Lieberman is No Roger Sherman

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In 1775, the American Revolution began in the New England colonies. Names, of battles, like Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, come to mind. Heroes, such as John and Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, Ethan Allen, John Stark, Seth Warner and Nathan Hale, were all natives of the New England region.

Another of the great New England Rebels of that bygone era was the Hon. Roger Sherman. The mayor of New Haven, CT, a distinguished jurist, and a delegate to the Contintental Congress (1774-81) and again in (1783-84), Sherman served one term in the U.S. Senate from 1791-93, as a Federalist, on behalf of Connecticut.

Connecticut, unfortunately, today, is represented by a notorious Israel Firster, Joseph I. Lieberman. Unlike Sherman, his favorite cause isn’t liberty or the right of a people to self-determination, it’s Zionist Israel-the biggest bully in the Middle East. Israel is also the largest welfare recipient of our foreign aid, shaking us down for over a $100 billion, since 1948 and the main reason why the U.S. is despised in the Muslim World.

During the presidential Democratic debates, held in Baltimore City on Sept. 9th, Lieberman pounced on candidate Howard Dean. The ex-governor of Vermont had dared to suggest that the U.S. "not take sides" in the Middle East conflict, in order to facilitate "a just settlement" between the land hungry Israelis and the embattled Palestinians. Lieberman then accused Dean of "compromising" U.S. support for Israel. What rubbish! Dean, to his credit, blasted Lieberman for demagoguing "on the issue."

What is needed now, and is desperately missing from the national political landscape, is a gutsy Democratic candidate to speak for the interest of the American people. It is not enough for America to merely "compromise" its support for Israel. It is time for a candidate to tell Lieberman, and the country, too, that support for Israel should be but cut off. Totally. Completely. Finally.

Not one more penny in U.S. freebies should go to Zionist Israel: financial, social or military, while it illegally occupies the West Bank and Gaza. Also, a U.S. ultimatum to Tel Aviv is required, like: "Comply, immediately, with the 1967 U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 by giving the stolen land back to the Palestinians, or suffer the consequences."

The candidate that says that will get my vote. He or she will also be helping to bring justice to the Middle East, making America a safer place from terrorist attacks, and returning this country to its roots as a Republic.

Historically, Connecticut’s Sherman is recalled most fondly because of his important work on the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and its subsequent ratification by the voters. He put his life at risk to serve America.

Lieberman, on the hand, is noted for pushing the U.S. into the unjustified and costly war with Iraq, and the approval, in the middle of the night, without a public hearing, of the draconian USA Patriot Act. Like the insufferable Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Lieberman never missed a beat in the Congress supporting Resolutions, laws or budget requests that favored Israel. In one sentence, Lieberman is a legislative pimp for Zionist Israel!

Sherman died in 1793, before his colleague and fellow Federalist, then President George Washington, gave his prophetic "Farewell Address" of Sept. 19, 1796. In it, the legendary Washington firmly warned America about forming "passionate attachments" to any foreign countries. He went on to state, "Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government…" (Harvard Classics, "American Historical Documents," Volume 43).

Recently, I checked out Lieberman’s official "Disclosure Statement," which he was required by law to file with the Secretary of the Senate (See "Lieberman’s Conflict of Interest," August 23, 2002, CounterPunch.org). There was no mention in any of those documents that he is a card carrying Zionist. His biographical notes, found in the "Congressional Directory," 107 Congress, (2001-2002), are also silent on this issue. He did, however, reveal in his "Disclosure Statement," that he serves on the board of number of groups that are headquartered in Zionist Israel.

By definition, Zionism is an alien-based political ideology, global in scope, racially restrictive, whose spiritual center is in Tel Aviv, and not Washington DC. It promotes Israeli Nationalism, and its stated object is a land grabbing "Greater Israel." Keep in mind, the questions I am raising about Lieberman are related to his politics, and not to his race or religion.

All of the above becomes even more important, since Israel Radio ("Kol Yisrael"), reported on Oct. 3, 2002, that Sharon, said, "I want to tell you something very clear, don’t worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."

No foreign based interest, like Zionism, should ever be placed above the interest of our Republic. This is an axiomatic principle that needs no citation of authority. The Republic must always come first.

It is long past the time for Lieberman, with his suspect Zionist affiliations, to come clean with the voters of Connecticut, and the American people, too. In my opinion, in his role as a U.S. Senator, he is a walking, talking and smirking example of, at the very least, someone with an "apparent" conflict of interest.

Lieberman should be mandated to answer these three relevant questions: "Are you a Zionist"? And, if the answer is yes, then: "What is your definition of that term"? And, finally, "Why didn’t you disclose the fact that you are a Zionist to the Secretary of the Senate"?

Lieberman is no Roger Sherman. Let’s bring back to our politics the spirit of the American patriots of old.