GIYUS Support Killing Palestinians

Update II: UN accuses Israel of Gaza 'negligence or recklessness' Inquiry finds Israel responsible for deaths, injuries and damage to UN buildings

Update: A few facts have come to light from the insightful comments in a crosspost. There is no occupation, and no walls. Palestinians [who do not exist] are free to move around in the West Bank and Gaza as they wish in accordance with their pursuit of happiness, with Israel cheering them on. There is no Israeli militarism and no PR apparatus in support of Israeli militarism - which does not in any event exist.

To deny these facts above is to subscribe to a "world Zionist conspiracy" theory and/or be nonconstructive and/or be drunk/on drugs/off drugs/high and/or hear voices/be insane and/or be a twit and/or be a whack job, and/or an anti-Semite and/or a "Jew hater" and/or a believer in the "decoder ring" [whatever that is; have to admit that last one does seem odd]. Please revise your worldview accordingly and know that when Israel bombs and shoots Palestinians it means well. But I'll say this, these pro-militarist-guys can always be counted on to demonstrate your point in the Comments section. :) See the comments section at: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/5/727993/-GIYUS-Support-Killing-Palestinians.

Readers may have noticed Robert Naiman's On Israeli Settlement Freeze, Public Has Obama's Back at MyDD.

Naiman’s piece is modest, asserting that the American public supports the settlement freeze.

In the face of decades of Israeli-American rejectionisism and continuing terror in the occupied territories, readers may find the settlement freeze diverting from the nature of the savage enterprise of illegally occupying Gaza and the West Bank. [See B'TSELEM at virtually any given moment.]

Yet Naiman comes under attack for his, I think, somewhat meek conclusion reflected in the title.
Ignoring Naiman's argument addressing American public opinion, the GIYUS.org (Give Israel Your United Support) talking points begin to flow.

At least Naiman was spared the ad hominem attacks, but if he were to crosspost around, it gets dirty fast. Check out Salon's lame piece on the film on Rachie Corrie, for example.

Who is GIYUS.org?

It's an online pressure group that has been around for a few years. They mean to insult and annoy, but not address facts or data.

GIYUS.org is, as Alan Johnston notes, a “little army of cyber soldiers” who will do anything but engage arguments. Their mission is to slime, divert, and repeat talking points ad nauseam.

See Israel backed by army of cyber-soldiers (Farago. UK Times, July 28, 2006).

Writes Yonit Farago:

Israel’s Government has thrown its weight behind efforts by supporters to counter what it believes to be negative bias and a tide of pro-Arab propaganda.

The Foreign Ministry has ordered trainee diplomats to track websites and chatrooms so that networks of US and European groups with hundreds of thousands of Jewish activists can place supportive messages.

In the past week nearly 5,000 members of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) have downloaded special 'megaphone' software that alerts them to anti-Israeli chatrooms or internet polls to enable them to post contrary viewpoints. A student team in Jerusalem combs the web in a host of different languages to flag the sites so that those who have signed up can influence an opinion survey or the course of a debate.

Supporting militarism is not all that difficult for some. And supporting peace, recognizing the humanity of Palestinians is apparently impossible.

Exaggeration? Ask Rachel Corrie's family.

So for those who speak out for justice and peace, for those who speak out for victims of militarism: GIYUS.org is at the ready, but not to engage in discourse or dialogue.
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Note on GIYUS.org: GIYUS.org is a worldwide online network supporting Israeli militarism [and dedicated to sullying the memory of Rachel Corrie, among other distasteful pursuits]. It is intended to intimidate bloggers and other writers and create an impression that a strong grassroots community exists in support of Israeli atrocities and state terror.

If you ever seen a piece in MyDD and Daily Kos, for example, that cites human rights data in criticizing Israeli foreign policy—a real no-no for this group—you will see an immediate response from GIYUS.org.

GIYUS.org members’ comments are welcome here to promote their point of view, but actually responding to the points made in the piece would be a welcome change.

Al Franken Looking Good

Looking good for Al in our neighbor to the west.

Check out StarTribune: 171 Vote Projected Franken Lead at MyDD!

Norm Coleman is going to have to be a little more dishonest to try to steal this race.

McCain Underperformed with Religious Voters

Barack Obama outperforms Gore and Kerry among Protestants and evangelicals From MyDD:

Barack Obama received a higher share of the Protestant vote, 45%, than any other Democratic nominee since at least 1972, the earliest year for which I have data. By comparison, in 2004 Kerry received 40% of the Protestant vote and in 2000 Gore received 42%.

Even though McCain honed his campaign message to appeal to the religious right, alienating much of the country in the process, there was at a significant increase in Obama's share of the religious vote over Kerry's, especially among Catholics.

McCain's lack of appeal to the religious right and his poor people skills have been obvious since the inception of his campaign.

As we write here on Jan. 31. 2008:

Democrats are looking forward to a John McCain GOP nomination for president.

McCain faces the impossible task of disentangling himself from George W. Bush and presents the close-to-impossible task of bringing along the religious right.

You can bet that not just McCain but the remaining congressional Republicans will have similar results as McCain when they try to appeal to the American people through obstruction, assuming they are as sociopathic as Bush which is a fair assumption.

Wisconsin Says Wrong Direction

Wisconsin is saying we're heading in the wrong direction, and they're not talking about Brett Favre ['we'll always have Green Bay'].

A record-low seventeen percent of Wisconsin voters think the country is going in the right direction, according a new poll conducted by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, a right-leaning public policy think tank.

And yet, everyone will note, Obama leads McCain by only 44% to 38% among likely voters in the same poll.

So what? For one thing, the polls are generating much angst among those terrified that McSame will win in November.

But as a writer at MyDD scoffs, 'We're Doooooooooooooooomed!'

The point is well-taken

Does anyone know when in the last 48 years (arguably the modern era) has a non-incumbent presidential nominee of any party ever been ahead by, say, eight points in early August polling?

I can't recall any time, maybe going back to Ike in '52? If anyone has any data, please post it.

This can't close-the-deal crap pushed by Will, Novak (hope his health improves), and others is bullshit.

The corporate talking heads are pushing the 'horserace' for their corporate masters to sell air time; and the race, such as it is, sees McCain way out of his league. But the corporate broadcast media will not say that.

As Alan Abramowitz, Thomas E. Mann, and Larry J. Sabato write:

... virtually all of the evidence that we have reviewed--historical patterns, structural features of this election cycle, and national and state polls conducted over the last several months--point to a comfortable Obama/Democratic party victory in November. Trumpeting this race as a toss-up, almost certain to produce another nail-biter finish, distorts the evidence and does a disservice to readers and viewers who rely upon such punditry.

Electoral Votes Looking Good for Obama

270-to-Win is a site dedicated to gaming out scenarios for the presidential election's electoral votes (EV).

The most pessimistic assumptions, by my reckoning, have Obama winning 277 votes.

MyDD, using the most current polling data, has Obama at 311.

Both camps are gaming EV scenarios endlessly, but informed observers will tell you Republicans see the writing on the wall.

NBC: Clinton Wins ////Clinton's Slim Lead Getting Slimmer

NBC calls it for Clinton, minutes after MyDD.
UpdateIII: MyDD calls it for Clinton: Clinton wins New Hampshire
by Jerome Armstrong, Tue Jan 08, 2008 at 10:16:19 PM EST
That's good enough for me, I went through the numbers enough to call it for Clinton.

UpdateII: -62% in - Three percent Clinton lead.

Update: From Kos: Obama fans -- CNN says no college towns have reported yet.

A victory for Clinton 'cause the NH race is still not over. But the huge turn-out wards can be expected to report in late, with expected Obama victory margins.

-50% in- Three percent Clinton lead. (Liberal areas beginning to report in.)
-42% in- Two percent Clinton lead.

#
38% reporting

Clinton 37,037 39%
Obama 34,196 36%
Edwards 15,715 17%
Richardson 4,399 5%
Kucinich 1,379 2%
Biden 182 0%
Gravel 129 0%
Dodd 80 0%