Right up front, I am an American and I am Jewish, albeit a non-practicing Jew. I support Israel, our ally.With that said, I do not claim to speak for all Americans nor all American Jews. I leave it to polling organizations to take the temperature of the public and give us snap shots of public opinion on topics of interest.
Anti-Semitism- The belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.
Browsing political news as I do every morning to see what catches my interest, my eye caught a Washington Post headline by Jennifer Rubin, which stated "Tom Friedman, hitting rock bottom."
I knew I shouldn't have clicked because in my opinion all Friedman's pieces are rock bottom, but my fingers have a mind of their own sometimes, so click I did.
Today’s Tom Friedman’s column has set off a firestorm. Now, he says and writes many wrong-headed things, about China and other dictatorial regimes, primarily. But today he hits rock bottom:
I sure hope that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, understands that the standing ovation he got in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby. The real test is what would happen if Bibi tried to speak at, let’s say, the University of Wisconsin. My guess is that many students would boycott him and many Jewish students would stay away, not because they are hostile but because they are confused.You see, in Friedman’s eyes, the entire U.S. Congress is bought and paid for by a cabal of Jews.
Yep, I knew I shouldn't have clicked the damn link.
Rubin goes on to quote aides and advisers of both Republican and Democratic members of Congress, who were not happy with Friedman's accusations.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats alike were fuming. A senior GOP adviser e-mailed me: “Bibi’s standing ovation in Congress was bought and paid for by the American taxpayers who overwhelmingly support Israel. They vote, they pay our salaries and they stand with Israel. Statements to the contrary can be chalked up to frustrated leftists who can’t understand why they stand alone.”A Senate aide on the other side of the aisle put it this way: “Today, Tom Friedman did a cheap imitation of [Steven] Walt and [John] Mearsheimer as he charged that the ‘Israel lobby’ bought a congressional ovation for Bibi. If Friedman did actual reporting rather than opining from his anti-Israel perch at the Times, he would have learned that, in an otherwise polarized Congress, there is genuine, bipartisan support for Israel that reflects America’s heartland.”
Back to Memeorandum I went to see the discussions surround the Rubin piece and sure enough the predictable anti-Semitic liberal cheerleaders are out there waving their pom poms.
Before getting into the others that have torn Friedman a new one over his anti-Semitic rhetoric, let me say Tom Friedman has the right to his opinions and enjoys the First Amendment and the right of free speech. He can say anything he wants. His anti-Semitic cheerleaders can also say anything they want because they enjoy the same right of free speech.
So do the rest of us.
Those anti-Semitic liberal cheerleaders don't appreciate being called anti-Semites, in fact, they take offense at the term.
Too bad.
Supporters of Israel don't appreciate their anti-Semitic rhetoric either but we have to see the drivel liberals spew about Israel constantly anyway, so they will just have to deal with being called whatever we call them just as we have to deal with their ignorant rants against Israel.
Elliot Abrams refers to a February 2011 Gallup finding which shows that "about two-thirds of Americans have a favorable opinion of Israel (68%).
More from Gallup:
Republicans continue to be Israel's strongest U.S. supporters: 80% sympathize more with the Israelis in the conflict, substantially higher than the 57% of independents and Democrats sharing this view. A similar pattern is seen by political ideology, ranging from 74% among conservatives to 49% among liberals -- with liberals the least supportive of Israel of any group Gallup measured.
Over the past decade, Republicans have consistently shown greater support than Democrats for Israel; however, the partisan gap has widened, with Republicans becoming even more supportive between 2001 and 2003 and since 2009. Independents' support for Israel also increased to around 60% in recent years, up from 42% in 2001. At the same time, Democrats' support for Israel has been fairly flat.
On to another boneheaded statement by Friedman, one of which is addressed by Jonathan Neumann over at American Thinker:
"America's role," Friedman laments, "is to just applaud whatever Israel does, serve as its ATM and shut up." Since Friedman is unfamiliar with nuance, perhaps we might fill in the gaps: there is a difference between applauding "whatever" an ally does and taking into account, as Romney put it (in an interview Friedman himself quotes), "what our allies think is best." This is, of course, in contrast to the prevailing policy of mistreating our allies and, at best, remaining silent about our adversaries. Judging by his column -- which complains of Israel's American friends but says nothing of how the friends of the Palestinian Arabs are "loving them to death" -- Friedman endorses this current posture.
