House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) described US support for Israel as one of America’s “founding principles” during a speech at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Committee on July 18.
“It is an important principle that America and Israel stand together resolutely. That is part of who we are as a country. It’s one of our founding principles. I believe that we maintain peace through strength, and I think that the relationship with Israel is essential to who we are as Americans,” Johnson said.
Since the modern state of Israel was created in 1948, it’s unclear what Johnson meant when he said the US-Israel relationship is a “founding principle.” The most well-known Founding Fathers would also disagree with Johnson since they strongly warned against permanent alliances and “attachments” to other nations.
In his farewell address in 1796, George Washington said, “A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter, without adequate inducement or justification.”
Johnson also threatened Democratic lawmakers with possible arrest if they protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, which is scheduled for this Thursday.
“There’s a number of Democrats in the House who have said they are going to boycott the event, and then some others are gonna protest,” he said. “We’re gonna have extra sergeants at arms on the floor, and if anybody gets out of hand the Speaker of the House will bang the gavel. We’re gonna arrest people if we have to do it. We’re gonna get the message out.”
I guess since the US was actually founded on slavery, Evangelicals would prefer a delusion to the truth. Perhaps King Arthur founded us, and we need to serve Israel to enable the restoration of Avalon for our once and future king’s return, to save democracy.
You may have an interesting novel at hand Lucchorpan…..;-}
NOT founded on slavery,,get real man, stop drinking the Kool Aid.
I’m from South Carolina. We had slavery from the very beginning.
The US also only allowed whites as citizens. The US was very different from how Evangelicals imagine it today. The US was uniquely Christian, and it did embrace Jews. However, it cheated and exterminated Amerindians in the name of Christ, because they were pagan.
The US didn’t become this “ideological nation” in the image of the Soviet Union until fairly recently.
In SC, where Jews were more accepted than in the North, Jews were equally practicing slavery. That was our understanding of equality. I guess blacks could also own slaves, but I’m not too familiar with that.
The “civilised” Amerindian tribes fought with us and practiced slavery. So, I guess there was a sort of equality.
Anyway, it is infinitely stupid to imagine the US is some sort of special place. We just survived WWII unscathed and had low population density without the heavy divisions of Europe. A king could have accomplished what the American republic did.
Washington, Jefferson, and Madison are rolling in their graves …
Founding principles?
Lol, your quibbling with "founding principles" when the Democracy being destroyed was never intended by our founders, but then we've not been able to "keep" the Republic they did intend 🙂
Time to water the Tree of Liberty is it?
I did not mention "democracy" … as you mentioned, that was not a founding principle of the nation.
Independence from foreign nations was THE founding principle however, which independence the cretin who is Speaker and his many fellow travelers in Congress are messing with.
Skipped the /sarc tag, assumed it was obvious.
?? … Madison anyway. Jefferson was a sicko narcissist, and Washington a brainless opportunist social climber.
I'd say pretty incomplete descriptions there … Jefferson was also a genius polymath and primary author of the Declaration, one of the credits to the nation. As for Washington, whatever he did as he was rising was more than balanced by his graciousness in presidency and setting the standards of republican rule, including leaving after two terms and not staying on as "king of America". Just his Farewell Address was worth the price of admission!
His “graciousness in presidency” included leading an army into Pennsylvania to remind the serfs that the planter/merchant aristocracy was back in charge without a king to restrain it and that if they wanted to live they’d better bend the knee.
@ Thomas Please elaborate on that episode. Who were these 'serfs' in Pennsylvania? Land laborers who wanted to manage their own farms, own their own produce, or …?
It was called the Whiskey Rebellion.
Washington was a Hamilton sock-puppet. Hamilton, to service and retire of debt of the creditor elite left over from the war passed a tax that was grossly unfair to western Pennsylvania farmers. The “Whiskey Rebellion” rebellion ensued under the identical slogan as the original war for independance. Washington personally led a 10,000 man army against it. From beginning (Lord Fairfax) to end (Mount Vernon) Washington was only ever (pathetically) aspiring to class status, acceptance by “the peerage”. And the presidency at the time was not a glamorous thing, especially compared to its model, Williamsburg.
Jefferson was a shyster. The opening paragraphs of the Declaration are a nice arrangement of bromidic enlightenment ideas, but the 13 or so grievances that follow are the substance of the Declaration; and they are profoundly, cynically specious. England had practically bankrupted itself to fight the Seven Years War in Europe and America. The American part was started by the colonists begging for help because they were being impeded in their land grabbing by the French and Indians. The Brits ‘cleansed’ the the area to the Mississippi. And they were only asking the Colonists to bear a fraction of the cost they imposed on their population at home. Dr. Johnson’s immortal quip on “The Patriots” catches it: “How is it we hear the loudest yelps for freedom from the drivers of negroes?”
Looking at the US as an outsider, I’d say the chaos shows that independence turned out to be a not terribly good idea.
It’s time to give it up, and ask the King to appoint the Duke of Sussex as your governor. (The Duke is already there, so he’s conveniently placed.)
(As long as he doesn’t try running the US the way Britain is currently run.)
