Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bringing faith into contempt [Jack Abramoff ]
Jewish World Review ^ | 1-9-06 | Jeff Jacoby

Posted on 01/09/2006 7:15:27 AM PST by SJackson

By his own admission, Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a crook. But that isn't the worst that can be said about him.

He defrauded his clients of millions of dollars, bribed public officials, cheated on his tax returns, and deceived lenders to qualify for a loan. But that isn't the worst that can be said about him, either.

He made himself at home in and contributed to the swamp of corruption that fills Washington with its stench. His e-mails to cronies, with messages like "Can you smell money?!?!?!" and "I'd love us to get our mitts on that moolah!!", oozed greed and boorishness. Behind their backs, he crudely mocked those who hired him, calling them "morons," "monkeys," "troglodytes," and "the stupidest idiots in the land." He played fast and loose with what were supposed to be charitable funds. But not even that is the worst that can be said about him.

The worst is that Abramoff is a Jew. Not only a Jew, but an Orthodox Jew — someone who claims to be committed to strictly observing Jewish law and faithfully adhering to the Torah's ethical standards. But instead of upholding those ethical standards Abramoff trampled on them, and a "religious" Jew who behaves so corruptly disgraces not only himself but all religious Jews. He brings his faith into contempt. He is guilty of what Jewish tradition calls, with disgust, chillul HaShem — a desecration of G-d's name.

For me — also an observant Jew — that is the worst thing of all.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 109th; abramoff; corruption; lobbying; moneywhores

1 posted on 01/09/2006 7:15:28 AM PST by SJackson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SJackson
Republican lobbyist? ...someone needs to show Jeff The List!
2 posted on 01/09/2006 7:18:09 AM PST by TexasCajun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking the keyword Israel.

..................

3 posted on 01/09/2006 7:21:21 AM PST by SJackson (Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy. B. Franklin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasCajun

That is the spin. The call him a "Republican lobbyist" and flat out lie about the contributions made to 'Rats.


4 posted on 01/09/2006 7:23:01 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

He sure fits to a T the stereotypes beloved of anti-semites.


5 posted on 01/09/2006 7:24:10 AM PST by Restorer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasCajun

Well,

he IS a republican


and


he was a lobbyist............


so?


6 posted on 01/09/2006 7:28:53 AM PST by WhiteGuy (Vote for gridlock)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Restorer; TexasCajun; Blood of Tyrants
He sure fits to a T the stereotypes beloved of anti-semites.

It does, Republican haters as well. Likely better to acknowledge he was a Republican, since he was. The fact that his corruption was bi-partisan establishes the fact that when acting outside the law, Republican Party interests weren't the motivation.

7 posted on 01/09/2006 7:29:46 AM PST by SJackson (Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy. B. Franklin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: TexasCajun

He IS a Republican lobbyist.


8 posted on 01/09/2006 7:32:21 AM PST by Huck (Don't Vote: It only encourages them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Huck
A Republican lobbyist lobbying Democrats?
9 posted on 01/09/2006 7:42:13 AM PST by TexasCajun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SJackson

I have a hard time feeling sympathy for the people whose money he took. They all were trying to game advantage with the government. They weren't senile old people having their credit card numbers stolen. We survived without lobbyists for over a hundred years. We could do it again.


10 posted on 01/09/2006 7:50:43 AM PST by Democratshavenobrains
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasCajun

Jack Abramoff highlights:

-organized Massachusetts campuses for Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.

-After a campaign managed by Grover Norquist and aided by Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Abramoff was elected chairman of the College Republican National Committee. "It is not our job to seek peaceful coexistence with the Left," Abramoff was quoted as saying in the group's 1983 annual report, "Our job is to remove them from power permanently".

-Abramoff "changed the direction of the committee and made it more activist and conservative than ever before," notes the CRNC.

-Abramoff joined Citizens for America, a pro-Reagan group that helped Oliver North build support for the Nicaraguan contras

--joined the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, which once described him as "directly involved in the Republican party and conservative movement leadership structures and is one of the leading fund raisers for the party and its congressional candidates."



Yes, he's a Republican. And a lobbyist. The GOP is not infallible, neither is the Pope, and no, there is not really a Santa Claus.


11 posted on 01/09/2006 7:59:20 AM PST by Huck (Don't Vote: It only encourages them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Huck

I think it would be more accurate to say he was a "lobbyist who was a Republican". Putting the adjective "Republican" in front of the noun "lobbyist" is misleading as it could be wrongly interpreted to mean "a lobbyist who exclusively lobbied Republicans". That wouldn't stop the MSM from poor editing, however.


12 posted on 01/09/2006 8:14:27 AM PST by USNA74
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: USNA74
I think it would be more accurate to say he was a "lobbyist who was a Republican".

LOL. He's a Republican. Deal with it. It doesn't say he lobbied Republicans exclusively. It accurately describes him as a Republican lobbyist.

13 posted on 01/09/2006 8:21:57 AM PST by Huck (Don't Vote: It only encourages them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Huck
Please, there's nothing to "deal with" -- that he was a Republican and a lobbyist are two separate thoughts. All I'm saying is that a good editor would have split them up. Clearly, as written, one could misinterpret and believe he was a lobbyist who exclusively lobbied Republicans -- especially when the excerpt makes no mention of Democratic members who accepted his money.

By the way, just for the record, I think Abramoff is scum and whoever is found to have been wrapped up with him in a quid pro quo deal deserves to be thrown out or voted out of the Capitol, Republican or Democrat.

14 posted on 01/09/2006 9:01:49 AM PST by USNA74
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Huck

unless he was working as a lobbyist for a GOP entity, he's not a Republican lobbyist, but rather a lobbyist with closer ties to Republicans than to Democrats.


15 posted on 01/09/2006 10:51:20 AM PST by EDINVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: EDINVA

Incorrect. He is both a lobbyist and a Republican.


16 posted on 01/09/2006 11:30:49 AM PST by Huck (Don't Vote: It only encourages them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Huck

Once again we find Grover Norquist.


17 posted on 01/09/2006 5:39:19 PM PST by Pelham
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Democratshavenobrains

I agree. WHY do we have lobbyists? I understand the theory, on paper...but it just doesn't work...man's greed always gets in the way. I say do away with the whole lobbying system. That's not to say that people can't get their voices heard. Why can't they? Why does money have to be involved?


18 posted on 01/09/2006 5:42:04 PM PST by Hildy (Spielberg spends his spare time memorializing the last Holocaust while working to justify the next.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Hildy
If we had term limits, there would be no need for money to be involved. Our representatives would know that only had at the most 2 terms so there is less chance of getting into that "beltway" kind of thinking.
Rep. Lahood was on our local radio last week and spoke how the system works: if no large contribution is made to their campaign for re-election then usually only underling staff meets with the lobbyist and not much is accomplished for him or her.
I don't believe that Lahood acts this way( he said he did not); but a lot of them do. It costs a lot to live in DC & there self importance gets the better of them.
19 posted on 01/09/2006 9:12:35 PM PST by bubbleb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

Comment #20 Removed by Moderator

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson