California GOP Decries Anti-Semitic Tea Party Activism

Last week's Tea Parties went forward despite the fact that there was a little bit of dispute over who owned the Tea Party movement -- a battle between followers of Ron Paul and a gaggle of fake grassroots organizations. Well, that conflict continues, even after the Tea Parties, and for good reason:

Citing the importance of the taxpayer movement in California, California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring today strongly condemned the use of anti-Semitic material used to promote the recent April 15 TEA party in San Mateo County.

"The taxpayer movement is incredibly important for California, and we applaud the success of the tea parties that took place across the state on April 15. Because we remain intensely interested in the growth and success of the mainstream taxpayer movement, we strongly condemn the use of anti-Semitic imagery in the promotion of the recent event in San Mateo County.

[...]

Chairman Nehring issued the statement in response to the use of anti-Semitic graphics used on the "Bay Area Ron Paul Campaign for Liberty" website in conjunction with the April 15 TEA Party in San Mateo. The image pictured a bucket of money being poured into a funnel with a Star of David on it, which in turn drips blood into a bottle where a person holding a Palestinian flag is seen drowning in blood. The text reads "Uncle Sam Reminds You: KEEP PAYING TAXES. The ongoing extermination of Palestinian Children Can't be Done Without Your Help."

So there you have it. The California GOP is angry a single piece of signage that expressed what they considered to be a decidedly vile opinion. Surely they are just getting started:

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Photo courtesy of Jesse Russell in Madison, WI.

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Comments

[Sentientbeing09]

The anti-anti-Semties are being dishonest as usual, trying to frame the Palestine debate. Instead of responding to behavior of Israel in Palestine or responding to the smaller text present on the poster 'the ongoing extermination of Palestinian children cant be done without your help', they create an anti-Semitism outrage.

Its funny. All the pro-Israel sites discussing this poster dont show it in its entirety and only show a miniature version with the text unreadable and the Palestinian flag barely visible.

Hi res version here:

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/0/a/4/highres_8077028.jpeg

Claims of anti-Semitism are extremely weak when you see the posters full context.

[Sentientbeing09]

Criticism of Israel isnt anti-Semitic. If pro-Israel apologists want to change the definition of anti-Semitism then be aware that it devalues and waters down the meaning of true anti-Semitism.
Dont forget many critics of Israeli policies are Jewish. Many people rightly agree that opposing Israelis behavior as occupier is a moral and just obligation

If you want to slander these Israeli critics with the new political definition of anti-Semitism, then fine. Its a burden many will ready to bear on their shoulders.

[kandlefly]

The Republican Party amuses me a lot, for the pass two months all Repubs seem to be doing is apologizing for something, to somebody or some Ethnic Group.
For years they promoted Political, Racial and Gender division, stepped on peoples' Freedoms and Rights once it was not what they believed in, and now they want to apologize for posters at that waste of time Tea Party, come on.
For years they blamed everything that was wrong in America on Jews and Blacks, they quietly stirred up these feelings behind closed doors, went to events where it was hip to curse Jews and spew their hateful rhetoric, but now they need to get back in power and it cannot be done without Blacks, Jews or Hispanics, what do you do? you start by putting a Black Man as Chairman of the Party, you promote a Jewish Guy as a spokesman and you start paying attention to Latino causes, well hooray you sure are fooling people. Only one problem, after all the years off promoting hate and division it is a bit hard to control your followers.

[ZenJu]

"Anti-Zionist" and "Anti-Israel" are the new code phrases for the haters of Jews, and they've seized on them quite readily to slip their hatred under the radar of decent debate. I'll quote Dr. Martin Luther King:
"You declare that you do not hate Jews, you are merely anti-Zioni­st...Zioni­sm is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. What is anti-Zionism? It is discrimination against the Jews, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism" (1968).
Let's be honest, shall we? It's one thing to criticise the policies of the nation-state of Israel, as any other nation. Too often, though, we see the ultra-Left (or Right) obsessing with peccadillos of the tiny Jewish democracy while ignorning the most horrendous abuses of human rights and issues in other nations; Israel's very right to exist is called into question, alone among the nations of the UN. We live in scary times.
Let's see if THIS gets posted. The previous attempts did not.

[libslayerguy]

Well, I guess that even the great MLK wasn't right about everything, huh? Because on this issue he is most definitely wrong.

And I'd also wager that MLK would have just a tiny bit of sympathy and compassion for the Pals., who receive the brunt of those Israeli "peccadillos".

[HyperInfluential]

You make good points. Sometimes it just takes a long time for a post to go through moderation, it's nothing personal, just matter of how many posts need moderating at a given time.

I agree with a lot of what you say, but since I know many, many pro-Palestinian activists, and I know they are decent, good-hearted people, I really think that they are not aware that they have a "separate but equal" mentality towards Israel. Bigotry often blinds people to its own existence, and they think up rationalizations that seem plausible to explain their actions, but like you say when you look at the big picture it becomes clear that some people want to treat this particular ally of the United States differently than our other allies would be treated. And there's only one thing that makes Israel stand out from the other allies, so...

But I think they really don't realize it and the best way to open their eyes is just to keep pointing out, look, if it was England or Canada or France instead of Israel, how would you react? It's mind-bendingly ironic that Americans, of all people, would side with Jihadists over an ally, because that ally was accused of land-grabbing. If I were a Native American I would just want to throw up at the hypocrisy, if I heard that.

[max08]

The racism against blacks is more important politically. That's what these signs portray. And the Blacks being targeted here are Americans not members of a foreign country.

[johnfromojai]

The commentary on the sign depicting money feeding the star of David points to the confusion that the right wing Zionists have created to advance their cause. The sign maker's criticism is valid and not in itself anti-Semitic. The U.S. spends over $7million a day to feed the Israeli war machine that killed hundreds of innocent children in Gaza and keeps hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the world's largest prison. We taxpayers need that money to take care of the problems in our own country. Burning the money would be more beneficial to the universe than giving it to Israel to kill and blockade children with. The reason we give that money to Israel is because they have the most effective lobby effort in the world that donates to, lobbies and controls most of the politicians in our government.
The message of the critics is that any criticism of Israel or donations to Israel is anti-Semitic. Preposterous! How about issues of fiscal responsibility? How about the basic moral issue of supporting a racist country that stole homes and land from hundreds of thousands of Palestinians? It's refreshing to see many Jews with a moral conscience who criticize the right wing Israeli actions and even criticize Zionism. Being anti-Zionist is not being anti-Semitic. AIPAC is not going to like it when people finally realize this truth. Pass it on.

[nubret2008]

Yeah and Hamas brought flowers and cake to the common Israeli citizens - dream on!

[Sentientbeing09]

Ridiculous comment. Theres no mention Hamas in the article?

[Sentientbeing09]

Theres a Hi-res version here:

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/0/a/4/highres_8077028.jpeg

[ZenJu]

"Anti-Zionist" and "Anti-Israel" are the new code phrases for the haters of Jews, and they've seized on them quite readily to slip their hatred under the radar of decent debate. I'll quote Dr. Martin Luther King:
"You declare that you do not hate Jews, you are merely anti-Zioni­st...Zioni­sm is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. What is anti-Zionism? It is discrimination against the Jews, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism" (1968).
Let's be honest, shall we? It's one thing to criticise the policies of the nation-state of Israel, as any other nation. Too often, though, we see the ultra-Left (or Right) obsessing with peccadillos of the tiny Jewish democracy while ignorning the most horrendous abuses of human rights and issues in other nations; Israel's very right to exist is called into question, alone among the nations of the UN. We live in scary times.
Let's see if THIS gets posted.

[Sentientbeing09]

"Anti-Semite" and "Racist" are the new code phrases for the haters of critics of Israel.