Perfect, with Hollywood sets to craft the narrative, B-list types to deliver the lines, bubble-gum bimboes for journalists and presenters, ….
Johnson also thinks the universe is 6000 years old, that Adam & Eve were actual people, and that Noah's Flood, the Tower of Babel, talking donkeys & snakes were literally real things that happened.
The Founding Fathers endorsing an ethno-state ~170 years into their future is the LEAST dumb idea he holds as true
After Fridays ICJ advisory opinion, Mike Johnson can now be sued in any court worldwide for supporting apartheid etc. Arrest wareabts and asset freezes follow.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS BUT APPROVE THE ABILITY TO STOP THE KILLING…
@ Peace – peace, bro or sis. It's an advisory opinion. I don't know if that warrants suing him.
Imagine filing a lawsuit, in say Norway, against Johnson because your cousin was killed by bombs he sent…..now add in the ICJ advisory opinion as evidence.
see how this works ?
@ Peace – thanks for your reply.
That could apply to Norwegians in Norway … but I still don't know. Because before evidence comes into play at all, the judge would have to judge that the case falls within the jurisdiction of the court.
This could differ from country to country …
In any case, I hope you're right!
Interesting questions which Lawfare Legal Eagles are pondering this very moment.
Note the ICJ AO ( Advisory Opinion) was forceful in declaring that all jurisdictions are responsible ….
Thanks for your thoughtful response
OH SO WONDERFUL TO MAKE COMMON CAUSE WITH OUR WELFARE QUEEN GENOCIDAL OUTLAW STATE IN THEIR QWEST TO STEAL ALL OF PALESTINE AND KILL ALL THEIR CHILDREN…..
LET THE ANTI GENOCIDE LEGISLATION BEGIN…..!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right there in the declaration of independence. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of ethno-nationalism
LOL…….Ahem.
And in the Bible. And I'm Moses.
Moses Alou, maybe – former National League star & career .303 hitter.
I am honest and as often as possible, very direct….. This is obviously a Holy problem, which obviously requires, the same approach to solving the problem.
Bizarre and disturbing.
Johnson is a "PIMP" when it comes to many topics, for sure he is not USA first! Traitor maybe….I am sure he will give BIBO o### pleasure upon command. 🙁
Netanyahu is an Enemy of the People and should be dealt with as such.
Supporting MASS Murderer Netanyahu, is one of America's "founding principles"? We know Biden is insane and it seems most in Congress have the same brand of insanity.
No it Fucking Isn't. Israel didn't exist when the USA was Formed. These people are Clowns in the fed gov.
Johnson: “There’s a number of Democrats in the House who have said they are going to boycott the event, and then some others are gonna protest,” he said. “We’re gonna have extra sergeants at arms on the floor, and if anybody gets out of hand the Speaker of the House will bang the gavel. We’re gonna arrest people if we have to do it. We’re gonna get the message out.”
Trump: And we must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement, which is what’s been happening in our country lately, at a level that nobody has ever seen before.
I guess Johnson couldn't hear Trump with his nose buried so far up his ass. And I guess Trump forgot about himself claiming the antisemitic college protestors would be deported. But anyway, I can't wait for the shitshow to continue.
That visual of Johnson there at the end was hilarious and disgusting at the same time … and yeah I must admit he’d have trouble hearing in that condition.
The United State of Israel in a nutshell…!
Israel is the United States.
The United States is Israel.
A settler-Colonial land.
The Promised Land,
Manifest Destiny is our stand.
A land with no people for
A people with no land.
Indian Territory(ies)
Palestinian Territory(ies)
Occupied Palestinian Territory(ies)
Illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory(ies)
Indian Reservations
Palestinian Reservations
“Area C”, Palestine?, you pray.
“Not reservations, Bantustans,” you say.
Apartheid is the only way.
United States Indians
Israel, PalestinIndians
Different names for the same thing, ethnic cleansing and Genocide.
The truth you can’t hide.
One and the same.
The Principle of Identity,
A difference only in name.
dennis hanna
p.s. I am a semite.
I started this "thought" before the so-called "Six Day War," which is how it is known in Israel for its war of aggression in 1967.
Bang the gavel on your head or the crime minister head instead…!
Please y'all forgive me, but as a Palestinian-American I am tickled pink that he is so quick to tie "American founding principles" to the rogue state of Israel. The likes of Johnson make a mockery out of anything good America may have stood for. Like the Roman empire cronies before him they didn't see the fall of the empire coming. I hate to say it but the demise of Israel as an apartheid state can only come with the continued weakness of the US. Johnson hastens that along superbly.
The reason we can't elect a decent leader falls squarely on our shoulders as westerners claiming the superiority of philosophical liberalism and democracy. Johnson although "religious" is still a creation of western liberalism.
If Johnson claims Christ, he's not living up to what Jesus defines as a follower.
I agree but the Zionist-Evangelical type has highjacked Christianity in the US.
But, not all. And, many are waking up, but not enough so far to make a difference.
Johnson is no different that tens of millions of other Americans who want to impute their own values on the American founders. He's no less, or more, goofy than anyone else. We're just becoming a more goofy nation.