Meanwhile, the childish notion that Israel views America as its ATM ignores two critical realities: first, the purpose of aid to Israel -- much of which takes the form of loan guarantees -- is variegated, and includes paying off war debts, buying American military wares, bolstering missile defense, funding Israel's unparalleled intelligence contributions to the US, paying for its security expertise, and supporting what is for the US effectively a permanent aircraft carrier without a single American soldier, as well as a significant economic partner. Second, it dismisses Israel's real view of America: as an indispensable friend, without whose support, incidentally, it could not make any territorial or strategic concessions.
More on Israel's contributions to America comes from the LA Times back in October 2011:
Today, Israeli contributions to U.S. national interests cover a broad spectrum. Through joint training, exercises and exchanges on military doctrine, the United States has benefited in the areas of counter-terrorism, intelligence and experience in urban warfare. Increasingly, U.S. homeland security and military agencies are turning to Israeli technology to solve some of their most vexing technical and strategic problems.
This support includes advice and expertise on behavioral screening techniques for airport security and acquisition of an Israeli-produced tactical radar system to enhance force protection. Israel has been a world leader in the development of unmanned aerial systems, both for intelligence collection and combat, and it has shared with the U.S. military the technology, the doctrine and its experience regarding these systems. Israel is also a global pacesetter in armored vehicle protection, defense against short-range rockets, and the techniques and procedures of robotics, all of which it has shared with the United States.
In missile defense, the United States has a broad and multifaceted partnership with Israel. Israel's national missile defenses — which include the U.S. deployment in Israel of an advanced X-band radar system and the more than 100 American military personnel who man it — will be an integral part of a larger missile defense spanning Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf to help protect U.S. forces and allies.
Israeli-developed defense equipment, some of which benefited from generous U.S. aid, now used by the U.S. military include short-range unmanned aircraft systems that have seen service in Iraq and Afghanistan; targeting pods on hundreds of Air Force, Navy and Marine strike aircraft; a revolutionary helmet-mounted sight that is standard in nearly all frontline Air Force and Navy fighter aircraft; lifesaving armor installed in thousands of MRAP armored vehicles used in Iraq and Afghanistan; and a gun system for close-in defense of naval vessels against terrorist dinghies and small-boat swarms. Moreover, U.S. and Israeli companies are working together to produce Israel's Iron Dome — the world's first combat-proven counter-rocket system.
Little known and rarely acknowledged by anti-Semites like Friedman and his cheerleaders, is that Israel is highly respected as as innovator in medicine, which not only benefits America but benefits people across the world.
Examples of Medical Devices and Equipment Pioneered in Israel:
| Aesthetic Medicine | * ESC Medical Systems Ltd. – electro-optic medical devices applying proprietary pulsed light technology, for non-invasive treatment of skin cancer, benign lesions, as well as for treatment of varicose veins, skin rejuvenation and hair removal. * SOL-GEL Technologies Ltd. – glass microcapsules containing UV absorbers increase sunblocking by allowing admixture of otherwise incompatible ingredients to maximize photostability and efficacy, and form a layer on but without chemicals contacting the skin. |
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| Autoclaves | * Tuttnauer Co. Ltd. in Jerusalem – is a world leader in steam and gas autoclaves of all sizes for sterilizing medical instruments for clinics, hospitals and laboratories. |
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| Cardiology | Cardiac stents are implanted in blood vessels during angioplasty to keep occluded vessels from re-closing: * InStent with American partner, Medtronic/beStent line and the crimper. * Medinol with American partner, Boston Scientific/Nir cardiac stent line market leader. * Angiosonics Inc. – a catheter-delivered ultrasound for thrombolysis, a non-invasive therapeutic ultrasound in the heart; early studies have shown that it could break up clots in peripheral vessels. * Laser Industries – a Sharplan holmium/yag laser for unblocking multiply-occluded coronary vessels. |
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| Dental Medicine | * Perio – biodegradable chip with slow release chlorhexidine to treat gum disease – from the Hadassah Faculty of Dental Medicine, sold to Israel Chemicals. * CAPTEK – gold, platinum, palladium metal composite for aesthetic, high strength dental crowns and bridges that reduce plaque by 10% on natural teeth. |
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| Diagnostics Cardiology | * BioSense Ltd., CARTA & NOGA systems – hardware-software non-fluoroscopic intrabody navigation and 3-D mapping system, hailed as the missing, real-time link between diagnostics and therapeutics. |
