Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 32 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 11/23/22

Kicking Ilhan Omar off a Committe Will Not Help

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message David Swanson
Become a Fan
  (140 fans)

Incoming Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has threatened to kick Congresswoman Ilhan Omar off the House Foreign Affairs Committee, with the excuse that she's "anti-Semitic" and "anti-American." Of course, these charges are false, but they are dangerous, and sufficient reason in themselves to stand up for Ilhan Omar on this.

But there are other reasons to keep the Congresswoman on that committee (and they may secretly be reasons that McCarthy wants her off). Yes, she's voted for weapons for war in Ukraine among other horrible things, and it is a very low bar, but among all U.S. Congress Members, Omar is the leading internationalist, a lonely advocate, much of the time at least, for good U.S. global citizenship. She has:

Congresswoman Omar has sought to protect whistleblowers, immigrants, and victims of war and of bigotry. The statements she has made that have been the focus of wildly false accusations against her are praiseworthy. They include this one:

"We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban."

And this one:

"Even as we stand with the Ukrainian people, we must avoid the knee-jerk calls to make this conflict even worse. One thing we should have learned throughout our history is that policy decisions we make simply based on fear or rage rarely end well. Increasingly we are hearing voices calling for the United States and NATO to enter into war with Russia. For the most part, they are not saying this directly. They are using euphemisms like 'no-fly zone.' . . . There are voices now that are shockingly casual about the risk of nuclear war. I'm asking the American people: Do not believe them!"

Having this voice in Congress and on the Foreign Affairs Committee radically alters that body and that committee. If we want a government run exclusively by militaristic and narrowly nationalistic officials, then by all means, we should sit by as Omar is booted off a committee.

But if we dream of a U.S. government that works well with others, that joins the global community, that adheres to the rule of law, that supports treaties on human rights and disarmament, then now is a time for demanding that your Representative take a stand.

Rate It | View Ratings

David Swanson Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

David Swanson is the author of "When the World Outlawed War," "War Is A Lie" and "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union." He blogs at http://davidswanson.org and http://warisacrime.org and works for the online (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Obama's Open Forum Opens Possibilities

Public Forum Planned on Vermont Proposal to Arrest Bush and Cheney

Feith Dares Obama to Enforce the Law

Did Bush Sr. Kill Kennedy and Frame Nixon?

Can You Hold These 12 Guns? Don't Shoot Any Palestinians. Wink. Wink.

Eleven Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend