The U.S. Congress has passed a bill into law granting absolute power of the world to this country’s representatives. The new law is the U. S. Global Anti-Semitism Act. The law states that “anti-Semitism has at times taken the form of vilification of Zionism, the Jewish national movement and incitement against Israel” as one of the motivations for its creation and enforcement. It states that the State Department will be responsible for “monitoring and combating acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement that occur in foreign countries.”
First of all, where does the American government come by the power to monitor and combat anything in a foreign country? Secondly, do we really want to grant our government that power? Our representatives are still elected by the populace of this country. If they do something that we as citizens do not protest, then we’re just as guilty as they are for the act.
OK, Americans have always supported the underdogs and Israel has taken centuries of hatred and bloodshed from its neighbors. We’re showing our support for those poor souls. We’re going to punish anyone who not only does bad things to the Israeli people, but we’re going to punish anyone who says anything ugly about them or to them. Foreign governments are applauding our initiative. The Russian government applauds our initiative. The U.S. Helsinki Commission welcomes the act with open arms. B’nai B’rith begs for our support and this is what we give them.Even Japan is talking about it.
The law declares that reports be made by the State Department as to who is naughty and who is nice and demands that any peoples who may be interpreted as anti-Semitic be re-educated. Even military force may be used if deemed necessary. We may say “who cares what’s going on in the Middle East, that’s a long way away.” Remember this act not only applies to foreign countries, it applies to our own. The First Amendment of our Constitution states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
This act is clearly a violation of these rights. As “Al-Ahram,” a Middle Eastern publication, points out, this act would mean that we go into schools and change the pages of history; we change the doctrines of their religions and completely erase the basis of the cultures for these countries that we decide need improvement. This is also a direct violation of international law, which says that no country has the right to enact punishment on another country for violating human rights or committing anti-Semitic acts.
In Egypt, one professor said this act could expose people to suppression and punishment from their own government for speaking out against the building of Israeli settlements, objecting to the building of the apartheid wall and encouraging legitimate resistance against the Israeli-occupation. This is also a direct violation of international law, which says that no country has the right to enact punishment on another country for violating human rights, or committing ant-Semitic acts.Although we may not like agreeing with the people who oppose this act, we must in this case. What will stop our government from deciding that a person cannot speak out when we have opposing points of view on any subject even our own government? Wait a minute! That sounds like anti-sedition acts. The Supreme Court of this land has already ruled these laws as unconstitutional. Why are we silent on this law? Let us hope that someone will bring the case before the Supreme Court for a hearing, and soon!
DeBorah Bankston is a senior journalism and geology double major. She may be contacted at [email protected].
