A couple of days ago, after a vote of the full House of Representatives, Rep. Ilhan Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, ostensibly over a supposedly anti-Jewish (the more accurate version of “anti-Semitic”) comment made four years ago and five other anti-Israel comments.
What interests me here is, in these troubled times, which members of which religion (their affiliations being conveniently listed at this link) voted which way.
Of the 25 Jewish members of Congress, 2 voted in favor of the resolution. Both were Republicans. One Democratic member, liberal Steve Cohen of Memphis, TN, did not vote — being absent due to the funeral of Tyre Nichols. The other 22, all Democrats, voted against it. One Republican abstained; three Republicans did not vote.
(This is another way of saying that this was a party-line vote.)
Not to open old wounds, but Rep. Ilhan’s comment, a tweet, was this:
Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She is also the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons.
She quickly generated controversy after entering Congress in 2019 with a pair of tweets that suggested lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money.
In the first, she criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills.
Asked on Twitter who she though was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!”
The comments sparked a public rebuke from then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who made clear that Omar had overstepped.
She soon apologized.
“We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity,” Omar tweeted. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.”
This may come as a shock to some, but attacks on Omar for her identity have continued unabated — not only without consequence, but without note in the establishment national media.
That Rep. Omar apologized is her business. From my Jewish perspective, all I can say is that what she said was largely (and I’d say intentionally) misinterpreted — and that, correctly interpreted, it is one of the funniest things that I have ever heard from any politician while in office.
Yes, “Benjamins” is a slang term for $100 bills, as made famous in a movie that most Republican members of Congress have probably never even heard of. And if that had been the only thing it referenced, it might not have been funny.
What made it hilarious is that it was also the first name of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was at the time (and still is) doing his best to intervene in American politics on behalf of the Republican Party, and especially its dominant Trumpublican faction, due to their slavish support of Israel’s right wing and its anti-Palestinian policies.
In other words, it’s the “Benjamin” in power and the political spending (based on his ties to way-to-the-right of American Jewish political opinion organizations like AIPAC) that he can drum up, largely from Christian evangelicals) he can generate. Note that I say “spending” rather than campaign donations, because AIPAC doesn’t traffic in ads supporting pro-Israeli-government candidates nearly as much as it does in attacks on opponents of hardline policies of, primarily, Israel’s dominant right wing.
“All about the Benjamins” was a startlingly witty way of tying the political and economic sources of influence on U.S. politicians together.
What’s the evidence? Look at those numbers again. I think that we can presume that any Jewish member of Congress who thought it necessary could have gotten a pass from Hakeem Jeffries (Baptist, if you’re curious) to vote to take Omar off of this committee, had they really wanted it.
None of them wavered. They knew that Rep. Omar’s presence on the committee would make sure that important viewpoints — some of which they might personally reject — from a Muslim, an African, and an immigrant perspective would be raised on the committee by someone fitting into all these categories. That is a plus for the U.S. as it seeks to understand and reaches out to all three communities. But instead, bigot-curious and (as as his critical supporter George Santos might have said) “Christian-ish” — and oh, yeah, I’d love to argue about that ish — Kevin McCarthy wanted to get Omar off of the committee largely because of the other five comments that he identified from her — ones that were critical towards the government or state of Israel.
That was what was worth the frankly stupid move of making a political martyr out of Ilhan Omar was about — spitting at the feet of the worldwide demographic communities she represents: keeping the discourse of the House purely pro-Netanyahu. (I don’t say “pro-Israel” because I don’t think for a moment that Netanyahu is actually pro-Israel. He’s probably closer to Hungary’s classic anti-Semitic leader Viktor Orban than to Joseph Biden.)
