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Aide to Rep. McKinney Questions Jewish Members of Congress' Loyalty

In a letter to the editor appearing in the November 28th edition of the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill, Raeed Tayeh, an aide to Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA04), blasted Jewish lawmakers as "seem[ing] to care more about Israel than human rights and American values." The aide further wrote that the historic comprehensive peace settlement offered by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at Camp David comprised nothing more than "an offer for a Swiss cheese state with no sovereignty, no rights in Jerusalem, and no rights for refugees to return to their homes in Israel." Perhaps most disturbing was the repeated attempts by the congressional staffer to question the loyalties of Jewish members of Congress. Tayeh concluded his letter by noting, "What is more disturbing to me is that many of these pro-Israeli lawmakers sit on the House International Relations Committee despite the obvious conflict of interest that their emotional attachments to Israel cause. The National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman, responded today in a letter to The Hill. The full text of the letter follows:

"With regard to Mr. Raeed Tayeh's letter of November 28th, in which he questions the loyalties of Jewish members of Congress, only a scoundrel and a bigot would choose to impugn a member's loyalty and commitment to this country based upon his or her ethnicity or religion. Accusing Jews of being disloyal to their country - due to their support for Israel and other central aspects of our faith - recalls the most vile anti-Semitic canards that have been invoked against Jews throughout the ages.

"These Jewish members of congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, have pledged to uphold the Constitution and defend American interests, and it is shockingly inappropriate for this congressional staffer to make such base accusations. This country has fought too many wars to defeat this type of thinking. We as a nation have endured hundreds of years of struggle against raw bigotry and racism to largely banish this type of filth and relegate it to the extremes of our nation's discourse. Mr. Tayeh may be unfamiliar with this history, but I can assure him that enough of us remember it well, and we will not let such odious allegations stand without challenge.

"These Jewish lawmakers are among the finest public servants our country has to offer, fulfilling the ancient Jewish tradition of remaining civically engaged and serving the larger community. They demonstrate their continuous defense of America's interests every day with every vote they cast. And speaking out to ensure a safe and secure Israel - supporting America's democratic and strategic ally in the Middle East - only confirms their commitment to serving America's best interests. "Either Mr. Tayeh shows an incredible lack of common sense by signing his letter as a member of a congresswoman's staff, thereby associating her name with such bigoted views, or Congresswoman McKinney has allowed her name to be associated with the cause of small mindedness and religious bigotry."

Are this woman and her staff truly democrats? Are they representatives of a democracy or is it a masquerade? It seems Ms. McKinney and her racist, bigoted staff have much in common with the backward, repressive dictatorships of the Arab/Muslim world. Her propagation of Islamic rhetoric has no room on American soil. Funny how she prides herself as being "progressive" in describing herself, but her comments and those of her staff are nothing but from the darkest ages of bigotry and pure hate.

In fact, it is her pandering to the corrupt Saudi royalty by writing them a letter condemning NYC Mayor Giuliani for returning the blood filled $10 million check to Alwaleed, which makes her position as a U.S. Congresswoman highly suspect. Let us not forget who she panders to, the Saudis, whose interpretation of Islam is of the most extreme and dangerous than any other form. She pandered to the Saudis who bred and raised Bin Laden and his 19 hijackers to massacre 5000 civilians. She pandered to the Saudis who, to this day, refuse to give the U.S. the passenger lists for their air flights coming into America. She panders to the Saudis who have yet to freeze billions of dollars in terrorist assets. She panders to the Saudis who have refused to let the U.S. use its military bases after we saved their necks in 1990. Does this sound patriotic to you? Not only is it unpatriotic but it is outright treasonous.

She prides herself with progressive liberal "credentials" yet she is identifying with the most regressive, oppressive, right wing, racist society existing in the world today. If she is such a "liberal" why support those who don't allow women to drive, work, or show public affection to their husbands? If she is such a "liberal" why is she supporting a society where Christians are not allowed to preach Christianity under penalty of death and Jews are not even allowed into the country? Is it Saudi money she lusts for? How much did she receive from Alwaleed for her unpatriotic letter?

Neither she nor her staff have the authority as U.S. government employees to become mouthpieces for Islamic dictatorships of the world. Instead of accusing Jewish lawmakers of crimes she is guilty of, we highly recommend she take some necessary steps if she wants to keep her congressional seat. Call her office every day to express your disgust at Raeed Tayeh's / McKinney's statements (even though she herself did not make the statement, she did not condemn it. Given her track record, her office seems to be a breeding ground for sympathizers of pro-Islamic racist regimes.) Demand she do the following if she wants to keep her congressional seat:

Washington: 202-225-1605
District Office: 404-377-6900

1. Terminate Raeed Tayeh from her staff effective IMMEDIATELY. (By the way, what exactly are HIS loyalties? Is he Muslim?)

2. Call a press conference and PUBLICLY apologize to all members of the U.S. Government who are of the Jewish faith. (It is interesting she did not singly out Muslim government officials who have publicly made remarks which at best are anti-American and at worst pro-Islamic. Why not?)

3. The American people will be watching her and her staff, and one more comment or action along those lines, a national campaign will be launched to lobby the Speaker of the House and democrats and republicans alike to take the appropriate measures of censuring her. Perhaps her progressive constituents in Georgia need to deeply examine her track record of pandering to terrorist forces from the dark ages.

4. Remind her as an African American she would not be sitting as a Congresswoman had the Jews of this country not been at the forefront of the civil rights movement.