Banned from Redstate.com

Because I’m not a fan of amen choruses, I frequently post on the conservative website, redstate.com.....or I did until recently.

This past week as I posted a message in a thread entitled “Left is Devolving into a New Kind of Tyranny” in which the author, “LibertarianHawk” complains of ostracism and guilt over such things as smoking cigarettes, driving SUV’s or not eating organic.

Here’s my post:

Are scolds anything new? by ChampSummers
My problem with liberals is they rely too much on individual choices (organic foods, flourescent light bulbs, etc..) and not enough on change at the higher levels.
But you would limit even that because it makes you feel bad.
Talk about tyranny.


And here’s a response I got from “Moe Lane”, apparently a moderator:

IOW, your problem with liberals... (Read please, ChampSummers) by Moe Lane
...is that they're conservatives/libertarians.
Riiiiiight.
Moe
PS: Before I forget: I need a clarification on what, precisely, you meant by this. This is a moderator asking, so let's have the long answer this time


The “this” in the PS was a link to another thread, another topic unrelated to the discussion.

I replied:

Do I answer here or there? I'm confused. Did I miss someone asking me for clarification?

This is the response I got from another moderator, “Thomas”:

Yes. Here. No, you didn't. But two moderaters just did. (nt) by Thomas

Ok, I got it. You two are “moderators”. Before I could answer I also got this from Moe Lane:

You were told to *do* something, ChampSummers. by Moe Lane
Specifically, to explain what you meant by this. I suggest that you get cracking.

Lordy, I had better get cracking indeed. You just don’t wanna pussyfoot around with online hombres like these two - moderatin’ a bulletin board is man’s work. “Mods” are kind of like cops on the beat, except that instead of facing bodily harm they type.

What could so have stirred these strong-but-silent pillars of redstate decency to call me out in no uncertain terms?

Ta da:

The Fifth Column Strikes Again by ChampSummers
Why are politicians still going to AIPAC meetings after we caught them spying on us?

Would that be the Democrat fifth column ? by Joliphant
Or the communist fifth column that registers as democrats ?
Or the fifth column that calls itself the fourth estate ?
I'm a little confused here, lend a hand please.

Short Answer by ChampSummers
Yes.

The "Short Answer Yes" remark was what stirred "Moe Lane" and "Thomas" to "just do their duty, Ma'am." It came in a thread entitled, “Dems Blink on Iran Provision”.

The thread’s author “Mark I” excerpted an AP story about Democratic leaders removing a provision in an Iraq/Afghanistan appropriations bill that would have called for Bush to get Congressional approval before attacking Iran.

Of course this provision shouldn’t be necessary and nor controversial. In essence, it says “hey, don’t’ forget the freakin’ Constitution.” But it was removed nevertheless. From AP:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and other leaders agreed to remove the requirement concerning Iran after conservative Democrats as well as other lawmakers worried about its possible impact on Israel, officials said Monday.

The provision was dropped after intense lobbying from the American Israeli Political Committee (AIPAC) according to the Cleveland Jewish News website:

(JTA) - AIPAC lobbying helped remove a provision from a bill that would have required President Bush to seek congressional approval for war against Iran.
A number of congressional sources confirmed that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) backed dropping the provision from the Iraq war spending bill introduced Tuesday by Democrats.

The stripping away of the Iran Provision comes at the same time as huge AIPAC conference in Washington. From the AIPAC website:

AIPAC's largest-ever Policy Conference featured addresses from leading Democrats and Republicans, including speeches by Vice President Dick Cheney, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH). In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke to the more than 6,000 attendees live via satellite from Jerusalem, and Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni traveled to Washington to address the record crowd.

Wow, that’s quite a coup: Pelosi, Cheney, Reid and McConnell, Olmert and Livni.

Of course, neither the muscle flexing of an interest group nor the grab-bagging of politicians i s new ……except when the ex-Executive Director and one of his deputies is under indictment for spying on the US.

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - A federal judge sentenced a former Defense Department analyst, Lawrence A. Franklin, to more than 12 years in prison today after Mr. Franklin admitted passing classified military information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and an Israeli diplomat.

The lobbyists, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, were senior staff members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or Aipac, a pro-Israel lobbying organization with close relationships to officials in the Bush administration.

Larry Franklin was considered one of the most strident proponents of war with Iran and also met with officials of the Israeli embassy in Washington. His sentence came down in January. Rosen and Weissman were indicted in 2005 and still away trial.

To recap, a defense official pushes for war with Iran, gives away secrets about the issue to a right-wing lobbying firm that's also pushing for with Iran and the Israeli goverment. That right-wing group gets a provision that prevents Bush from attacking Iran without Congression consent removed. Then Democrats and Republicans show up at a soiree at the group's headquarters.

Can you imagine the hue-and-cry if a Muslim group, say the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was caught receiving classified information, passing it to another government and then influencing US legislation?

Ceding to the moderators unusual demand, I explained myself further on redstate:

Wow. by ChampSummers
You guys ARE right-wingers. I meant that "yes" AIPAC has reached into the Democratic Party and the media.
Is that better?
To be clear, did I break a rule with a short answer?

And the response from Moe Lane:

Better? Very much so, Sparky. by Moe Lane
All I have to do is wait long enough with your crowd and at least one of you'll start going off on the Jews. That and depleted uranium.
You really thought that we were going to buy that "The Fifth Column Strikes Again / Why are politicians still going to AIPAC meetings after we caught them spying on us?" was supposed to be attacking the Democrats? How stupid do you think we are?
Blam, nudnik.

I have to answer, “very stupid”.

I’m guessing he’s interpreted my remarks as an attack on Jews disguised as an attack on Democrats when it was clearly an attack on AIPAC, Democrats, Republicans and the media disguised as an attack on AIPAC, Democrats, Republicans and the media. The only person to type the word “Jews” was Moe Lane.

AIPAC is a right-wing Israeli group that enjoys some support from right-wing Jewish-Americans. Attacking AIPAC is no more anti-semitic than attacking George Bush (or Bill Clinton) is anti-American.

I have since sent a request asking to tell me I’ve been banned. And, typical of these keyboarding chickenhawks, blam, nudnik.