This just makes it easier for Jews like me to convince my fellow American Jews that the U.S. has to take a big step away from Israel so long as Kevin McCarthy’s love object dominates its politics. Netanyahu is busy trying to place his country among our political enemies — and we should treat it with an appropriately cold shoulder until its citizens vote for reform. That doesn’t mean attacking it — it just means that someone acting unfriendly get to be treated as an unfriend. That people won’t be able to sat this in the House Foreign Affairs Committee just underscores how bad it is when those suckling at the conservative evangelical teat combine internal repression with bowing to external governments. I’m happy that at least it’s not us U.S. Jews being accused of “dual loyalty” to Israel this time.
That this happened exactly a week after the worst Israeli attacks on Palestinians and the worst Palestinian attacks on Israeli Jews in years began makes the expulsion of the sole Muslim member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee too place just makes it all the more obscene. At a time like this, we need more understanding of the side further away from the center of American power, not less. Thank you to the Democratic leadership for understanding that.
This is your Weekend Open Thread. Talk about that or whatever else you’d like, within reasonable bounds of discretion and decorum.
Here is some juice. Fresh squeezed OJ.
Porter took the opportunity to snub Farrah again (e.g. voting for Ms. Lin despite DPOC’s endorsement of Farrahkhan) by inviting Anila Ali, Khan’s archenemy, to participate at the National Prayer breakfast.
Question: is ali really an OC resident? Her tweet account indicates multiple jurisdictions with a DC spotlight?
Either way it was a snub. And, it’s humorous.
Happy Sunday funday!
https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1621218680716820481?cxt=HHwWgoDU9Z3z3P8sAAAA
https://mobile.twitter.com/anilaali/status/1309697481924640769
https://pakistanlink.org/Community/2016/Nov16/04/01.HTM
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/27/517392392/in-response-to-rising-biased-rhetoric-muslims-run-for-office
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/world/americas/venom-of-us-election-seeps-down-to-city-council-race-in-california.html
Don’t make me open my Anila Ali file…
AIPAC shall not be resisted.
Queue this.
https://youtu.be/x1xmXOP3lhM
You mean CUE.
He has claimed that he means “put it into its place in line,” ergo “queue.”
I’ll be out for the day, so you’ll have to figure out what to do with him if he shows up to celebrate a certain major geological disaster today.
This post was timestamped 7 minutes after earthquake. Was timestamp from When submitted or when published by ojb? Asking for a friend.
What post, Greg’s story or one of the comments?
2. I believe we have a policy here of not answering questions “asked for friends.”
Speak for yourself, Miles Standish.
Feb 5 17:24. Post time stamp. If there is hell below. We all going to go. Earthquake happened at 17:17. 1/7? Orthodox Christmas. 4:17 am turkey time.
Isn’t melahat in court today to plead guilty?
I dunno do we have any lawyers at this blog, interested in Melahat, who would know how to look that up quickly?
I didn’t bring her up. And, I don’t have a pacer account to track proceedings online. But, it is important to note that Melahatrat was advising campaigns beyond the Orange Curtain and LBC.
Paul, the answer is yes today … Melahat Rafiei … was supposed to be sentenced at Ronald Reagan US Court in Santa Ana for section 666 of Title 18 of the US Code. [Earthquake references removed, and numeral “666” bolded, by editor.]
https://socalrecord.com/stories/639052847-oc-democratic-party-official-to-face-felony-charge-attempted-wire-fraud-on-feb-6
https://wehoville.com/2023/01/20/weho-mayors-mentor-accepts-plea-deal-from-feds/amp/
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2022/may/30/oceanside-firefighters-consultant-gets-comeuppance/
https://melahatfordnc.com/my-mission/ (Muhahahaha)
Was she set for sentencing or to enter her plea in court? Also do you know the outcome of todays hearing?
Wish you’da called me last night or this morning Paul, I woulda been there.
Still don’t see anything on google or The Voice, so it probably got postponed. Like Ament’s keeps getting.
A lil pajarito told me that the Irvine troll has a long winded white washing of melaRat over at his ghost town of a blog .
Oh, it’s out now? He’s been working on it a LONG time.
It seems like it is as much or more a takedown of Melissa and Mike Fox as an exoneration of Melahat. So he’s still servicing Farrah.
