Some of the things he made reference to were the following:

1. Israel was given an outright grant of $1 billion in addition to $8 billion in loan guarantees to stay out of the war.

2. Israel has been able to substantially cut its defense spending because Iran and Syria pose much less of a threat than Iraq ever did now that it has been neutralized.

3. Not one drop of Israeli blood has been shed in the war hatched by President Bush and his neo-conservative "graduates" of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.

In 1948, Americans could go in peace anywhere in the Muslim world. Today, the opposite is true — courtesy of America's being a lackey of the state of Israel. Retired South Dakota Sen. James Abourezk was certainly right when he once made the observation that "calling Israel an ally is like thanking the arsonist for helping put out the fire."

Gartland is a Rio, Wis. resident and retired businessman who is interested in social justice for the Palestinians, the men of the USS Liberty and the Irish.

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