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| Diagnostics Genetics | * ASI – APPLIED SPECTRAL IMAGING – Cytogenetics and pathology have been revolutionized by SKYTM (Spectral karyotyping), SkyVision, and the SpectraCube™ to sort chromosomes, cells or tissues in colors reflecting genetic abnormalities. |
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| Diagnostics Mammo- graphy | * Trans-Scan – T-Scan devices which significantly improve mammography diagnostic accuracy with no additional radiation. * SophisView Technology Ltd. (SVT) – MACOM 4000 and MAPP 4000 digitized mammography which enhance sub-millimeter details. |
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| Diagnostics Neurology | * Medis-El – Nuritor, an advanced, compact and portable analog/digital EEG * Mindsense Ltd – kits for detecting mental illnesses. * Imexco General Ltd. – Neuritor, a computerized neurological brain-monitor for the acquisition & analyses of multichannel EEG/ECG signals in real time. * Riemed Ltd. – Intra-View, a new generation of transcranial Doppler including intracranial, extracranial, peripheral vascular and intraoperative simultaneous investigation of two cerebral sites. |
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| Diagnostics Ophthal- mology | * MedEye Medical Imaging Ltd. – AngioVision for retinal diagnosis, digital angiographic acquisition and viewing systems. * Talia Technology – Retina Thickness Analyzer (RTA), a combined electro-optical laser and conventional optical instrument for the non-invasive measurement of ocular pathologies. It’s Laser Slit has been marketed since 1996. * Shapiro Instruments (Israel), Subsidiary of Shapiro-Evans Perceptions Ltd. (UK) – Innovative optometric examinations using simple technology, but sophisticated philosophy. |
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| Diagnostics Respiration | * Delve Medical Ltd. – an electronic stethoscope with phonocardiograph instrumentation to receive and digitally process body sounds, filter out interfering noises, and graphically present the sounds on a display screen. |
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| Diagnostics Sleep Distur- bances | * Diagnostic Sleep Laboratory Ltd. – diagnostic equipment for sleep recordings (respiration, ECG, movements). |
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| Emergency Medicine | * First Care (Jerusalem) – bandage that enables self-application to wounds; can also block arterial flow and increase distal hemostatic pressure. * Mennen Medical Ltd. – “Cathlab” patient monitoring equipment for critical care. * Wais Med – “Bone Injection Gun” (B.I.G.™), treats emergency patients with drugs and other fluids by intraosseous infusion, directly into the bone marrow. |
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| Endoscopy | * CBF Medical – Ciliary Beat Frequency monitor attaches to a standard endoscope, to optically measure the frequency waves of ciliary cells as new diagnostic for mucociliary function in respiratory disease and tubal infertility. |
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| Gerontology - Osteoporosis | * Myriad Ultrasound Systems – SoundScan Compact and SoundScan 2000 bone quantitative sonometers which detect subtle changes in bone quality, as in osteoporosis and other bone diseases. * Sunlight Ultrasonic’s Omnisense – the only sonometer providing multiple sites skeletal bone density assessment. |
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| Healing Wounds | * LMS or CHAI (“life” in Hebrew) – the USFDA-approved Sure-Closure Skin-Stretching system, replacing costly skin grafts or flaps to close large wounds and avoid disfiguring scars; newer applications focus on polymer technology, a medium for graft storage and a first-ever wound gel for dermal ulcers and chronic wounds. * SPM RECOVERY – sealed chamber to apply ozone/oxygen mixture and bacterial medium to infectious wounds, post-surgical wounds, trophic ulcers, decubitus, and burns. |
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| Healing Scars | * SIL-K – silicone sheeting from Kibbutz Degania, which has USFDA approval, eases intense pain after scar-tissue removal operations. |
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| Medical Gases | * Oridion (originally Spegas) – pioneered infra-red measurement of carbon dioxide exhaled by patients at all points of care. u Elrad Analytical Systems – systems which monitor gases in patients during medical treatment. |
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| Medical Lasers | * Optomedic Medical Technologies – the Kaplan PenduLaser, a carbon dioxide surgical laser system. * Hadassah-based Nanomed with US-based Summit – a unique movable arm delivery system for cold action excimer laser for intra-ocular surgery. * Nanonics Lithography – the breakthrough Near Field Optics, which can focus laser beams at a tenth of a micron. * A number of companies have developed a broad range of innovative optical glass rods as active media for solid state medical lasers and high intensity luminescence (replacing gas and dye media). |
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| Neona- tology | * NurtureLife the Patir incubator in Jerusalem – a device for checking the amount of milk an infant drinks during breast-feeding.
* Hisense Ltd. – 200 $US monitor called Babysense, sends out an alarm if a baby stops breathing while asleep, as happens in SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). * SPO Medical Equipment Ltd. – Long Life, an early warning monitor, which senses lowered breathing and pulse levels and could prevent SIDS. |
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| Obstetrics | * Medco Electronic Systems Ltd. – Femo, a non-invasive fetal ECG and fetal heart rate monitoring system with true beat to beat variability, which prevents unnecessary C-section deliveries. * Cybro Medical – an optical and non-invasive fetal monitor based on pulse oximetry complementary to the ECG to reduce unnecessary C-section deliveries. |
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| Organ Trans- plantation | * Vital Medical – the Tissue Vitality Analyzer (TVA), expected to save lives and millions of dollars by detecting failed organs before implantation. |
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| Pain Control | * Titan Electronics – a compact, pocket-sized, battery-powered Transcutanous Electronic Nerve Stimulation (TENS) stimulator to relieve menstrual pain. |
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| Radiology & Medical Imaging | * InSight Therapeutics and GEMS – new joint venture TxSonics produce state-of-the-art devices for image guided therapies. * UltraGuide 1000 – new add-on device for ultrasound-assisted interventional procedures. * Real-time Radiography Readout (R3) Ltd. – a joint venture of YISSUM (the Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and T.T.I. (Target Technologies Israel) Ltd. * X-Medica – new concepts in filmless digital X-ray, for the next generation of medical imaging. |
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| Rehabili- tation | * NESS (“miracle” in Hebrew) – a USFDA-approved glove-like device that aids therapy in restoring function to paralyzed hands and arms. |
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| Telemedicine & Portable Medical Technology | * Card Guard with a Hewlett-Packard UK alliance – provides software-hardware systems for Cardiology/Portable ECG, Pulmonology/SpiroPhone Transtelephonic Spirometer, and Ob/Gyn/Portable Fetal-Maternal Monitoring Device. * Imexco General produces “CardioScope” – a pocket cardiological diagnostic ECG monitor, with storage, printer, and transmission capabilities. * TzamalCare – innovative remote controlled systems, Infu-Tech and Infu-Net diffused infrared wireless transmitters and readers to monitor and control infusion therapy from a remote station. |
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| Thermo- regulation | * MTRE Advanced Technology – ALLON 2000 returns and maintains normothermia of core body temperature into trauma management, during surgery and post-op. * Medisim – Up-Grade gives quick, accurate, digital readout of body temperature. |
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| Urology | * Influence – a device to treat urinary incontinence. * Medispec Ltd. and Direx – devices for treating kidney stones, gallstones and various prostate disorders. |
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| Vascular Systems | * Opgal Medical Systems, a division of Opgal Optronics Industries Ltd. in Karmiel – the IVA-2000 Thermal Imaging System for real-time thermal images of blood flow through exposed coronary arteries, without ingesting toxic contrast materials or exposure to radiation. * OrSense Ltd., a start-up – Hemosense, an infrared-based bloodless blood test of hemoglobin and hematocrit. * Vascular Technologies Ltd. – award-winning device attaches to a standard catheter to indicate correct insertion of an infusion needle into a vein. |
Unlike Elliot Abrams and Rep. Steven Rothman, a New Jersey Democrat, I do not think Friedman owes anyone but the poor saps that trust his opinion and apology because once again, he is entitled to his opinion and to state it.
Just as I won't apologize for my opinion that Friedman and his anti-Semitic cheerleaders are deliberately ignorant and/or intellectually dishonest about Israels many contributions to America and the world.
Thankfully people that think like Friedman are in the minority in this wonderful country.
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