[Secularist]

A lot of the people here wrote things like, "Being anti-Israel doesn't make me anti-Semitic." Actually, it does. Otherwise, they would have written "Being critical of Israel doesn't make me anti-Israel." Just as you don't have to be anti-American to be critical of certain American policies, but defining yourself as anti-American and being critical of ALL policies, does make you just another ignorant hater.

[international harvester]

Hmmm, well some of us are anti-Israel. I.e. we believe that any country that expands its borders dramatically via bloodshed and then continues with a 40 year occupation does not have the right to exist post WWII. Still though, how exactly does this make us racist? That's kind of like saying being anti-German in 1943 means you were really anti-Caucasian.

[1differentdrummer]

Were any intelligent people anti-German? Anti-Germany, probably, who could not have opposed Germany's horrible acts and war? But anti-German? I don't think so.

[nubret2008]

"we believe that any country that expands its borders dramatically via bloodshed and then continues with a 40 year occupation does not have the right to exist post WWII"

What about the 250+ years of occupation of the American continent?

[HyperInfluential]

Um, if you're in America right now, you're standing on land we stole through bloodshed. Actually it was a genocide. So...let's take the beam out of our own eye before deciding Israel should be destroyed.

Israel is a necessary place whose existence was negotiated fairly, whatever injustices may have occurred afterward, long ago. Clearly, Jews have enemies worldwide and need a homeland of their own, because they can never be sure that crazies in other nations might not return to that age-old refrain, "Blame the Jews!" whenever things go badly.

[Foreground]

Actually, there's a bit of false logic in that Isreal = All Jewish People. As others have said, there are Jews that aren't pro-Isreal.

A more accurate analogy would be that being Anti-America doesn't mean you're anti-white people.

[AlwaysRightLeftist]

How is that anti-semitic? Anti-Zionism, yes. There's a difference.

[Old Grandad]

Then why don't you tell us the difference?

[WowJones]

Those signs and symbols have nothing to do with Zionism and everything to do with anti-Semitism.

[international harvester]

No, that's the Israeli FLAG. This is what happens when you mix up religion with a nation's core identity.

[max08]

These signs are racist. And they are targeted at Obama. Jews are an afterthought.

[gypsysailor]

I thought rush and fox news were the organizers of the teabaggin' rebellion. Who's this ron paul guy and why is he trying to hog into the trough?

[WowJones]

Ron Paul's crew has done these events before.

[alvin12]

The so called "Tea Party" was a joke. Do the math. 800 rallies 900,000+ attendees. Obama could hold one rally and draw more people than this crowd put together. Take Atlanta, 15,000 people. Hell, the Falcons could draw more people.

Obama wants to tax the top 1%, where were all of the Limo's?

[BartRoberts]

And for members of a party so opposed to gay marriage, they picked an awfully gay way to stage their protest.

Tea parties???? Please. For ones elderly maiden aunts, maybe. But, not for anyone who wants anything more than to look prissy and ridiculous.

[HyperInfluential]

LOL poor Ron. At least he prolly got to harvest a lot of emails out of the publicity blitz, so he can trawl for cash after everyone's forgotten the whole T.E.A Party thing.

[ShabbosGoy]

gypsysailor -- "I thought rush and fox news were the organizers of the teabaggin' rebellion. Who's this ron paul guy and why is he trying to hog into the trough?"

Gypsysailor, Ron Paul is a committed anti-spending libertaria­n/conserva­tive. He, unlike Rush, is against the wars, and against massive military spending. Folks like him have been doing tax protests all through the Bush administration too. These Rush and Hannity folks have coopted a legitimate and sincere movement.

While Ron Paul followers and libertarians protesting tax and spending are a TRUE grassroots movement, Rachel Maddow on MSNBC called these Rush and Fox News protesters "astroturf" movements.

Understand now?

Me, I'm a traditional conservative who's anti-inter­ventionism and anti-war in general. And certainly anti-US involvement in the Middle East. This sign is 100% accurate. Nothing anti-semitic about it. Do the research. Israel and the US are too close, to the detriment of the US. This recent controversy involving Pelosi and Jane Harman is a shining example.

