Mark Anderson / The Progressive Populist & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US Congress & Tima Kurdi – 2017-07-20 00:30:35
http://www.populist.com/23.13.anderson.html
Congress Stonewalls Bill to Stop Funding Terrorists
Mark Anderson / The Progressive Populist
(July 20, 2017) — Bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate — that would bar the federal government from giving money and weapons to known terrorists — has virtually no support on Capitol Hill.
On the Senate side, Rand Paul (R-Ky.) put forward S 532, which is the same legislation that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) introduced in the House — the Stop Arming Terrorists Act (HR 608).
Her bill was quietly referred to the House Committee on Intelligence back on Jan. 23, the day she introduced it. Sen. Paul’s bill was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee March 6.
Supporters range from Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who help comprise the anti-war Republican back-benchers, to highly liberal notables such as Reps. Bobby Rush (D.-Ill.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
“For years, our government has been providing both direct and indirect support to . . . armed militant groups, who are working directly with or under the command of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, all in their effort and fight to overthrow the Syrian government,” Rep. Gabbard bravely stated in an interview earlier this year.
She’s well-known for having made an equally courageous private trip to Syria, against the grain of the Western interventionist foreign policy establishment, to see firsthand the devastation wrought by Western-backed terrorists and to fact-check constant orthodox media reports that paint Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as the region’s premier “bad guy” who allegedly gases his own people.
A veteran of the Iraq War and major in the Hawaii National Guard, Rep. Gabbard “has long been committed to peace and ending counterproductive, interventionist wars,” her spokesperson Emily Latimer explained earlier this year to the world news outlet RT.
And it cannot be over-stated that Al-Qaeda is the faction the US government, in its official narrative parroted by the compliant mainstream media, blames for the 9/11 attacks. Thus, for the US government to give aid to that very same faction, or to anyone in its employ, is the height of ultra-hypocrisy and could be seen as an extreme betrayal of America.
Gabbard is helping to illustrate what is becoming increasingly clearer: To keep the ultimate control of money, trade and natural resources in the clutches of the private international banking cartel — from which “our” government borrows to stay afloat rather than directly issuing interest-free public money into the economy — the US government covertly “subcontracts” with non-uniformed armed factions to fight proxy wars in collusion with the UK and other nations.
The Gabbard-Paul bills each prohibit the use of federal agency funds to provide “covered assistance” to:
*Al Qaeda, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or any individual or group that is affiliated with, associated with, cooperating with, or adherents to such groups; or
*The government of any country that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) determines has, within the most recent 12 months, provided covered assistance to such a group or individual.
* According to the Library of Congress, “covered assistance” is defined as “defense articles, defense services, training or logistical support, or any other military assistance provided by grant, loan, credit, transfer, or cash sales,” along with “intelligence sharing” or “cash assistance.”
“It is not a secret, nor a conspiracy theory, America arms bad guys,” Information Clearing House-World News Daily commented on June 21. “Given the insidious history of the American empire and its creation and fostering of terrorist regimes . . . it should come as no surprise that the overwhelming majority of politicians would refuse to sign on to a law that requires them to Stop Arming Terrorists. It is quite possibly the simplest and most rational bill ever proposed by Congress.”
As of July 4, HR 608 still had just 14 co-sponsors, while S 532 had zero, with only Sen. Paul’s name listed as the sponsor. So, I’d strongly recommend that interested readers contact Congress on this matter. Besides contacting the local offices of House and Senate members, use the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 225-3121 where you can ask for any Congress member by name.
Mark Anderson is a veteran journalist who divides his time between Texas and Michigan. Email him at truthhound2@yahoo.com.
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
How to Stop the Fraudulent Global War on Terror
Richard Ochs / Anti-War Conference
RICHMOND, VA. (June 18, 2017) — The anti-war movement has a golden opportunity at this critical historical juncture to force an end to the Global War on Terror (GWOT) because of 2 bills in Congress, one pending and one already passed.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Dem. HI) introduced HR-608, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. According to Rep. Gabbard, Hillary’s leaked emails, former Senator Graham and many reports, Saudi Arabia has been covertly inciting and arming Wahhabi fundamentalists in ISIS and other violent extremists in many countries.
The Justice Against Supporters of Terrorism Act (JASTA) has already been passed by Congress. It allows the 9/11 victims’ families to sue the Saudi government for sending up to $500,000 before 9/11 to aid two Muslims later blamed for the Pentagon attack, as revealed in the 28 Pages released last summer.
This information would be a bombshell if it gets widely publicized because the bourgeois media has been repeating endlessly that the U.S. is fighting ISIS when all the while the US has been directly and indirectly arming ISIS and jihadists. If the working class knew that they are being bamboozled by a double game played by US/Saudi collaboration, they would rebel against such deception.
I strongly urge the United National Anti-War Coalition (UNAC) to initiate a loud publicity campaign, including direct actions and outreach to unions, churches, schools, local governments and others to expose this subterfuge.