If the commenter “Octavia” is anyone other than Octavia Tuohey, who is the only Octavia I know of in south Coast OC politics, it should be taken down or renamed. Chumley’s Crummy Commenters love to drag unrelated people into their comments in order to make it seem like there are more than a small number of this. But Chumley is happy to see it.
A lengthy tedious catalogue of quibbles or “Look Squirrels.” Garnished with the usual whataboutisms and score settling.
It is true that it was Ryan Baron who first engineered putting Probolsky in charge of OCPA; so what?
Dan does inform us that Melahat and Melissa once saw each other naked, which is important to know.
I shall alert Tuohey, who probably doesn’t frequent that sewer, about the impersonation. But Dan will probably say “There are lots of Octavias!”
“Octavia” comment is now removed. Good. That comment was a poisonous little splash of troll diarrhea.
It would be a lame-brained effort to discredit this creatures former pals who have disavowed her. And maybe a shot at Vern just to thrill ChemicaLewinsky’s tiny audience.
I predict a useless, illogical deflection.
Vern, it has been stated that it was my old pal, OCPA counsel Ryan Baron who put forward The Probe as the one and only candidate for CEO.
Whatever the Malaprop woman had to do with it is a matter of speculation, but the story goes she wangled it for Probe so he could get his repuglican pals to go along with Khan as a nominee for the Coastal Commission.
Something explains the bizarre hire and whatever it is doesn’t give off a pleasing aroma.
Preview of an illustration from my upcoming OCPA piece:
The story is Melahat told Treseder that the Probe needed to be KEPT ON, in return for him doing that favor for Farrah. How he originally got installed there I do not know, but folks I know have laid that at the Cursed Ryan Baron’s feet.
Supposedly Ryan had experience with a similar enterprise in San Diego County. His law firm, Best, Best and Kriger was the “consultant” that was behind Irvine’s plunge into this fiasco. And then they got the lawyering gig – an obvious violation of the “follow-up” principle.
HOLD THE PRESSES! Actually I shoulda held ’em six hours ago when Tammy Kim gave me the news, but now the Voice of OC has it – the CURSED RYAN BARON HAS QUIT, knowing that he was due to get fired on Friday – like those guys in Julius Caesar who jumped off a cliff rather than be captured and killed by their enemy.
Welp, what can I say? The Voice has it: https://voiceofoc.org/2023/02/oc-green-power-agency-top-lawyer-resigns-before-possibly-being-fired/
Queue that.
https://youtu.be/VIIbT89V7EI
The article above said sentencing. As of 5ish this evening no update to online Pacer records.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it got continued to allow Melahatrat to cough up more goods in exchange for a more favorable sentencing recommendation in light of her past shortcomings in cooperation.
You know the Irvine leads.
Coffee is for closers.
One of my favorites.
In other local politics news leading up to the hotly contested Feinstein throne; Schiff one ups Porter demonstrating he knows how to butter his bread and the Armo vote is going to be important in reach the finish line ahead for election the US Senate.
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=566013652234001
Glendale’s Adam Schiff has a LOT of Armenians in his district. One reason he wouldn’t come to the Truman Dinner that honored Farrah right after her cookie joke.
CUE Glendale’s System of a Down:
Porter will have tough sledding. Six degrees of separation. My wife went to school with Serj’s brother Sevag.
One of my relatives (by marriage) was Schiff’s translator on his visits to Artsakh. Catch that.
A source that most of you should know has informed me that it was not sentencing today for Melahatrat but her first appearance.
Sentencing to occur later.
And, after rereading the so cal record article again I was mistaken to believe sentencing was to occur today. She officially entered her plea today. That’s all. It’s official.
https://socalrecord.com/stories/639052847-oc-democratic-party-official-to-face-felony-charge-attempted-wire-fraud-on-feb-6
The system of a down drummer has a comic book store in Irvine. Lol. This could get real good, real fast. Six degrees of separation.
https://torpedocomics.com/pages/locations (find Irvine)
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-a-multi-platinum-heavy-metal-drummer-quietly-became-a-comic-book-magnate.html
How is it that pro Turkey Irvine with the Turkish language on it’s #weareirvine propaganda and pro Turkey Farrahkhan have made no statement expressing their grief and condolences for the loss of human life in Turkey and surrounding region.
