And in 2003, at an antiwar forum in Reston, Moran said: "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should."
Said Halber this week: "There are only so many mistakes he can make before it's fair to call him an anti-Semite."
That's not a mistake, though. Neither is any statement he made in the Tikkun interview Ms. Gardner is reporting on.
Moran Upsets Jewish Groups Again
U.S. House Democrat Said Pro-Israel Lobby Promoted War
By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 15, 2007; B05
Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) has again come under fire from local Jewish organizations for remarking in a magazine interview that the "extraordinarily powerful" pro-Israel lobby played a strong role promoting the war in Iraq.
In an interview with Tikkun, a California-based Jewish magazine, Moran said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is "the most powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning. I don't think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at all, but because they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful -- most of them are quite wealthy -- they have been able to exert power."
Moran's remarks were criticized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the National Jewish Democratic Council. Ronald Halber, executive director of the first group, said Moran's remarks are anti-Semitic and draw on ugly stereotypes about Jewish wealth, power and influence. [P6: Black guy here, with a startling lack of sympathy]
"He uses several age-old canards that have been used throughout history that have brought violence upon Jews," Halber said this week. "He uses clearly anti-Semitic images such as Jewish control of the media and wealthy Jews using their wealth to control policy."
Ira N. Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said in a published statement that there is nothing wrong with criticizing the pro-Israel lobby but that Moran's statements go beyond that to defamation by making a "phony" connection between AIPAC and the Iraq war.
"Rep. Moran's comments are not only incorrect and irresponsible," Forman said. "They are downright dangerous."
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A little something about our name
My name is also Moran. Moran is an Irish name that original came from Spain. I always learned that the original Morans were sailors from the Spanish Armada that sank off the coast of Ireland. In Spanish the name Moran comes from Morano. Morano was the name given to jews who chose to convert during the Inquisition, it means "pig." Even though they converted, they were still looked down upon. Also, the Moran family crest is a shield with three six-pointed stars on it.
I have no idea how that is
I have no idea how that is relevant here, but it's an interesting cultural note.
I Knew, I Knew, I Knew...
...that sooner or later the right-wing in America would begin rebelling against the foreign policy elite's idiotic take on the Middle East and begin blaming the Joooz for all of their troubles. This course is as predictable as rain in Seattle.
Just wait until the country suffers a financial meltdown precipitated by the home mortgage debacle and peak oil crisis. Trying to keep the economy going by endlessly suburbanizing every undeveloped plot of land, creating financial instruments that defy common sense while promoting a foreign policy that is more akin to piracy than diplomacy is a volatile mixture for creating political extremism. To paraphrase Dr. King, we are facing some dark days ahead.