US House passes bill penalizing universities that participate in boycott of Israel

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/03/israel-boycott-university-ban-bill

276 points · 58 comments · view on lemmy.world

58 Comments

Yew@lemmy.world · 140 pts · 1d (8 replies)

Protect Freedom Act.... penalizes you for expressing your opinion.

yakko@feddit.uk · 36 pts · 1d

If they ever pass the "National Guard Doing Normal And Good Things act" head for the hills

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 1d (2 replies)

They are talking about the Southern version of "freedom", where they are preoccupied with the "freedom" to buy and sell others and to control how others live their lives.

meco03211@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 1d (1 reply)

It's about states' rights!

A state's right to do what?

^own slaves^

chaogomu@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 21h

Technically it was about states rights to ban slavery. The South was not at all happy about plans to "contain" slavery. They wanted full, mandatory expansion.

T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d

Of course! Its double plus good!

amgine@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 15h

Doublethink and doublespeak are the point

PwnTra1n@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 21h

“The party of liberty and freedom. We take liberties and your freedom, seriously!”

joostjakob@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 13h

Maybe not the first occasion, but shouldn't everyone just call this the America Second Act?

SoupBrick@pawb.social · 51 pts · 1d (4 replies)

Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts)

Kathy Castor (Florida)

Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (California)

Jim Costa (California)

Joe Courtney (Connecticut)

Henry Cuellar (Texas)

Donald G. Davis (North Carolina)

Lois Frankel (Florida)

Laura Gillen (New York)

Jared F. Golden (Maine)

Vicente Gonzalez (Texas)

Greg Landsman (Ohio)

George Latimer (New York)

Susie Lee (Nevada)

John W. Mannion (New York)

Jared Moskowitz (Florida)

Donald Norcross (New Jersey)

Jimmy Panetta (California)

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington)

Josh Riley (New York)

Bradley Scott Schneider (Illinois)

Hillary J. Scholten (Michigan)

Kim Schrier (Washington)

Brad Sherman (California)

Darren Soto (Florida)

Haley M. Stevens (Michigan)

Thomas R. Suozzi (New York)

Shri Thanedar (Michigan)

Dina Titus (Nevada)

Ritchie Torres (New York)

Juan Vargas (California)

Eugene Simon Vindman (Virginia)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/every-democrat-who-voted-to-defund-schools-that-boycott-israel/ar-AA2bvV2v

T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 1d

Traitors everyone of them

Bustedknuckles@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1d

Really a who's who of dem assholes. I'm pleasantly surprised to not see my rep on there

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 21h

Doing the flying spaghetti monster's work! 🫡

ramble81@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 21h

Freaking Cuellar again. He won his primary and his opponent is a republican. So he’s trying to court their votes since he’s in Texas.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 1d (10 replies)

It won't pass the Senate and is an insanely stupid thing to do before midterms...

cattywampas@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 1d

Lol let them cook. I hope they "rename" an ocean too.

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 7 pts · 1d (8 replies)

It won't pass the Senate

Why not? There are already plenty of state laws that do as much.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d (7 replies)

Because of the filibuster...

The same reason the only thing that passes is budget reconciliation...

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 7 pts · 1d (4 replies)

The problem here is that Zionism is more or less bipartisan. I wouldn't necessarily bet my life savings on it, but given the number of states with anti-BDS laws I have no trouble imagining that such a law would get 60 votes.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d (3 replies)

I have no trouble imagining that such a law would get 60 votes.

I can imagine I'm in Narnia...

But it doesn't mean my dog will start talking.

If you think there are 60 who will vote for it, sit down and try to write down which Dems would. You'll feel better when you cant get to 60

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 1 pts · 1d (2 replies)

The ones who voted no here for instance.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d (1 reply)

Forty out of 47 Senate Democrats voted in favor of one of the resolutions to block a $295 million sale of bulldozers, which the initiative’s author, Senator Bernie Sanders, claimed would be used to demolish homes in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. Fifty-nine senators — mostly Republicans — voted against blocking the sale.

Thirty-six Democrats backed another resolution aimed at blocking a $152 million sale of 1,000-pound bombs to the IDF, which Sanders argued would be used in Gaza and Lebanon. Sixty-three senators voted against blocking the sale.

So...

You don't understand how your link backs up my point?

117th congress passed 2.0%, 118th passed 1.4%, and the 119th is about to end at 0.6%...

In this congress 18,500 Bill introduced, 104 became law. Except for annual budget, almost all of them were very small things no one cares about. Something this big hasn't been able to pass for a very very long time now.

Senators not voting for one bill, doesn't mean they'd vote yes for the opposite. That is an incredibly basic way to think

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 0 pts · 5h

Senators not voting for one bill, doesn't mean they'd vote yes for the opposite.

Yes, but given how polarizing Israel has become, it's likely that the ones that voted no (on a bill that wasn't going to pass anyway, no less) aren't particularly concerned with how the left/center-left see them on this issue, so it's not that unlikely that they'd vote yes for the opposite and curry favor with the Zionists.