Do not forget, the US public was traumatized on 9/11 into supporting the Global War on Terror (GWOT), despite the blowback it might engender. The Left would be remiss if we did not seize this opportunity to wage a campaign to turn the working class against these endless wars. This could also curb the Saudi genocide in Yemen, its proxy war in Syria, its destabilization of oil competitors such as Venezuela and its drive toward war on Iran.
Let’s campaign to “Stop Arming Saudi ISIS Terror! — We’ve been bamboozled!”
ACTION ALERT: Add Your Name to
Stop the US Government from Arming Terrorists
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US Congress
WASHINGTON (February 2017) — This week, I introduced new legislation called The Stop Arming Terrorists Act. This legislation will prohibit the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to arm and support groups cooperating with or affiliated with terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. I believe our nation’s leaders must stop aiding terrorist organizations who are wreaking havoc, destruction, and death at every turn.
This madness must end. We must stop arming terrorists. Add your name to our petition in support of my bill to require our government to abide by the same laws that apply to its’ citizens.
ACTION: Add Your Name to Stop the US Government from Arming Terrorists
Regime Change War Has Broken My Country
Tima Kurdi
(February 8, 2017) — I am the aunt of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who tragically drowned September 2, 2015. The devastating image of my 2-year old nephew’s lifeless body, lying face-down on the beach in Turkey, was all over the news across the world.
Two weeks ago, I got home from work and my husband showed me a video of Tulsi Gabbard talking about her visit to my home country of Syria. The things she was saying about the United States policy of regime change and how the West and the Gulf countries are funding the rebel groups who wind up with the terrorists are true. I was shocked because it’s something no other US politician has the courage to say.
Regime change policy has destroyed my country and forced my people to flee. Tulsi’s message was exactly what I have been trying to say for years, but no one wants to listen.
I live in Canada now, but I was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. Growing up, our country was peaceful, beautiful and safe. Our neighbors were Christian, Muslim, Sunni, Shia; all kinds of religion and color. We all lived together and respected each other. Syria is a secular country.
In 2011, the war started in Syria. Most of my family was still in Damascus. I was always in close contact with them and talked to them on the phone on a daily basis.
For a year, I heard many tragic stories of people, friends, and neighbors who I grew up with having died in this war. Ultimately, my family had to flee to Turkey. I did what everyone would do for their own family to help, I sent them money and I listened to their struggles to survive as refugees in Turkey.
In 2014, I went to Turkey to visit my family and tried to help them. What I saw and experienced is not what we all saw in the news or we heard in the radio. It was worse than I could ever have imagined.
I saw people in the streets without homes, without hope. Children were hungry, begging for a piece of bread. I heard many heartbreaking stories from other refugees who were suffering so much and many who had lost loved ones in the war.
After I returned to Canada, I decided I wanted to bring my family here as refugees, but I couldn’t get them approved to come in. Eventually, my brother Abdullah and his wife Rehana, like thousands of Syrians, decided they had to take the risk and trust a smuggler they thought would bring them to freedom, safety, and hope.
In September 2, 2015, I heard the tragic news that my sister-in-law Rehana and her two sons drowned crossing from Turkey to Greece. The image of my two-year-old nephew Alan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish beach was all over the media across the world. It was the wake up call to the world. Enough suffering. Enough killing. And most importantly, it was my wake up call.
Since that time, I decided to speak up on behalf of all the Syrian refugees and be their voice, to call upon other countries to open their hearts and doors to my people, and also, to end the regime change war that’s causing more people to flee.
I do not support one side or the other in the Syrian conflict. But I’m very frustrated by the Western media’s one-sided coverage of this war.
The US, the West, and the Gulf countries are funding rebels associated with al-Qaeda and ISIS, giving them weapons to empower them to keep fighting and destroy and divide Syria. I know first-hand. I’ve been trying to tell the world about what is happening in Syria, but the media doesn’t want people to hear the truth.
That’s why I got in touch with Tulsi to tell her that I support her message to stop arming terrorists, to stop supporting regime change. Like me, many Syrians are encouraged that Tulsi met with President Bashar Assad in Syria. Tulsi recognizes that we need to talk to him because a political solution is the only way to restore peace in Syria.
If the West keeps funding the rebels, we will see more people flee, more bloodshed, and more suffering. My people have suffered for at least six years. This is not about supporting Bashar. This is about ending the war in Syria.
We can’t continue like this, supporting regime change. We have seen it before in Iraq, in Libya, and look what happened to them. They feel there is no end at sight.
My country is being destroyed, my people are displaced and nobody wants them. Regime change war is going to kill more people and cause more people to flee. That’s all I can say.
Thank you Tulsi, and thank you everyone for your action and for reading my message.
Please help support those who have been forced to flee their homes and please understand what this regime change policy is doing to the people in my country.
Thank you,
Tima Kurdi
