Information Clearing House & Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives – 2017-05-31 01:13:03
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47144.htm
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Condemns
New US Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
Press Release / Information Clearing House
WASHINGTON, DC (May 29, 2017) — Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) condemned the Trump Administration’s new $460 billion arms deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — $110 billion immediately and $350 billion over the next 10 years — a country with a devastating record of human rights violations at home and abroad, and a long history of providing support to terrorist organizations that threaten the American people.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest sponsor and propagator of the extremist Wahhabi Salafist ideology that fuels terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Based on Saudi Arabia’s history and track record, there is a significant likelihood these weapons will be used against innocent civilians or end up in the hands of terrorist groups.
[According to] Rep. Tulsi Gabbard:
“Saudi Arabia has spent hundreds of billions of dollars spreading their extreme Wahhabi Salafist ideology around the world, creating fertile ground for terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda to recruit, while simultaneously providing direct support to terrorist groups who pose a direct threat to US interests and who are fighting to overthrow the Syrian government.
“The hypocrisy in the Trump administration’s actions toward Saudi Arabia began in February 2017 with the newly-appointed CIA Director Mike Pompeo presenting Saudi Crown Prince bin Nayef with the George Tenet Award in recognition of Prince bin Nayef’s ‘excellent intelligence performance, in the domain of counter-terrorism and his unbound contribution to realise world security and peace.’
“This hypocrisy continues now as the Trump administration talks tough against ISIS and terrorism, while selling weapons to, supporting, and praising a country that beheads dissidents, oppresses women, persecutes religious minorities, atheists, and LGBT people, and is the greatest supporter of terror groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS in the world today.
“This arms deal will enable Saudi Arabia to use US-made weapons in their war crimes against Yemeni civilians in a brutal civil war, and continue perpetuating human rights atrocities at home and abroad.”
Background
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has introduced H.R. 608, the bipartisan Stop Arming Terrorists Act, which would prohibit any Federal agency from using taxpayer dollars to provide weapons, cash, intelligence, or any support to armed militants who are allied with al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups, and it will prohibit the US government from funneling money and weapons through other countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar who are directly or indirectly supporting terrorists.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard also recently sent a letter to Secretary Mattis urging an end to the United States’ military participation in Yemen’s civil war, where 19 million people need emergency support and which has never been authorized by Congress, and calling for a Congressional briefing on the White House’s strategy in Yemen.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
The Meaning of Memorial Day
Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives
(May 30, 2017) — Amidst the noise of retail sales, outdoor picnics, and the start of summer over a long weekend, it’s easy for people to miss the point of Memorial Day. But in the quiet moments, families, friends, and fellow service members and veterans feel the pain and emotion of losing someone who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation.
No matter what generation or conflict these heroes gave their lives, the weight of their sacrifice is felt as acutely as it was on the day we lost them.
The cost of war is as infinite as the pain in our hearts, the joy of our memories, the pride in their courage and selflessness, and the bonds of camaraderie that exist between veterans of all generations.
Every year, the week before Memorial Day, I go with a handful of my colleagues early in the morning to Arlington Cemetery to pay silent tribute to those who gave all. Away from the parades, the cameras, and the crowds, the burden that our fallen heroes shouldered to serve this nation is as heavy as the weight we feel in the air of Arlington’s hallowed ground.
In Hawai’i, we remember those who were killed in Iraq, like First Lieutenant Nainoa Hoe and Staff Sergeant Frank Tiai.
We remember SP5 Kimo Gabriel, the first Green Beret and the first Hawaiian killed in Vietnam.
We remember PFC Herbert K. Pilila’au, who was the first Hawaiian to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Korean War.
We think of “Uncle Herb” Weatherwax, a Native Hawaiian Pearl Harbor survivor, and those we lost on that day, whose legacies he carried with him at each event in their honor.
Uncle Herb fulfilled his dying wish last December to attend the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 75th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony, to honor those members of the Greatest Generation who sacrificed all on that tragic day. He left us just one week later.
Let us all take the time today for reflection, and to consider how best we can honor and celebrate the lives of our friends and loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Let us make the most of the life and time we have been blessed with, and do our best to live our own lives in service to others.
Aloha,
Tulsi
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
