By Mike Spaulding for
Harbinger 's Daily
In Greek mythology, a story is told about Odysseus, a king of Ithica. This king is said to have waged war against the city-state of Troy. After an unsuccessful siege of the city, Odysseus conceived the idea of building a huge horse and hiding within its structure many of his best fighters, counting on the Trojans to see the wooden horse as a sign of their victory over the Greeks.
As Odysseus believed, the Trojans pulled the wooden horse inside their city walls, believing it to be a sign from the gods of their victory. At nightfall, the Greeks disembarked their hiding place, opened the gates for their fellow soldiers and the city of Troy fell. History has trumpeted the genius of Odysseus. The Trojans on the other hand, have been seen as gullible and painfully naïve.
Why the quick lesson in Greek mythology? It seems the same type of strategic maneuver has recently been completed in the US House of Representatives, with many Republicans playing the part of the Trojans. Let me explain.
House Resolution 6090, interestingly named the Antisemitism Awareness Act, was passed recently without a full committee hearing or markup, which would have enabled lawmakers to address many of the concerns voiced by those who see dangerous implications for American’s free speech rights under the US Constitution.
The House of Representatives under Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his predecessor, Republican Kevin McCarthy, have practiced “airdropping” bills to the House floor which circumvents regular order, deliberation, and potential amendments. In other words, nothing can be debated, objected to, removed, or added. Lawmakers are left to vote yea or nay.
At issue with this bill is any clear definition of what constitutes antisemitic speech. It seems that this bill is little more than a knee-jerk reaction to the violent antisemitic actions currently wreaking havoc on several college campuses across America. As such, the bill fails to adequately address the current turmoil and does not give any clear direction for the prosecution of offenders in the future.
Opponents of the bill cite the Bible as now being placed directly in the crosshairs of prohibited language. The standard by which courts in the future will decide what constitutes antisemitic language (depending on whether the Senate rubber stamps the bill as anticipated) was developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Why does that matter? It matters because the IHRA has provided what amounts to another step in the destruction of American civil liberties. Their broad definition of antisemitism begins with “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews.” This means that the thoughts, opinions, or perspectives of people are once again on trial. What the IHRA has provided, and a majority of the House GOP railroaded through, is nothing more than the same broadly defined hate speech legislation that conservatives and Christians have criticized from the very start of that dangerous and unconstitutional boondoggle. Why are some Christians and conservatives celebrating this bill?
Within the language the IHRA provided is this gem: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.” Using a cross, a Bible, or biblical passages can under this bill be deemed antisemitic.
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Harbinger 's Daily
In Greek mythology, a story is told about Odysseus, a king of Ithica. This king is said to have waged war against the city-state of Troy. After an unsuccessful siege of the city, Odysseus conceived the idea of building a huge horse and hiding within its structure many of his best fighters, counting on the Trojans to see the wooden horse as a sign of their victory over the Greeks.
As Odysseus believed, the Trojans pulled the wooden horse inside their city walls, believing it to be a sign from the gods of their victory. At nightfall, the Greeks disembarked their hiding place, opened the gates for their fellow soldiers and the city of Troy fell. History has trumpeted the genius of Odysseus. The Trojans on the other hand, have been seen as gullible and painfully naïve.
Why the quick lesson in Greek mythology? It seems the same type of strategic maneuver has recently been completed in the US House of Representatives, with many Republicans playing the part of the Trojans. Let me explain.
House Resolution 6090, interestingly named the Antisemitism Awareness Act, was passed recently without a full committee hearing or markup, which would have enabled lawmakers to address many of the concerns voiced by those who see dangerous implications for American’s free speech rights under the US Constitution.
The House of Representatives under Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his predecessor, Republican Kevin McCarthy, have practiced “airdropping” bills to the House floor which circumvents regular order, deliberation, and potential amendments. In other words, nothing can be debated, objected to, removed, or added. Lawmakers are left to vote yea or nay.
At issue with this bill is any clear definition of what constitutes antisemitic speech. It seems that this bill is little more than a knee-jerk reaction to the violent antisemitic actions currently wreaking havoc on several college campuses across America. As such, the bill fails to adequately address the current turmoil and does not give any clear direction for the prosecution of offenders in the future.
Opponents of the bill cite the Bible as now being placed directly in the crosshairs of prohibited language. The standard by which courts in the future will decide what constitutes antisemitic language (depending on whether the Senate rubber stamps the bill as anticipated) was developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Why does that matter? It matters because the IHRA has provided what amounts to another step in the destruction of American civil liberties. Their broad definition of antisemitism begins with “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews.” This means that the thoughts, opinions, or perspectives of people are once again on trial. What the IHRA has provided, and a majority of the House GOP railroaded through, is nothing more than the same broadly defined hate speech legislation that conservatives and Christians have criticized from the very start of that dangerous and unconstitutional boondoggle. Why are some Christians and conservatives celebrating this bill?
Within the language the IHRA provided is this gem: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.” Using a cross, a Bible, or biblical passages can under this bill be deemed antisemitic.
Continue Reading:
Did Republicans Just Let In An Anti-Christian Trojan Horse? - Harbingers Daily
Christians must be alert to the deceptive intrusion of anything with a stated goal of stopping and criminalizing certain types of speech. Legislation that purports to bring greater degrees of safety offered to us during times of national crisis always has ulterior motives buried deep within the...
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