Congressman Donald Norcross is so proud of violating the First Amendment by voting for the TikTok ban, that he’s done it again. Fueled by AIPAC contributions and monies from several military contractors, Norcross has voted “yea” on H.R. 6090, known as the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which redefines being opposed to Zionism, or the policies of the Israeli government, as being antisemitic, and that criticism of Israel, referring to it as an apartheid state, using the terms “ethnic cleansing” or “genocide” in reference to Israel, would be punishable offenses.
Nowhere in the bill is there an actual definition of antisemitism.
This is a bi-partisan effort to silence dissent, especially on college campuses, where the student and faculty uprisings have been aimed at getting universities to divest their monies from Israel. The bill also seeks to cover up the atrocities that are being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people. Free speech would be no longer allowed when it comes to criticizing the government of Israel.
If the bill becomes law, saying Israel is a racist or apartheid state will be officially codified as antisemitism, and can be punishable by law. People would not be able to compare the actions or fascist policies of Israel to those of Nazi Germany.
Jewish people are not the Israeli government, nor the actions of Israel. Not all Jewish people are Zionists. Many Jewish people in the US, and worldwide, including Jewish people in Israel, myself, and my husband, are opposed to the murderous actions of the government of Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. This bill does a disservice to all Jews, but implying that all Jews are a monolith with a singular world view.
We are not. Some of us live our lives by the Commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” which our leaders and Israel conveniently ignore. We believe that a holocaust or genocide should happen “Never again,” for anyone, not only for Jews.
This is what Norcross is focused on. He’s arming Israel and other countries to satisfy his corporate donors and AIPAC, subverting our First Amendment rights, while neglecting to pass laws guaranteeing us a single-payer healthcare system (Medicare for All), to take measures to stem climate change, or to alleviate the massive student debt. People are losing their homes, can’t afford rent, can’t afford food, while Norcross and most of the Red/Blue duopoly turn a blind eye to the suffering of people in the U.S., and arm the despots of world to perpetuate endless war.
Under Norcross, there’s money for war, but not for the poor. Our First Amendment rights are being traded away to commit genocide and silence dissent.
It’s time to elect new representatives who will advocate for peace and economic justice for people in our country, rather than militarism, war, or genocide. We need health care, not warfare. We need homes, not bombs. We need a Green New Deal. We need to protect our First Amendment rights.
Robin Brownfield
2024 Green Party Candidate for Congress
Congressional District 1, NJ
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