It’s an example of performative justice with no real follow through. Farrah is all show and no go and not an ally of any community except her own, a community of one. And, Irvine has been hijacked by identity politics.
Nonetheless, there are people who are feeling the effects of this in Irvine and OC, and silence from Irvine.
Hey, let’s light the tower RED. We did it for Ukraine.
(Crickets)
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/02/07/oc-turkish-and-syrian-communities-left-heartbroken-by-deadly-earthquake/
Maybe Irvine is not quite the “Turkish outpost” you always say it is, counsellor.
But “performative” is not le mot just for the LACK of a statement or action.
Performative was the word for including some languages including Turkish in the We Are Irvine propaganda. BIZ IZ NIZ . Eh. No vodka for you.
https://www.cityofirvine.org/news-media/news-article/we-are-irvine-campaign-celebrates-diversity-equity-and-inclusion (Lower right hand corner)
I’m sorry Aarti Kaushal Chopra is being cyberstalked by people affiliated with James Mai. At the same time, Aarti is a politician (she ran for office), an Irvine appointed Commissioner, and the founder of a nonprofit #besanskriti.
She is also a “Hindu Rights and Women’s Rights activist and known as such on the National, State and Local level” pera claim she made in one of her many speeches to Irvine City Council. See her October 11th, 2022 speech.
It begins 57 minutes into the meeting
Aarti needs to be transparent about her intentions.
If she cannot, she must publicly step down from the role she assumed. Anything else from a selfish and self-centered. If she wants to temporarily retreat from activism, she has a responsibility to notify others of this.
Her unexplained abandonment of this movement will affect her reputation as the activist she claims to be.
Holy guacamole Treseder gets a scalp. But is it really just meet the new boss same as the old boss.
Vern, why acknowledge the Turkish community in city DEI propaganda and then go silent on them in a moment of natural, national disaster that has impacted their local community because of loss felt there.
https://irvinewatchdog.org/oc-power-authority/ocpa-general-counsel-ryan-baron-resigns-under-pressure/
https://voiceofoc.org/2023/02/oc-green-power-agency-top-lawyer-resigns-before-possibly-being-fired/
https://irvinecommunitynewsandviews.org/ocpa-to-hold-special-board-meeting-this-week/
If only we had some volunteer who could write a straight story about the Turkish earthquake without using it as basis for bashing Turkey over their foreign policy, that would be nice to have. But alas.
Hey, why don’t you try to write a straight piece about the earthquake? Based on an NPR report I heard, there’s some fair basis to criticize Erdogan over his lack of preparedness. You should be able to get your teeth into that.
Local climate activist and Treseder’s recent committee member appointment to Green Ribbon Environmental Committee has some juicy tidbits about further rumblings related to OCPA.
Community climate organizations and some stragglers have their knives out!!!
https://twitter.com/AynCraciun/status/1623093966198693888
https://twitter.com/AynCraciun/status/1623098543811760128?cxt=HHwWgMDUtdXhs4YtAAAA
Farrah finally joins the Turkey/Syria charity party while Azerbaijan shuts Armenians from Artsakh out from the world while cutting their electricity.
Little late for being a Muslim American leader holding elected office.
#virtuesignaling
https://mobile.twitter.com/MayorofIrvine/status/1623858502086328320?cxt=HHwWgIDU5YetjYktAAAA
There oh myopic booby one. Take that.
Maybe Turkey should spend money on protecting the infrastructure its citizens rely on for day to day survival rather than building drones and accumulating military hardware to threaten its neighbors to advance their machinations of expanding their boundaries in pursuit of the rebirth of the Ottoman Empire. Their disaster preparedness has been a major issue for decades. E.g. 1999 earthquake, 2020 earthquake.