[gbrooks]

This article depressed the hell out of me because I know a heck of a lot of Ron Paul supporters, I'm one of them, and I certainly don't hate Jews and neither do they. I learned my "wartime ethics" from what happened in WWII, my grandfather was Jewish. I don't approve of what Israel is doing to the Palestinians, but it certainly doesn't make me an anti-semite or a racist.

There is a real problem with the type of influence that AIPAC exerts on the US gov't, it's simply obvious. 2+2=4, not 5.

I have incredible respect for how educated most Jewish people are, but why is this turning into a bad thing? Why is that education being used to find more creative ways to justify the horrific things that are being done to a native population? Why can't we use our creative energies to help other people, even if they're different from us?

Israel could be a beacon of light, rationale, logic, science and peace, yet they choose the opposite route.

So disappointing, so depressing.

[max08]

I agree with you completely, gbrooks. Israel is now run by right-wing extremists and we Americans are being asked to go along with it. Not me, thank you.

[gbrooks]

Me either. Avigdor Lieberman is very disturbing.

[1differentdrummer]

Does this come under the heading of tortured logic?

[hillvoter]

'Tea-baggers' don't pick sides, they simply point out truth and shine light on the absurd.

[AmbientDiscord]

that sign is not anti-semitic... granted the tea parties were mostly goofy with a few people with a legitimate point, but they could have picked so many more things to complain about than THAT!

+ the sign is essentially true for once. all the tax money that gets dumped into Israel every year is ridiculous.

i can't stand this BS that any criticism of Israel is somehow anti-semitic. how about the fact that it is anti-american for the majority of our politicians to put AIPAC above constituents.

[unkn1]

Here, here !!! Could not agree more strongly.

[AgentMacGyver]

I thought the author of this piece was way out of line calling the sign "decidedly vile." If the Israeli flag didn't have a religious symbol on it, this sign wouldn't be incendiary.

[international harvester]

I love how no ones commenting on the obvious absurdity of the anti semitism claims for this poster. OK, fine. This is not Digg, the hyperbole and vitriol is a bit more restrained on here. Still: Why does Israel insist on on being a non-secular state? Easy: Anytime you criticize Israel (i.e. this ad pretty clearly has an ISRAELI flag on it, not just a Star of David) you are instantly labeled as an antisemitic evildoer bigot.

Clearly the copy of the ad is ridiculously over the top and amateurishly executed, but the message is in itself NO WAY anti-semetic. It is rightly criticizing a Nation( a Nation. Get it? NOT a religion) we unquestionably support for it's unprovoked warmongering and land grabbing. Why do they hate us? No, it's not because we are lazy and fat or wicked and sinful, it's because we support a nation that is actively and violently repressing and displacing Muslims in one of Islams holiest sites.

[xmontreal]

When are you moving out of your house and giving it back to the American Indians? This country was stolen at gunpoint from the Indians---but that's O.K. with the hypocrites posting here.

[AgentMacGyver]

You've solved the Palestinian problem -- give them casinos.

[Sentientbeing09]

Settlers started colonizing America in the 1400s.

Youre right. Israels behavior belongs in another century.

[louisamast]

Are you sure they don't hate us because we can walk and chew gum at the same time?!

[jamesmac10]

Well said "international harvester".

[azbird]

I cant believe you guys.. How many times must you be educated? Israel won that land in battle. A battle they never asked for or started. They keep the pals. in Gaza because the people are crawling with Hamas and other terrorists who openly state they want to destroy Israel. By the way it is also the Jews holy site and was so a long time before the Muslims.

[hillvoter]

Who cares what the California GOP thinks? I don't see any difference between them and the California Dems. They both have conspired to bankrupt the state. I don't see any logic behind the idea that the rest of us that live within our means should bail out these economic ignoramouses ( to borrow a term from Uncle Hugo)