Mulligrubs@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 1d (1 reply)
  1. They don't even do filibusters any longer. They just "call it". They're too lazy to actually filibuster.
  2. The filibuster can be surpassed at any time with a simple majority vote. This is called "the nuclear option" because that term scares the shit out of voters. But, it's just a simple majority vote.

The reason they pass budget reconciliations is because that's what they want to pass. If they want something to pass, they skip the filibuster with a simple majority vote. If they don't want something to pass, they say "oh no, the filibuster, so sorry, just not enough votes."

There have been something near 200 "exceptions" to the filibuster... all passed with a simple majority vote.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d

Yeah...

So "simple" to get 60 Senators on the same page in 2026...

How the fuck did you think people needed that explained though?

madcaesar@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 22h

Dude this makes me just hate Israel more. I don't know who's giving them PR advice but EVERYTHING about Israel just makes them look more and more like monsters.

I used to just brainlessly accept Israel = Democracy = Good

The propaganda worked.

But ever since this while AIPAC shit surfaced I finally saw just how horrific they are... Then I thought wait...maybe they are the assholes in the middle east too?

Sure enough you look at what and who they are and it's just pure evil monster.

Before anyone jumps in Israel =/= Judaism

Jews are fine.

Israel are the baddies

RaoulDook@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 23h (2 replies)

If, under the "Citizens United" precedent, a corporation is free to spend money on politics because "money is speech" under the 1st Amendment's protection on freedom of speech...... then a university has the freedom of speech to not spend money as they see fit.

Plus the general concept of freedom of association that is part of our 1st Amendment rights.

anewfox@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 23h

this bill is just the whole "freedom of religion, not freedom from religion" bullshit that christofascists believe.

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 21h

Logically, you're right, but these motherfuckers are operating on a slight modification of Wilhoit's law:

"Conservatism Zionism consists of exactly one proposition ... There must be in-groups Zionists whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups anti-zionists whom the law binds but does not protect.” --Frank Wilhoit"

MushuChupacabra@piefed.world · 20 pts · 23h (1 reply)

So much for that First Amendment.

stoly@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 18h

This is why it will fail. They know it will fail. This is performative.

T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 1d (6 replies)

2nd people, you have a tyrannical government right now

ThePantser@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 1d (4 replies)

They are all a bunch of chickens. They would only rise up if it was a brown person doing this.

T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d (2 replies)

Im not sure even that would be enough tbh.

meco03211@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d (1 reply)

But they'd sure talk a big game. And maybe commit some hate crimes locally.

T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d

Yes, they, as fascist are wont to do, go after easy targets. They are little piss babies after all

NaibofTabr@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 23h

Armchair warrior.

ToiletFlushShowerScream@piefed.world · 6 pts · 1d

They were always cowards and cosplayers.

OwOarchist@pawb.social · 16 pts · 1d

Making it illegal to *checks notes* stop buying things.

I guess that's what "freedom" means these days.

AlecSadler@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 15h

Fuck Israel. Plain and simple.

minorkeys@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 23h (1 reply)

Why? I do not understand American leadership's obsession with Israel.

Skyrmir@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 23h

AIPAC spends $50 to $100 million per election cycle, while also most likely directing a multiple of that in outside spending. And has been for decades.

Major_Tsiom@fedia.io · 12 pts · 1d (1 reply)

Is shit like this supposed to make us accept Israel or hate them even more?

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d

Most likely a trap for the House Dems stupid enough to vote for it.

It hurts everyone, but it hurts people with a D by their name more.

Janx@piefed.social · 9 pts · 1d

"Freedom of Speech"... Apparently, it's only for when you want to funnel dark money to extremist politicians, not when students and their schools (rightfully) criticize an ally.

kibblebits@quokk.au · 9 pts · 1d (5 replies)

Woo, shit’s about to fall down.

dan1101@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d (4 replies)

Because of grifters, nazi jews, and pedophiles no less.

kibblebits@quokk.au · 1 pts · 1d (3 replies)

So, Americans?

dan1101@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d (2 replies)

Some Americans certainly. Not a majority. There is hope, but a lot of things are bad.

kibblebits@quokk.au · -1 pts · 1d (1 reply)

Ehhh… 66% imho

dan1101@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h

I'd say at least 33%, which is terrible enough.

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d

"Socialism is bad; they will tell you what to buy. Also, government will take over businesses."

--Republicans, staying silent for this and for tiny-d donnie's administration acquiring direct ownership stakes in public companies...

Herbie@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1d

This just screams America first. A job well done everybody.. soon America will be great again.. right? /S

Blibly@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1d

Fascist bullshit

altphoto@lemmy.today · 5 pts · 14h

That guy is very short....

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 3 pts · 1d
Iammetheone@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 13h

Need the names of those people who voted for this

BigMacHole@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 1d

KEEPING money is ILLEGAL!

-Republicans AND 33 Democrats!