No Right to Exist

Breitbart runs the headline today, Linda Sarsour Refuses to Acknowledge Israel’s Right to Exist. They are just as bad as any of the mainstream outlets at engaging in sensationalism and gotcha journalism. The only real difference is that their politics are more agreeable. But not in this case. Why should Sarsour have to state that Israel has a right to exist? It's hard to imagine she holds that opinion. Why compel her to pretend? The whole thing is just a heresy trap. The journalist who posed the question was hoping that she wouldn't confirm Israel's right to exist, which violates the moral principle that all national politicians - which she basically is - are supposed to put Israel's rights before any others. It's no different than CNN's Oliver Darcy getting Alex Jones banned from social media for making politically unapproved statements. It's all outrage porn that they sell to the public.

Where does Israel get this supposed right to exist? Certainly not from the UN, where support for Israel often emanates from a single, powerful vassal state ally. Jews might say that their right to exist comes from God, as they are the Chosen People. Fair enough - other than that most Jews don't really believe in God - but most Muslims do believe in Allah. There's no reason to expect them to respect the divine rights granted by a Jewish god to a secular people. No, Sarsour should not be expected to lie in defense of the Jews. After all, lying is a sin under the Torah.

In the modern era, rights are meaningless. They're just opinions. It is especially amusing when liberals appeal to universal human rights. Rights according to what? In the US, we have natural, or God-given, rights, based on the Lockean ideals of rights to life, liberty, and property. Fortunately for secular Americans, those rights still exist even if God doesn't. The "God-given" aspect was primarily a rebuke to the British monarch, who claimed a divine right to rule. The rights actually stem from a social contract theory of governance. In America, you agree not to violate the Constitutional rights of others, and feel secure that your own rights are legally protected. Or at least that's how it's supposed to work. The concept has been abused beyond all recognition. The liberals say things like, "every American has a right to a home." Of course we do! Your home is your domain, and neither the government nor other citizens can arbitrarily remove you from it. Ah, but that's not what they mean by rights. What they mean is you have the right to be given a home if you can't procure you for yourself. That means taking property from someone else. Rights as described by the left are always anti-rights, and they reject the actual rights specified in the Constitution (freedom of speech, right to bear arms, states' rights, etc).

That's a bit of a digression, but the point is none of this applies to foreign states. There is no social contract where Jews have a right to a homeland. They get what they can take and keep. Israel was founded - not all that long ago - by dispossessing the prior inhabitants, and by fighting several wars against neighbors who rejected their claim. The Jews have a right to a homeland. And so do Arabs. Who gets to possess that particular sliver of land on the east coast of the Mediterranean? Whoever can hold it. My preference goes to the Jews since Arabs control vast domains in the region already and the Jews are more capable of maintaining an advanced society in the arid lands. But that's hardly grounds to express moral indignation that Arabs might disagree. It's perfectly natural that they would.

Some related Breitbart articles were linked in their sidebar.

• Democrats to condemn 'All Hate,' Not Anti-Semitism Specifically, In Resolution. Conservatives are jumping all over Democrats, saying that their general renouncement of hate is a decision to not stand against anti-Semitism. Trump called their behavior shameful. But it's no different than the liberal media condemning Trump for renouncing hate on both sides in the wake of the Charlottesville incident. He was correct then. This blog said at the time that Trump was the only one acting like an adult. But, like most politicians, principle flies out the window when Israel is involved.
• ‘Legitimate Criticism’ of Israel is Democrats’ Phony Excuse for Ilhan Omar’s Antisemitism. Nothing Omar said was Antisemitic. I don't doubt she is anti-Semitic, nor do I care. My concern is she's anti-American, yet lives here anyway and was elected to Congress.
• Liz Warren Defends Omar: Calling Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitic Has ‘Chilling Effect'. The white Oklahoman who has spent most of her career brown-washing her own identity is correct. Is Fauxahontas now the prominent adult in the room?
• Bernie Sanders Defends Ilhan Omar in Antisemitism Crisis: ‘Legitimate Criticism’. Spineless communist and Hillary endorser-in-chief Bernie Sanders is also correct. He's also nominally Jewish.

Why are conservatives yielding easy moral victories to leftists? It is asinine. Just say what is obviously true. The Israeli lobby holds tremendous influence over Washington. America goes to war for Israel. In this particular domain, the Democrats are actually better than the Republicans. At this point, David Duke is more likely to endorse Warren or Sanders for president than Trump. Zionist control of the US is his big issue. It will be amusing to watch.

The one group of people that should be internalizing the reality that Jews have no right to be given a homeland is Jews themselves. They must defend their own position or they will be evicted. Their strategy of co-opting American military dominance to enact their desired foreign policy is a dangerous one. They become weak at self-defense. Hopefully their performance in the 2006 Lebanon war raised some alarms. Israel's survival lasts only as long as America is able and willing to provide money and military engagement. That American Jews then vote over 70% for Democrats is truly astounding. Not only are Democrats less sympathetic to Israel, but they favor a number of policies sure to erode American dominance. Jews are dependent on America while at the same time working towards its destruction.

We should take a similar lesson. White Americans have no right to their own homeland. Not even in the true sense of what rights are. That is, we aren't even permitted to state a desire for such a thing, let alone act in our own interests or expect to be given anything. We'll get what we can take and hold, just like all nations. It's the natural way, and no amount of quibbling about rights is going to change that.