John Chuckman
EXPANSION OF A COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN RUSSIA TODAY
Has anyone ever asked why Israel automatically is expected to receive still more subsidy after the United States settles an important matter, nuclear proliferation, to all of the world’s benefit?
Israel and the United States even hold talks, as this article announces, about how much and when?
It is rather ridiculous, sort of any excuse at all for some more subsidies.
But then this is a country whose entire existence depends on subsidies of every kind. In a very real sense, it has no independent existence except as a gigantic recipient.
You might view Israel as a kind of geo-political black hole absorbing streams of resources from the West.
JOHN CHUCKMAN
POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO’S GLOBE AND MAIL
“Attack on Israeli embassy in Cairo a ‘severe injury to the fabric of peace’: Netanyahu”
Netanyahu does have a penchant for comedy, dark comedy, although I am pretty sure he is not the least aware of it.
Fabric of peace?
Where does he see that in the region?
I see only Israel trying to starve out the poor people of Gaza and willing to shoot anyone who even tries to help them with their needs.
I see Israel ready to attack every neighbor that it has, from buzzing jets over Lebanon to creating provocations with Syria and to shooting five Egyptian policemen only doing their duty in Sinai when Israeli soldiers crossed the border with no permission and with a dark purpose.
Of course, a day does not go by that Israel does not threaten to attack, or harangue the United States to attack, Iran, a nation generally living at peace with its neighbors.
Netanyahu has never so much as lifted a finger in his entire nasty career in the name of genuine peace.
And it does seem anymore that where Israel is there can be no peace.
The people of Egypt are only expressing legitimate frustrations with this regional bully who worked hard behind the scenes to keep them perpetually under the thumb of a U.S.-sponsored tyrant.
________________________________________
“I would think israel security firing off a few rounds through their skulls would disperse them real quick…”
Now there’s a fine comment, something of which to be proud.
That is, if you are a bully or a psychopath.
The person commenting only succeeds in revealing the genuine attitudes of the Israeli government.
Here are a few interesting facts for readers to consider in light of this savage comment – they are taken from Israeli journalist Amira Hass in her book about Gaza:
Physicians for Human Rights, during the five years of the intifada, a Palestinian child under the age of six was shot in the head every two weeks. According to United Nations Relief records, nearly 1,100 people treated at its clinics during the first four years had been shot in the head, with about 15% of that number being women. During the four years, over sixty thousand Gazans were shot, severely beaten , or tear-gassed.
______________________________________
“canadians are morons.
“….
“canadians are morons.”
Gee, now there’s an enlightened way to address people and to make your point.
Again the writer reveals, undoubtedly without realizing it, why there is such terrible problems in the region.
There’s a government, armed to the teeth and utterly ruthless, which regularly speaks this way.
________________________________________
A reader says the last time he checked Israel was an independent nation.
Israel an independent nation?
Since when?
It is the most heavily subsidized place on earth, by far.
It receives about $500 per year per Jewish citizen from the United States, and it has done so for decades.
But that is only the beginning.
There are periodic loan guarantees of tens of billions.
There is constant access at the highest level for this nation with the population of Ecuador, something virtually no other country, even far more important ones, has.
It has a plum free-trade agreement – indeed, with sending its subsidized crops to the U.S. Israel’s agriculture would disappear. It was a gift to Israel because it has no tangible benefits for Americans at all.
The opportunity cost of water Israel squanders on tomatoes and clementines to export is unbelievably high because it is the cost of desalination-plant water. It sends subsidized produce to the United States under free trade, produce the United States doesn’t even need.
Israel receives billions worth of intelligence and defense cooperation every year from the United States, something few other countries receive.
The two billion dollars a year going to Egypt is a bribe paid on Israel’s part paid by Americans since the Camp David Agreements.
Israel receives heavily below cost natural gas from Egypt, the result of U.S. pressure on Mubarak. Everyone knows this is scandalous, and the U.S. has offered to pay a subsidy to top up the price.
Israel also receives billions from the Jewish communities of America and Europe, and it receives important business intelligence and connections.
The great privilege granted to American Israelis to be dual citizens means they move back and forth regularly, all the while sharing business and other intelligence.
Israel’s farms and cities and water supply were all taken with absolutely no payment or reparations from other people. That is the biggest subsidy ever received, the very substance of the nation.
And it is not satisfied with what happened in 1948, it keeps stealing the property of others regularly, refusing to live in peace because it still wants more.
Israel has received tens of billions in reparations from Germany – wholly appropriate in view of the past but still a subsidy.
The list is even longer than this, but I think the point is clear: Israel is in no sense of the word an independent nation.
It is in truth a gigantic international welfare case.
JOHN CHUCKMAN
POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO’S GLOBE AND MAIL
Gee, it would be nice if the Globe got its garments right.
At the top of an article about the niqab (a veil for the face), you have put a picture of women wearing either chador (a flowing body garment which is often worn without a veil) or a hijab (a simple head scarf, not all that different to a babushka).
It isn’t possible to see from the cropping which garments these are, but are most definitely not niqab.
It really would be nice to get a break from all this mindless, anti-Muslim hysteria.
What do I care what my neighbor wears so long as he or she is a peaceful member of society?
My experience with Muslims is simply one a sweet-tempered people who pretty much mind their own business.
I wish their critics displayed half their excellent qualities.
__________________
“Yeah, it’s such a shame how all that hedonism led Israel to become the most prosperous nation in the middle east, with the most diverse economy…”
Pure and utter ignorance, that posting.
Israel is, in fact, the most subsidized country in the world, and it enjoys countless unfair advantages over others.
For decades the U.S. government has given it about $3 billion per year – that’s about $500 per head each year.
Oh wouldn’t Canadians, or even more the Arabs the above writer so clearly despises, like to receive a foreign government’s cheque of $500 each year? Most of Israel’s population has grown up its entire life with this benefit.
But that $500 per head subsidy is only the start of special advantages.
America shares precious intelligence and technology and access on a scale extended to no one else.
What other relatively insignificant country – Israel’s population is about that of Ecuador – gets its president into the White House every few months?
What other country of this size has a generous free-trade agreement with America?
But those are still only the beginnings of the subsidy.
America’s defense establishment enters into all kinds of huge and costly joint projects with Israel – as for the Arrow anti-missile missile – sharing valuable technology and access to the best brains plus money.
American Jewish organizations have sent literally tens of billions to Israel over 60 years, and these immense contributions have been given charitable status exempting the givers from tax.
Europe too gives Israel special status in many economic matters.
Germany of course has paid billions in reparations for the holocaust to Israel – I’m not faulting that, but only pointing out one more huge subsidy. It also supplies Israel weapons – like a small fleet of sophisticated, diesel-powered submarines – at bargain-basement prices.
Israel’s economy is often grossly inefficient, yet its privileged position allows for that. For example, Israel squanders the precious water resources of the region to grow things like tomatoes which it exports to the U.S. and Europe. If the true cost of the water were reflected in the price, Israel’s produce would rot on the docks for lack of customers.
And then at the same time, Israel builds desalination plants to create more potable water at immense cost per unit volume of water.
Israel is many things, but it is neither efficient nor is it an economic miracle. It only has that appearance if you don’t look beyond the gloss.
CHUCKMAN'S WORDS ON WORDPRESS: COMMENTS FROM THE WORLD'S PRESS 
JOHN CHUCKMAN
POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO’S GLOBE AND MAIL
“Attack on Israeli embassy in Cairo a ‘severe injury to the fabric of peace’: Netanyahu”
Netanyahu does have a penchant for comedy, dark comedy, although I am pretty sure he is not the least aware of it.
Fabric of peace?
Where does he see that in the region?
I see only Israel trying to starve out the poor people of Gaza and willing to shoot anyone who even tries to help them with their needs.
I see Israel ready to attack every neighbor that it has, from buzzing jets over Lebanon to creating provocations with Syria and to shooting five Egyptian policemen only doing their duty in Sinai when Israeli soldiers crossed the border with no permission and with a dark purpose.
Of course, a day does not go by that Israel does not threaten to attack, or harangue the United States to attack, Iran, a nation generally living at peace with its neighbors.
Netanyahu has never so much as lifted a finger in his entire nasty career in the name of genuine peace.
And it does seem anymore that where Israel is there can be no peace.
The people of Egypt are only expressing legitimate frustrations with this regional bully who worked hard behind the scenes to keep them perpetually under the thumb of a U.S.-sponsored tyrant.
________________________________________
“I would think israel security firing off a few rounds through their skulls would disperse them real quick…”
Now there’s a fine comment, something of which to be proud.
That is, if you are a bully or a psychopath.
The person commenting only succeeds in revealing the genuine attitudes of the Israeli government.
Here are a few interesting facts for readers to consider in light of this savage comment – they are taken from Israeli journalist Amira Hass in her book about Gaza:
Physicians for Human Rights, during the five years of the intifada, a Palestinian child under the age of six was shot in the head every two weeks. According to United Nations Relief records, nearly 1,100 people treated at its clinics during the first four years had been shot in the head, with about 15% of that number being women. During the four years, over sixty thousand Gazans were shot, severely beaten , or tear-gassed.
______________________________________
“canadians are morons.
“….
“canadians are morons.”
Gee, now there’s an enlightened way to address people and to make your point.
Again the writer reveals, undoubtedly without realizing it, why there is such terrible problems in the region.
There’s a government, armed to the teeth and utterly ruthless, which regularly speaks this way.
________________________________________
A reader says the last time he checked Israel was an independent nation.
Israel an independent nation?
Since when?
It is the most heavily subsidized place on earth, by far.
It receives about $500 per year per Jewish citizen from the United States, and it has done so for decades.
But that is only the beginning.
There are periodic loan guarantees of tens of billions.
There is constant access at the highest level for this nation with the population of Ecuador, something virtually no other country, even far more important ones, has.
It has a plum free-trade agreement – indeed, with sending its subsidized crops to the U.S. Israel’s agriculture would disappear. It was a gift to Israel because it has no tangible benefits for Americans at all.
The opportunity cost of water Israel squanders on tomatoes and clementines to export is unbelievably high because it is the cost of desalination-plant water. It sends subsidized produce to the United States under free trade, produce the United States doesn’t even need.
Israel receives billions worth of intelligence and defense cooperation every year from the United States, something few other countries receive.
The two billion dollars a year going to Egypt is a bribe paid on Israel’s part paid by Americans since the Camp David Agreements.
Israel receives heavily below cost natural gas from Egypt, the result of U.S. pressure on Mubarak. Everyone knows this is scandalous, and the U.S. has offered to pay a subsidy to top up the price.
Israel also receives billions from the Jewish communities of America and Europe, and it receives important business intelligence and connections.
The great privilege granted to American Israelis to be dual citizens means they move back and forth regularly, all the while sharing business and other intelligence.
Israel’s farms and cities and water supply were all taken with absolutely no payment or reparations from other people. That is the biggest subsidy ever received, the very substance of the nation.
And it is not satisfied with what happened in 1948, it keeps stealing the property of others regularly, refusing to live in peace because it still wants more.
Israel has received tens of billions in reparations from Germany – wholly appropriate in view of the past but still a subsidy.
The list is even longer than this, but I think the point is clear: Israel is in no sense of the word an independent nation.
It is in truth a gigantic international welfare case.