killing thousands, and injuring millions. And more attacks are planned for profit, and to feed their greed.
To all of you who have fought so hard to do the kind and right thing for your fellow human beings at a time of our greatest needs I applaud you. Be proud of your-self.
God Bless You my fellow human beings. I’m proud to be one of you. You did good.
See you on the battle field.
Sincerely
jacksmith – WorkingClass :-)