American allies and Jewbag bundlers

The NZ Minister of Defence was in Washington DC at the Pentagon earlier in the week for some heavy petting with his counterpart Sec. Chuck Hagel.  For all of this neo-colonial fawning from the NZ regime the Americans will do the tremendous favour to the neo-colonial fawning NZ military establishment and will graciously permit the RNZN to dock one of their dinghies in the Pearl Harbour naval base.  This is all supposed to be a big deal? 

Like a desperate and tragic separated partner feeling alone, NZ remains the American's fuck-buddy without any status.  The slow clawing back of that former "ally" status as time drifts by is more to do with the US not caring anymore about nuclear quibbles as China looms as the big threat (and NZ becomes relatively more valuable to the Americans because of the Pacific orientation).   Nothing could encapsulate the one-sided relationship more than the Minister's flippant comments over the damaging NSA spying revelations:

NZ Herald:
--
The announcement comes amid concerns about US intelligence agency the NSA spying on its allies - the most recent revelations have centred on claims it bugged the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and 34 other leaders.
At a press conference this morning, Dr Coleman gave a light-hearted reply when asked whether New Zealand was concerned by the latest claims.
"New Zealand's not worried at all by this, we don't believe it would be occurring.
"Quite frankly there'd be nothing anyone would be hearing in our private conversations that we wouldn't be prepared to say publicly."
He went on to describe a newspaper cartoon run here which depicted a spy listening in to a communique from New Zealand - who had fallen asleep.
--

NZ is an open book he says - read what you like.  An open book to the US that is.  He couldn't care any less because his government would supply the US with whatever they want, whenever they want - and as the Kim Dotcom copyright raid proved - using whatever methods they want.  

Of course it is simply not possibly true that NZ has no secrets worth keeping - just the government considers all of our business to be their business and that we ought to have no secrets from the Americans.  NZ is the willing proxy, exercising America's will.  It is a pitiful and pathetic situation for any nation state when its Minister of Defence declares the nation effectively has no national interests - or none that can be decoupled from a distant power.

And not so [un]coincidentally...

NZ Herald:
--
The next United States ambassador to New Zealand has been named as Mark D. Gilbert - a former professional baseball player, banking executive and Democratic Party fundraiser.
He has just been nominated by President Barack Obama and nominees have to be approved by the Senate's relations committee.
According to the State Department, Mr Gilbert played major leagues baseball with the Chicago White Sox in 1985.
He is currently a director at Barclays Wealth, formerly Lehman Brothers, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was senior vice president of Goldman Sachs in Miami from 1989 to 1996 and before that worked for Drexel Burnham Lambert, as an investment banker.
--

A new ugly American on a free holiday from Uncle Sam.  Chances are - going by his CV - this guy has possibly schmoozed with John Key before in East Coast banking circles.  That's right - he was one of the people who helped create the credit-fuelled boom - and must also be responsible for the credit-collapsing bust.  Everyone seems enraptured by Gilbert's fleeting baseball fame (he's got a baseball card according to the blog of the out-going US Ambassador), but here is some other information I found interesting:

Sun-Sentinel:
--
2009:
He developed a close relationship with the candidate, who now president – and was a large bundler, raising more than $500,000 for the campaign.

[...]
He served as finance chairman for Ron Klein’s 2006 congressional campaign, in which Klein raised millions and defeated then-U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale.
And on Sunday, Gilbert was appointed deputy national finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee.
Mark Alan Siegel, chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, said Gilbert is known for more than his political activity. He’s a big player in the Jewish philanthropic community, Siegel said.

[...]
2007:
The Gilberts, both originally from Pennsylvania, have been attending the synagogue since they moved to Boca Raton 22 years ago.
"We walked through the doors when our second daughter was born and we needed a place to have her named, and we never walked out," Nancy Gilbert said.
"It was natural for Mark and Nancy to be selected this year because of their top level of service," said Stephen Lippy, the temple's executive director.
Mark Gilbert served three terms as temple president and 12 years as a board member. He also led the major gifts committee for seven years and the budget and finance committee for five years, Lippy said.
The Gilberts are a high-powered couple. Nancy owns The Masorti Travel Bureau/Travels and Dialogues, which coordinates tours to Israel. She developed the itinerary of the first trip of what is now known as Birthright Israel, an organization that arranges free trips to Israel for first-time visiting Jewish students ages 18 to 25.
--

Tampa Bay Times:
--
Since 2007, Gilbert has raised more than $3.3 million for Obama, records show. In 2012, Gilbert's daughter, Dani, had to apologize after a conservative news outlet uncovered Facebook photos that depicted her and friends holding money under the caption "Jewbags." Dani Gilbert was an aide to Florida Rep. and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.-- Washington Free Beacon:--The Democratic Party’s newly appointed Jewish outreach liaison is pictured on Facebook in a series of provocative photos with her friends holding dollar bills and referring to themselves as “Jewbags” and the “Jew cash money team.”
Dani Gilbert, who has been a staffer in the office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.), was recently appointed as the Democratic National Committee’s Jewish outreach liaison, according to her Twitter feed.
[...]
In one photo, Gilbert is seen kissing paper currency of undetermined denomination. The caption at the bottom of the photo reads “JEWBAGS.” A comment left on the posting refers to Gilbert and a coterie of female companions as the “Jew cash money team.” Other photos depict Gilbert as a bit of a party girl, including one featuring an assortment of condoms.
[...]
Update (9:31 p.m.): A senior GOP aide with close ties to the Jewish community emailed the Washington Free Beacon in response to this report.
“A lot of folks on both sides of the aisle know Dani and these photos do not reflect her professionalism,” the aide wrote.
--

So... His wife's actively collaborating in the destruction of Palestine by the colonial process of population transfer and his daughter is a trust fund dolly with a bullshit job for one of her father's Democratic Party friends - a job fundraising.  Nothing says America more than big money and Israel.