It’s really no surprise. And now they’ve cut the internet and closed the banks. The economy is doodoo. Do you think Turkey should be more or less hostile now? They are a wounded animal.
Needless to say, it’s a horrible situation and a tragedy all around.
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/09/1155647266/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-government-response-criticism
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/twitter-restricted-turkey-netblocks-2023-02-08/
https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-restricted-in-turkey-in-aftermath-of-earthquake-oy9LJ9B3
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/turkey-suspends-trading-in-stock-market-as-rout-deepened#xj4y7vzkg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/turkey-risks-inflation-surge-budget-breach-as-quake-costs-mount
https://www.reuters.com/markets/turkeys-lira-slips-fresh-record-low-stocks-tumble-2023-02-06/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epddna/turkey-france-armenia-grey-wolves-lyon
If I am not willing to concede that Turkey is literally trying to “rebirth the Ottoman Empire,” how much remains of your argument?
Are you willing to acknowledge that Putin actually is trying to “rebirth the Soviet Empire”? I pity Armenians for feeling the need to support him in that.
… Putin and Erdogan equally want to rebirth the Union and Empire. And, Azerbaijan and Russia are allies. Eh. You are spreading propaganda. The Armenians were stuck in the meat grinder caused by Mother Russia and The Ottoman Empire laeding up to and thru WWI. Come on. Who do you think is in partnership with Azerbaijan re their petrochemical infrastructure. You are naive. Or, uneducated. Just stop with your rhetoric. Yeah Armenia is the corrupt, bad actor, here. Shame on them. Pffft.
https://eurasianet.org/ahead-of-ukraine-invasion-azerbaijan-and-russia-cement-alliance
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/azerbaijans-socar-halts-russian-crude-supplies-turkish-refinery-2022-12-08/
https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijans-russian-gas-deal-raises-uncomfortable-questions-for-europe
https://www.eurasian-research.org/publication/azerbaijan-and-russia-prospects-for-energy-cooperation/
Vern,
Tammy is communicating with you and Vic Gerami rather than her constituents. Gee. That’s odd.. this woman is my “neighbor”. Our mayor engaged in anti-Armenian conduct. She hasn’t picked up the phone to call me and hasn’t tried to email me. Even Farrah tried to open up a line of communication with me. Yah, sure Tammy cares about Irvine’s residents.
I’m trying to think of anyone who is as self-centered as you are, to believe that your issue is the only issue and that responsiveness to constituents must mean responsiveness to you specifically, as doing otherwise evinces a lack of care for residents generally.
So far the closest I’ve come is Zaphod Beeblebrox.
For your listening enjoyment tomorrow morning,
Progressive, gay, Los Angeles Armenian Democrat activist interviews Vice Mayor Tammy Kim. #notla #orangecounty
https://mobile.twitter.com/vicgerami/status/1624836339022852096?cxt=HHwWgMDT2dSCyowtAAAA
Fly Eagles fly!!! Go Eagles!!!!
Don Wagner loves him some James Mai.
https://twitter.com/jimmai/status/1624634173997875200?cxt=HHwWgIDU8Y2L7ostAAAA
Ugh I see Sheriff Barnes in those photos too. I sure hope someone runs a good campaign against Wagner. Seems like he’s going for a third term now, but I guess that first one was less than half of one so he gets to.
And there’s the eternally corrupt Do haunting the background like the chorus in a Greek tragedy. Wagner’s recent statement about Treseder and the OCPA earn him a spot in the OC Arrogant and Stupid Hall of Fame.
Jaja, all stuff I wanna write about.
Isn’t it funny how Do, once Janet’s acolyte then her bitter rival, has one-upped her on CalOptima demolition?
The Wagner statement on Treseder you reference – is that from the Voice article?
“Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, who still holds a seat on the board after the county voted to pull out of the power authority in December, called the move ‘amateurish,’ and pointed out how the board has voted against firing Probolsky in the past. ‘I think we’ve got this way ahead of the actual decision by this board. Are we in fact going to make a move against any particular member of staff?’ Wagner said. ‘We’re away ahead of ourselves.’”
And lest we forget: In a grand theatrical diss to his fellow Democrats Vince and Katrina, it was Doug Chaffee who made Do and Wagner the new Chairmen.
Yes that’s it. A real good question is how the asshole Wagner still sits on a board as a representative of an agency that has quit the OCPA. Hmm.
Who wrote the by-laws? Ryan Baron springs to mind.
I know some on the Board, and off, are fighting against Wagner being allowed to vote.
The argument in favor of him voting would be that even though the County voted to leave the agency, they’re still in till June (and could even change their mind till then.) I told Katrina that she shoulda tried to get a better County representative there (like herself) but probably Chaffee wouldn’t have allowed it. I think at this point Wagner is Probolsky’s only supporter on the Board.
Of course if Irvine leaves the agency tomorrow night as Dr T wants, that’ll make two more lame duck members – Dr T and Kim.
Is either Min or Rouda within the district? Better one of them take this race than eat each other alive to run against Steel.
You mean Baugh. I bet Min is in that district. But he’s been salivating for Congress SO LONG…
We need a new open thread!
I can do one later tonight. Busy with my supposedly non-existent work most of the day (and into the evening.)
I know what you mean, MY non-existent work has kept me especially busy this Valentine Day, as it seems to many times a week.
The EBT life of a blogger, NOT…
Maybe — but it’s not definitive. Clearly, Mai wants to associate himself with Wagner to make himself look stronger and more influential, but simply posing for photos with someone who came to your rally doesn’t prove much.
Well if you have 30 minutes to listen to a Angeleno ask Tammy Kim softball questions about Irvine demonstrating the asker has no knowledge of Irvine and the responder saying nothing really of substance. Have at it? Feel free to tell me this was not just a quid pro quo promotional opportunity for Kim allowing the asker to promote his documentary at Irvine City Council last month. For instance, when Kim takes the opportunity to trash Farrahkhan over her association with Genocide deniers, the asked does not inquire why she chose to endorse Farrahkhan after it was revealed she was in bed with Turkish and Azeri nationals. Anywho. I’ve been emailing Ms. Kim for well over a year and have appeared at council meetings approaching the 10 or more times regarding issues beyond Farrahkhan’s blatant racism. She has never personally responded to me.
https://mobile.twitter.com/vicgerami/status/1625181698957901826?cxt=HHwWhIDQ3aCJ540tAAAA
Here is just is small sample of my communications directed to Irvine City Council members including Tammy Kim. Not sure if this was inadvertently published or published via a FOIA request. You can see I was addressing an agenda item that passed which limited constituents’ time to speak at meetings and threatens to chill free speech. So, unlike what oh myopic booby one contends, I’m more than a single issue constituent and have meaningfully attempted to participate in the business of my city’s government and policies.
https://irvine.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=68&meta_id=125816
———————————————————
This was discussed by VOC.
“With regard to slanderous provisions, it’s a prior restraint. You can’t bar speech before it occurs,” said resident Eric Neshanian, a frequent critic of Khan’s. “You don’t want us at the table really, you want to keep us from the table. You’re going against the commitment to open government in California.”
https://voiceofoc.org/2022/03/irvine-repeals-some-transparency-regulations-leaves-public-speaking-time-alone%EF%BF%BC/?amp
You can go see Don Wagner give the state of the county speech on March 2, 2023. Maybe you can get a photo with him too and throw it up on your social media like you are a real mover and shaker. I’d rather spend my money on cigars.
https://secure.anedot.com/oc-forum/c0b426ea6e93c19ee0c13
Clever. See, that kind of wit will get your comments approved.
KPCC is on the OCPA issue and consideration for city leaving OCPA being on Irvine City Council’s agenda.
https://twitter.com/KPCC/status/1625556231912886272?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet