An Israel Firster is An American Firster

The controversy over the use of the "Israel Firster" epithet is growing. Did you konw they even have a website? That Larry Derfner doesn't like it? That liberals permitted it?That a Jew pushes it a lot? That Jews fund groups that permit its use? And that Alan Dershowitz is fighting it?

I see it a lot in the comments sections of the various articles and stories I review and enter into dialogue with the verbal combatants.

Of course, one response is that in supporting Israel, one is actually an American Firster as the two go very much together. America's support of Israel is a self-help exercise in addition to being an expression of admiration and mutuall identification with values of democracy, morality and human liberty.

The come-back is that Israel 'buys' America and worse, America spend way too much money on Israel and it certainly is not worth it.

On the aspect of finances, the following information contained here shows who is really buying America:

Since 1998, OpenSecrets.org, a research group analyzing money in politics, has been tracking spending on lobbyists. The Chamber of Commerce easily leads its list, having spent more than $800 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2011. The American Medical Association comes in second, with over $264 million. Then there’s General Electric, with almost $263 million. Then come the American Hospital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, AARP, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the National Association of Realtors, Northrop Grumman, and Exxon Mobile. Altogether, the top ten lobbying clients spent more than $2.6 billion on lobbying between 1998 and 2011.

The numbers are even more impressive when you sort the spending by industry. Health care comes in at number one, with more than $4.87 billion in spending. Finance, insurance, and real estate is just behind them, with more than $4.85 billion. Comparatively, energy firms are cheapskates: they’ve barely spent $3.6 billion.

That's a lot of money spent in trying to influence politicians and government.

I guess purchasing commercial advantages is American.  But Israelis allying with the same officials and leaders is something to be anti-semitic about?

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