"Don't Lecture Me About #Gaza" Says @SenAngusKing, Interrupting News That Kids Are Freezing To Death

Source: Mondoweiss  You can watch the video here.

Under fierce questioning by Mainer Ridgely Fuller at a university appearance last week, Senator Angus King's defense of U.S. foreign policy in Israel and Palestine amounted to a Fox news talking point.

Ridgely probably hit a nerve by mentioning that five children have frozen to death in Gaza so far this winter following Israel's relentless bombing last summer, a campaign fully supported by U.S. tax dollars and the U.S. Senate. She shared this news in the context of her disappointment that King's foreign policy analysis was "very simplistic." That was the first time he interrupted her, pointing out that he had talked for an hour.

Her point, which she went on to make, was that his discussion of the threat of Muslim extremists ignored the radicalizing effects of U.S. foreign policy in the region: drone strikes, invasions, and destruction of human lives.

King won no points with this debating teacher for interrupting or for his disingenuous reply to Ridgely's concerns: "My son was in Israel last summer and was under rocket attack from Gaza, so don't lecture me about Gaza." (Cue the applause.)


This is what amounts to foreign policy debate in our day: an opportunity to manufacture consent, promote false dichotomy (Israeli and U.S. aggression = good, Muslim extremist aggression = bad) and, whenever possible, personify.

Because there is no need to debate or discuss decisions that are not for taxpayers and other regular folks to make. My husband Mark Roman noted when he returned from the event that King was at pains to make the point that important people such as himself and other senators fly around the world to gather information and be the deciders.

King had harsh words for "people who send rocket attacks indiscriminately into civilian territories" but don't worry, he did not mean Israel. That country has dropped thousands of tons of bombs on "civilian territories" including hospitals and schools being used as refugee shelters. Our own country bombs civilians regularly. But see, we're on the correct side of the dichotomy, so it's all good.

When King was elected no one was sure where his loyalties lay other than with his own self-made millions via industrial wind projects. He is neither Democrat nor Republican, but it's becoming increasingly clear he is anything but Independent when it comes to Israel and its U.S. strongarm AIPAC.

Another clue to King's affiliation with AIPAC were his repeated assurances of a close, close relationship with the senior senator from Maine, Susan Collins. Collins is AIPAC's darling and deeply in debt to the Pentagon contractors who supply campaign funds to members of Congress with one hand and deadly ordnance (funded by me and thee) to Israel.

Contact Congress to say you don't want Israeli Prime Minister and warmonger Benjamin Netanyahu to address them in March when AIPAC is in town for its annual convention.

King's defense of drones as a more humane weapon in the war "we didn't want...we didn't start" at the World Trade Center? I'm overwhelmed by bullshit at the moment, so I'll save that analysis for another day.