Free speech is enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as well as Article I, Section 8 of the New York State Constitution. US Citizens have exercised this right from the Boston Tea Party to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and from the Anti-Nazi Boycott of German goods in 1933 to the Boycott of Apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.
Since 2016 however, twenty eight states have passed anti-boycott laws, affecting everyone from substitute teachers to construction workers. In these states there are anti-boycott declarations that must be signed by engineers, writers, journalists, students and even storm victims applying for disaster relief. It's the new McCarthy Era, but this time it is the Israel Lobby taking away our free speech rights.
How is it that Israel has such control over our various state and federal legislators? The truth is that the Israel lobby has a great deal of money, and our representative form of government is awash in the corruption of campaign donations. There are virtually no limits to what can be spent influencing our politicians. Take former House Representative Antonio Delgado (D-NY). He came in on a platform of equality and social justice, and he was African American to boot. But once in office, he refused to meet with a number of local groups supporting human rights for Palestinians. A little research revealed why. In his second year in office, he was the recipient of over $32,000 from the Israel Lobby.
Another supposed champion of human rights, Senator Warnock (D-GA), was an unabashed supporter of Palestine before he ran for office. But once on the inside, he started accepting a lot of cash from the Israel Lobby. Now, he has changed his tune about his formally idealistic views, and refuses to talk about Israeli apartheid at all. OpenSecrets.org reveals the reason why: Senator Warnock picked up $489,000 from Israel Lobby donations in 2022 alone, the second highest amount in the US Senate.
So why do we see these attacks on our fundamental First Amendment right to boycott? The Israel Lobby is simply using the inherent weakness in our system to further damage what is left of our democracy. And the Israel Lobby isn't doing that for any religious reason, but to make racism and apartheid the official position of our Congress and our President.
The dangers to our Constitution and Bill of Rights can be clearly seen. Just as Israel cannot be a functioning democracy when half its population is occupied and oppressed, the United States cannot claim to be a just and free society when its official position supports Israel's racial apartheid. The outlawing of our citizens' right to boycott is only the beginning of a rollback of our fundamental freedoms. If we can't get the Israel Lobby out of our politics, what good is our corrupted system?
A strong and vibrant democracy has little to do with the fine words written at the birth of our nation. It is the people's belief in these basic rights that makes a difference. When the belief is gone, we are well on our way to another form of government. That's why we must fight against the influence of the Israel Lobby, lest our democracy becomes as hollow at theirs. And no country based on racism and apartheid deserves to survive for very long.
