Compiled by Donald H. Harrison
Vermont’s two United States senators—Democrat Patrick Leahy and Independent Bernie Sanders have announced they will boycott the speech of Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to a Joint Session of Congress on March 3.
Leahy released a statement on Tuesday saying: “The unfortunate way that House leaders have unilaterally arranged this, and then heavily politicized it, has demolished the potential constructive value of this Joint meeting. They have orchestrated a tawdry and high-handed stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself. It has long been an unwritten rule and practice through the decades that when it comes to American foreign policy, we speak and act thoughtfully, with one voice when we can, with the national interests of the United States as our uppermost consideration, and with caution about the unintended consequences of unilateral actions like this. They have diminished that valuable precedent.”
Sanders, saying he was the first senator to announce his plan to skip the speech, issued this statement “Knowing that the prime minister disagrees with President Barack Obama’s policy on how to stem Iran’s nuclear plans, House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to speak without first informing the White House. … What Speaker Boehner has done is politicize the situation in a way that’s unprecedented. A president of the United States, whether that person is a Democrat or Republican, leads us in foreign policy. When you have a situation in the Middle East where the politics and the dangers are so volatile, the idea that the speaker of the House would invite Mr. Netanyahu to Congress without consulting President Obama is a very, very bad idea.”
Elected in 1974, Leahy is the longest serving senator. That Sanders is Jewish makes his boycott of the Israel Prime Minister’s speech also noteworthy.
Americans for Peace Now followed up Leahy’s announcement on Tuesday, Feb. 10, with an appeal on its website for followers to demand of their elected representatives that Netanyahu’s speech be postponed.
Meanwhile, the Zionist Organization of America charged that a side meeting held by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry with Israel’s Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog at the time of the recent Munich Conference may have constituted U.S. interference in Israel’s elections—contrary to the Obama administration’s insistence that it doesn’t want to have meetings with Netanyahu in March so as not to be perceived as interfering in those elections. According to a ZOA press release: “The meeting appears to be a blatant attempt to shore up the Israeli left, thereby interfering with Israel’s elections.”
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In other news, The Republican Jewish Coalition and reporters on the White House and State Department beats questioned whether the Obama Administration is trying to downplay the fact that the attack on the Hyper Cacher Market in Paris was intended to kill Jews. In an interview with Vox on Monday, Feb. 9, the President said: “It is entirely legitimate for the American people to be deeply concerned when you’ve got a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.” Questions immediately were raised whether those shootings indeed were “random” or specifically targeted to kill Jews. Said Matt Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition: “ “It is impossible to understand the lengths this administration goes to deny a blatant anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Paris. Who is this President worried about offending by calling this an anti-Semitic attack? Remembering the innocent people killed by these terrorists because of their religious beliefs should be paramount for our President. These statements by the President and his administration send the wrong message to both the Jewish community and the terrorists who are responsible for these heinous acts.” Following are video clips from a news conference by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, and State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki:
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U.S. Senate
KAYLA MUELLER – U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) mourned the death in Syria of American aid worker Kayla Mueller. She said: “Kayla Mueller selflessly devoted her life to serving those in need and her death is heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and all those whose lives she touched. This tragic loss reminds us of why the world must remain united against the threat that ISIL poses to the civilized world.” … In the House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York) said: “Kayla’s work stands in such sharp contrast to the terrorists responsible for her death. ISIS extremists place no value on human life. They are a constant threat to our security and our values, and we must remain steadfast in our efforts to put an end to their reign of terror.”
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E-CIGARETTES – U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) has introduced legislation to ban the marketing of e-cigarettes to children. “Every day, more and more kids are trying e-cigarettes and developing a dangerous addiction to nicotine,” Boxer said. “This bill will immediately ban the outrageous marketing of e-cigarettes to children, including the use of candy flavors and cartoon advertisements that are shamelessly designed to lure and addict them.”
SEX TRAFFICKING – U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and her 19 women colleagues in the U.S. Senate have urged the Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on sex trafficking in the United States. “Human trafficking is a $32 billion criminal enterprise, making it the second largest criminal industry in the world behind the drug trade. According to the Department of Justice, 83 percent of sex trafficking victims in the United States are American citizens,” the senators wrote. “A hearing would provide an opportunity to shine a spotlight on sex trafficking; receive testimony from victims, advocates, and law enforcement; and provide the committee with an informed perspective as it considers legislation in this area.”
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CLIMATE CHANGE—U.S. Sen Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Monday, Feb 9, that the debate over the Keystone Pipeline, which environmentalists opposed, was only one small sliver of the climate change issue and called for Republicans and Democrats to unite in recognition of the dangers that changing climate poses to the Earth.
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POWDERED CAFFEINE—U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) on Tuesday, Feb. 10, urged the Food and Drug Administration to ban powdered caffeine. “Powdered caffeine is currently unregulated because it is marketed as a dietary supplement, which means that manufacturers of dietary supplements do not need FDA approval before producing or selling their products,” Schumer said. “According to the FDA, one teaspoon of concentrated powdered caffeine is equivalent to twenty-five cups of coffee. Schumer said that the product is readily available online and can be purchased rather easily and in bulk… In some cases, individuals mix the caffeine into energy drinks, snort the powder like a drug, or combine it with alcohol—a proven health hazard.”
U.S. House of Representatives
EDUCATION—U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) has introduced two education bills. One would track the children of active-duty military to determine how to best help them succeed in the face of frequent moves and parental deployments. The second would create a grant program for schools to design campaigns to attract underrepresented groups to the teaching profession. … U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) also introduced two educational bills: One “awards competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement and attainment in order to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative practices to improve student outcomes.” The other “supports professional learning strategies that involve the use of technology, peer networks, and protected release time for educators to engage in collaborative team-based learning multiple times per week.” … Polis also teamed up with U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Kentucky) to introduce the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act, which “would provide a strong federal investment for states and localities to develop and implement comprehensive literacy plans for children from birth through 12th grade,” according to Yarmuth. “Literacy is the cornerstone for success in every aspect of our economy and our society,” he said. “This legislation embraces literacy as a top priority and makes key federal investments to help ensure that the students of today are prepared to lead the workforce of tomorrow.”
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U.S. ARMY –U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-New York) has received from Lt. Gen. William Grisoli, the Director of the Army Staff, an Army seal to hang on the wall of his Capitol office in recognition of Zeldin’s military service as a U.S. Army veteran and current major in the Army reserves.
California Legislature
STATE PARKS – Only 6 of 279 parks bring in more money than they cost to run, according to a report by the California Parks Forward Commission. Most profitable park Sylmar State Beach, which netted more than $750,000. Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife, says the Parks Forward Commission report represents a collaborative effort to create a sustainable system for our magnificent State Parks.
Local Governments
SAN DIEGO HISTORY – San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald presented to popular TV historian of San Diego, Ken Kramer, a proclamation that declared Feb. 9 as Ken Kramer day in San Diego in honor of his being inducted into the KPBS (Public Television) Hall of Fame. She commented that his show, About San Diego, “has educated, entertained and piqued the interest of so many San Diegans.”
MUSLIM OUTREACH – San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis met Monday, Feb. 9, with faith leaders of the Muslim community “to discuss a cultural awareness project.” She said on her Facebook page that “one of the priorities of the DA’s office, as a law enforcement agency, is to better communicate and respectfully approach non-emergency situations.”
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Items about Jewish women in Congress are sponsored by Laura Galinson in memory of her father, Murray Galinson.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. Your comment on any of these items may be posted in the space provided below or sent to donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com