Jan 09, 2019
After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed until Thursday afternoon the second procedural vote on a bill that would punish boycotts of Israel, Palestinian rights groups that have condemned the legislation as "unconstitutional" kept up urgent calls for Americans to pressure their senators to block the measure again.
"You still have time to contact your Senators to again defeat this unconstitutional bill that encourages states to punish people for boycotting for Palestinian rights," declared Josh Ruebner, policy director at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
The procedural vote on the legislation--S.1--is expected to come as early as 1:45 pm ET on Thursday.
\u201cURGENT: re-vote on S.1 is happening TODAY at 1:45pm (EST). Call your senators, don\u2019t be silent! The anti-BDS bill must be struck down...AGAIN #RightToBoycott https://t.co/7o05ldRv1c\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1547123741
If passed, S.1--which is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--would hand states and localities more power to punish companies and individuals who participate in the the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The ACLU has denounced the legislation as an unlawful attack on free speech, and two federal courts have ruled that similar bills are unconstitutional.
Condemning backers of the Senate bill as "betrayers of the Constitution" in a blog post on Tuesday, Juan Cole of Informed Commentpointed out that "[e]conomic boycotts have been part and parcel of American political striving for liberty from the beginning. I have three words for you: Boston Tea Party. What do you think the American colonists were doing when they tossed 342 chests of British tea into the harbor? They were boycotting, divesting, and sanctioning the injustice of King George III."
"Two federal judges have already found state laws that attempt to punish companies or individuals for boycotting Israel unconstitutional, one in Kansas and one in Arizona," Cole concluded. "Of course they are unconstitutional. They are also racist, aimed at keeping brown Palestinians down."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed until Thursday afternoon the second procedural vote on a bill that would punish boycotts of Israel, Palestinian rights groups that have condemned the legislation as "unconstitutional" kept up urgent calls for Americans to pressure their senators to block the measure again.
"You still have time to contact your Senators to again defeat this unconstitutional bill that encourages states to punish people for boycotting for Palestinian rights," declared Josh Ruebner, policy director at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
The procedural vote on the legislation--S.1--is expected to come as early as 1:45 pm ET on Thursday.
\u201cURGENT: re-vote on S.1 is happening TODAY at 1:45pm (EST). Call your senators, don\u2019t be silent! The anti-BDS bill must be struck down...AGAIN #RightToBoycott https://t.co/7o05ldRv1c\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1547123741
If passed, S.1--which is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--would hand states and localities more power to punish companies and individuals who participate in the the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The ACLU has denounced the legislation as an unlawful attack on free speech, and two federal courts have ruled that similar bills are unconstitutional.
Condemning backers of the Senate bill as "betrayers of the Constitution" in a blog post on Tuesday, Juan Cole of Informed Commentpointed out that "[e]conomic boycotts have been part and parcel of American political striving for liberty from the beginning. I have three words for you: Boston Tea Party. What do you think the American colonists were doing when they tossed 342 chests of British tea into the harbor? They were boycotting, divesting, and sanctioning the injustice of King George III."
"Two federal judges have already found state laws that attempt to punish companies or individuals for boycotting Israel unconstitutional, one in Kansas and one in Arizona," Cole concluded. "Of course they are unconstitutional. They are also racist, aimed at keeping brown Palestinians down."
After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed until Thursday afternoon the second procedural vote on a bill that would punish boycotts of Israel, Palestinian rights groups that have condemned the legislation as "unconstitutional" kept up urgent calls for Americans to pressure their senators to block the measure again.
"You still have time to contact your Senators to again defeat this unconstitutional bill that encourages states to punish people for boycotting for Palestinian rights," declared Josh Ruebner, policy director at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
The procedural vote on the legislation--S.1--is expected to come as early as 1:45 pm ET on Thursday.
\u201cURGENT: re-vote on S.1 is happening TODAY at 1:45pm (EST). Call your senators, don\u2019t be silent! The anti-BDS bill must be struck down...AGAIN #RightToBoycott https://t.co/7o05ldRv1c\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1547123741
If passed, S.1--which is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--would hand states and localities more power to punish companies and individuals who participate in the the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The ACLU has denounced the legislation as an unlawful attack on free speech, and two federal courts have ruled that similar bills are unconstitutional.
Condemning backers of the Senate bill as "betrayers of the Constitution" in a blog post on Tuesday, Juan Cole of Informed Commentpointed out that "[e]conomic boycotts have been part and parcel of American political striving for liberty from the beginning. I have three words for you: Boston Tea Party. What do you think the American colonists were doing when they tossed 342 chests of British tea into the harbor? They were boycotting, divesting, and sanctioning the injustice of King George III."
"Two federal judges have already found state laws that attempt to punish companies or individuals for boycotting Israel unconstitutional, one in Kansas and one in Arizona," Cole concluded. "Of course they are unconstitutional. They are also racist, aimed at keeping brown Palestinians down."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.