Of course protecting our ally Israel in special ways is exactly what these laws are intended to do. People get all bent out of shape when someone criticizes the

Of course protecting our ally Israel in special ways is exactly what these laws are intended to do. People get all bent out of shape when someone criticizes the US, and the same happens with regards to Israel. Countries make mistakes, it's a good idea to have open discussion of those problems. Saying your can't criticize the us because it's unamerican or helps our enemies or some such is just nonsense, and it also applies to other countries in the world.