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To The Reader's Forum:
Recently the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which merges the US military industrial complex with Israel's. The vote had to be disturbing, if not shocking, to the Israel Lobby which has counted on passage of the merger by a pliant Congress. The vote was 209 in favor, to 205 against. Though the Democrats, like the Republicans, are almost all recipients of AIPAC money, they voted as a bloc against passage of the $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, with only six Democrats voting with the GOP. Seven Republicans joined the Democrats in voting against the merger. For the Act to become law, the Senate has to approve it -- but the showdown vote has been stalled.
President Donald Trump's popularity has continued to plummet in the past months, presaging a rout in the upcoming elections, possibly throwing the Senate to the Democrats, enabling Congress to say no to the proposed merger of the U.S. military with Israel's.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has famously taken credit for the proposed Act, but has been quiet in his advocacy for the merger. So has AIPAC. For example, Mike Rogers, Michigan's Republican's nominee for the U.S. Senate, asked AIPAC not to run ads supporting his campaign, fearing that the pro-Israel backing could hurt him among voters angered by Israel's Middle East war. The Democrats' nominee in Michigan is Dr. Mohamed El-Sayed, a popular epidemiologist and strident critic of President Trump and Israel.
Over the past month, Israel has backed off its aggressive posture against Iran, letting the U.S. pursue the war Israel started, perhaps -- like the GOP Senate candidate in Michigan -- to cool U.S. citizen hostility toward Israel in the upcoming elections -- and thus squeak through the passage the NDAA proposed merger.
Discussing the 2027 NDAA, former Congressman Dennis Kucinich said, "They want to merge missile defense. space defense, directed energy -- a whole range of things, biological technology, biological warfare...the first issue is American sovereignty...we need to maintain our sovereignty...this merger is an acquisition...With this bill, all the safeguards go out the window."
Kucinich pins his hopes on the public calling congressmen, saying, "Do not vote for this bill. Force an amendment to take it out...it's not in our interest to be merging a military with a military that is a clear and present danger to our country."
Roy Harvey
Mayville