Killed by Congressional Cowardice![]() |
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Senator Tim Kaine had been leading the charge to demand that Congress
vote before any new war. (As noted, the House did, and the Senate did
not follow suit.) Now Kaine says a discussion of that following the U.S.
Congressional elections will be sufficient. Until then, the United
States will fuel the violence on both sides of a complex war, while
repeating incessantly "There is no military solution" and deploying the
military and military weaponry in a counterproductive effort to find a
solution.
Remarked Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who voted No on
weapons to Syria: "The consequences of this vote will be a further
expansion of a war currently taking place and our further involvement in
a sectarian war. . . . What is missing from this debate is the
political, economic, diplomatic and regionally-led solutions that will
ultimately be the tools for security in the region and for any potential
future threats to the United States."
Also missing was an organized opposition. Republicans voted yes and no, as did Democrats, as did the so-called Progressive Caucus, as did the Black Caucus. These people need to hear the message that cowardice is not a campaign strategy. They must be confronted with the demand that they stop this war, just as they were a year ago, when scary ISIS videos weren't manipulating Americans into once again doing the bidding of terrorists who gain strength from U.S. attacks. A year ago we spoke up. We confronted Congress members at town hall meetings. We stopped them.
Now they've literally cut and run. They're taking a two-month vacation in order to pretend they have nothing to do with the escalating violence. They need to hear from us in person. But we can start by sending them a note to let them know what we think.
Remember, their duty is not to vote approval for a new war, which will then somehow make everything OK. Their duty is to uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact, the U.N. Charter, the wisdom of most of the world, the lessons of the past decade, and basic common decency by stopping the war.
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