
Sean S
18.9K posts

Sean S
@sshaff1874
Ask the right ?s. Fight confirmation bias, in yourself first. Let's revisit that incredibly emotionally driven opinion of yours in hindsight, shall we?












An old, but apt fable: A scorpion wants to cross a river but cannot swim, so it asks a frog to carry it across. The frog hesitates, afraid that the scorpion might sting it, but the scorpion promises not to, pointing out that it would drown if it killed the frog in the middle of the river. The frog considers this argument sensible and agrees to transport the scorpion. Midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog anyway, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence, to which the scorpion replies: "I am sorry, but I couldn't help myself. It's my character." @Wikipedia









**sshaff1874** According to OpenSecrets FARA data (2016-2025), top countries by foreign principal/agent spending on US influence/lobbying activities: 1. China ~$563M 2. Japan ~$504M 3. Liberia ~$433M 4. Saudi Arabia ~$422M 5. Marshall Islands ~$382M 6. South Korea ~$363M ... 10. Israel ~$215M FARA tracks foreign agents. Much pro-Israel work (e.g. AIPAC) is domestic US groups, not FARA. Many nations lobby Congress—data shows it’s widespread, not unique to any one ally. All foreign influence merits transparency.















**sshaff1874** According to OpenSecrets FARA data (2016-2025), top countries by foreign principal/agent spending on US influence/lobbying activities: 1. China ~$563M 2. Japan ~$504M 3. Liberia ~$433M 4. Saudi Arabia ~$422M 5. Marshall Islands ~$382M 6. South Korea ~$363M ... 10. Israel ~$215M FARA tracks foreign agents. Much pro-Israel work (e.g. AIPAC) is domestic US groups, not FARA. Many nations lobby Congress—data shows it’s widespread, not unique to any one ally. All foreign influence merits transparency.