Long past 'goofy', if loss of reason is the definition of psychosis, Wash. has crossed that line a while back.
Can it get anymore psychotic than that statement? Totally out of touch with history and everything else–that's Wash. policy.
actually Johnson is not totally wrong, though perhaps unknowingly, about the history
"If anybody gets out of hand….."
Oh, god forbid someone protest or shout or boycott.
There is an actual genocide going on right now and this little twerp is worried some lawmakers may not kneel and grovel and cheer on Lord Benjamin Nutcase.
Anyone who cheers this genocidal lizard on is one themselves at this point.
Johnson is not wrong.
Both the US & Israel were founded as hubristic, warlike, apartheid, land-grabbing, genocidal, settler-colonial states. Some have believed (apparently wrongly) that the US could move beyond that for the better.
Sigh…still more BS. Does anyone actually care what comes out of the mouths of these morons? The US has become a circus instead of a country.
Speaker Johnson, Supporting the USA is America’s ‘Founding Principle.
Maybe you should be tried for treason if you believe Israel is more important the USA?
We don't need a sovereign nation suckling at the taxpayer's teat.
By the way, End dual citizenship for members of the Congress.
Supporting Israel is supporting an apartheid war criminal that turns a blind eye to UN Resolutions which have traditionally condemned its actions. That's what "supporting" Israel means. Even though Israel's actions run counter to what America supposedly stands for, present-day "leaders" are seemingly intimidated/threatened for any actions they do that run counter to what Israel wants. This is democracy? Sounds more like an episode of "The Sopranos"!
He is confusing President Benjamin Franklin with his needs for Benjamin. Greed,weakness,servility and poor IQ can explain it.
"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations entangling alliances with none."
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, once said,
"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations entangling alliances with none."
This quote carries a straightforward meaning and emphasizes the importance of maintaining peaceful relations, fostering trade, and establishing genuine friendships with all nations while avoiding the complications that come from entangling alliances. It serves as a guiding principle for foreign policy, urging a nation to prioritize its own interests without becoming caught up in complex and potentially detrimental alliances.However, let us now delve into a concept that may seem unexpected in the context of Jefferson's quote – the philosophy of interconnectedness. While Jefferson's words advocate for steering clear of entangling alliances, the notion of interconnectedness reminds us that isolation is simply an illusion. In our ever-evolving globalized world, where advancements in technology and communication have shrunk distances and interconnected nations, the idea of complete autonomy is increasingly unrealistic. Hence, the juxtaposition of Jefferson's quote and the concept of interconnectedness sparks an intriguing discussion on striking a balance between self-interest and collaboration.On one hand, Jefferson's quote resonates with the desire for sovereignty and self-determination. It highlights the potential drawbacks of becoming entangled in alliances that may compromise a nation's autonomy or lead to undesirable conflicts. The quote speaks to the need for caution in selecting alliances and emphasizes the importance of maintaining control over one's own destiny. By advocating for commerce and honest friendship, Jefferson emphasizes the value of establishing relationships based on mutual trust and shared benefits. In a world driven by self-interest, this aspect of his quote serves as a reminder to prioritize peaceful cooperation and economic prosperity.
Spoken at a time when the United States was a Constitutional, [d]emocratic, Republic.
Then, of course, the United States became a empire, a hegenom, The American Empire …
American Exceptionalism*
The Earth’s Last Best Hope**
The Indispensable Nation***
The One Indispensable Nation****
*The first reference to the concept by name, and possibly its origin, was by French writer Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1835/1840 work, Democracy in America:
“The position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one. Their strictly Puritanical origin, their exclusively commercial habits, even the country they inhabit, which seems to divert their minds from the pursuit of science, literature, and the arts, the proximity of Europe, which allows them to neglect these pursuits without relapsing into barbarism, a thousand special causes, of which I have only been able to point out the most important, have singularly concurred to fix the mind of the American upon purely practical objects. His passions, his wants, his education, and everything about him seem to unite in drawing the native of the United States earthward; his religion alone bids him turn, from time to time, a transient and distracted glance to heaven. Let us cease, then, to view all democratic nations under the example of the American people.”
**President Abraham Lincoln
Annual Message to Congress — Concluding Remarks
Washington, D.C.
December 1, 1862
One month before signing the Emancipation Proclamation, President Lincoln sent a long message to Congress which was largely routine, but also proposed controversial measures such as voluntary colonization of slaves and compensated emancipation.
“… We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. …”
***It is the threat of the use of force [against Iraq] and our line-up there that is going to put force behind the diplomacy. But if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see the danger here to all of us.
Madeleinee K. Albright,
U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001).
Stated on NBC's Today Show (February 19, 1998)
****"The United States is and will remain the one indispensable nation in the world. Now, sustaining our leadership, keeping America strong and secure means we have to use our power wisely," Obama said in his address to the American Legion in North Carolina. August 27, 2014 ( not the first or last time he uttered these words )
dennis hanna
Just when you think the US politicians can't say something dumber, you hear a comment like this and realize there's no limit whatsoever to the stupidity.
So, America is a Jewish State?