It's amazing that this was even necessary
Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 2:51pm
I can't help but be stunned by how, in 2016, we've arrived at this point.
The Stop Arming Terrorists Act (SATA) has been introduced today in the House of Representatives by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D – HI). The bill is a bipartisan effort, co-sponsored by Reps. Peter Welch (D – VT), Barbara Lee (D – CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R – CA), and Thomas Massie (R – KY) which would forbid the US government from using taxpayer dollars to arm, fund, or train terrorist organizations.
Don't use taxpayer money to arm people who want to kill us.
What an amazing idea!
Rep. Gabbard noted that it has been against the law for years for individual Americans to fund terrorist organizations, but that the US has been routinely doing so for years in Syria, providing arms to many terrorist-linked groups within Syria’s rebellion.
The bill appears aimed primarily at ending the CIA program smuggling arms to Syrian rebels, something President-elect Donald Trump has also expressed support for. The bill singles out ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the “rebranded” version of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front) and forbids support to them, their allies, or foreign nations who are themselves providing support for the groups.
Fifteen years. Fifteen years!
We've been killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians all over the globe, giving up all of our privacy rights, and spending the nation broke with no real hope for victory, for nearly an entire generation, and finally someone says, "Hey, let's stop giving our enemies guns."
What took so long?
The part prohibiting funding of foreign nations involved in backing the groups could be hugely impactful, as it would include nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, which have openly backed a number of the rebel groups targeted.
Oh, that's why.
Comments
It is about time the blatant Obama/Clinton hypocrisy
It is about time the blatant Obama/Clinton hypocrisy is ended. The situation in Saudi is one of covert, in place of overt support for terrorist groups. Saudi involvement in other countries in addition to Iraq and Syria, such as Yemen has been neither subtle nor unnoticed. One aim obviously is the anti-Shia quest to overthrow religious "enemies". Another aim seems to be to preserve Saudi influence by supporting both sides. We are seeing this in secular form here in the US since 911 and perhaps before. Our country, without the consent of its citizens has played "both ends against the middle". Like billionaires backing both Killary and Trump, to have a foot in the door, regardless of which side prevails. Saudi is a re-seller of American (and other) armaments to its favored Sunni states and organizations. Though a sectarian motive does not apply in the US, the greed of the MIC must be satisfied. So that arms can be sent both to putative allies and purported enemies. Consider the oxymoron of "moderate Syrian rebels". They are like the easter bunny except far more evastating.
A hero has been emerging from the shambles of American politics, boldly carrying a true progressive mantle first worn by Bernie Sanders. This woman is brave. First she defies the DNC and supports Bernie. She has been a peaceful warrior at Standing Rock. Now, she and colleagues are taking on the MIC. More power to her. We progressives have a bold young champion from Hawaii.
Tulsi 2020
I approve your message, Alligator Ed, you said it /nt
A new progressive "hero" of the dem party?
Oh come on, not again.
Al, she is a new champion for the people
not necessarily for the DemocRATic party. Her Hawaiian seat in the House is safe. Maybe she will be the new voice of a new Progressive Party.
what do you mean by "was necessary"?
It still is necessary, no? Has the bill been passed already?
You are amazed at good ideas? Well, I give you some slack, we have been drowned with bad ideas over and over, so it's time to back the good ones.
I would support that bill and would make some noise about it. Just hollering at you to do so from the other side at the pond.
SATA (Stop All Those Attaboys), who love to arm the world and don't care for the consequences.
It's not really amazing.
The United States fights wars these days to create enemies so the warfare-industrial complex can stay on the Federal gravy train and so the police can be continually upgraded with military hardware and top-of-the-line torture techniques. Chicago was the incubator for Guantanamo Bay, no? What's amazing, if anything, is that there are so many poor shmoes out there who believe in the whole "patriotism" charade which keeps this going. Sure, the poor shmoes might be putting on the charade too: fight to "defend America" because there are no other jobs available and new couples need to pay rent and feed babies and so on...
"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate
Pentagon's Job is to "Dream Up the Future of Warfare and Build
the fighting forces to win it."
That's from Thomas P. Barnett, author and presenter of the Pentagon's New Map. It was a power point presentation that was a big hit during the heady, early days of the illegal invasion of Iraq.
It also mentions that the US is providing "security services" in exchange for financing our debt. We are in the war business to finance our debt. Oy vey!
I'm completely with you, Cassio, and what you say is not hyperbole in the least. We are shaping the future battlefield for international and domestic "success". Completely gross.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
This has been going on since at least since WWI
Though, not categorically terrorists wars, the U.S. has been economically involved in wars since forever. Many letters were submitted to W. Wilson from suture suppliers to bullet makers and the bankers that financed them insisting upon U.S. involvement because if Britain fell, they'd never get their money back. I imagine Prescott Bush's letters were among them. The U.S. being a debtor nation up until WWI, when--
The United States also bought German debt to help them pay for their warring.
There exists no end of examples.
I'll be surprised if Gabbard's heroic and blatantly common sensical bill passes, the congress being as beholden as they are. It certainly is going to create a ruckus. Good Gawd! Everyone from Raytheon to Lockheed/Grumman must be on high alert right about now. Scramble the lobbyists! This is not a drill!
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
This news should be more wide
This news should be more wide spread through as many channels as possible. I myself have stated that the M.I.C. has been creating bogeymen to fight for years just so that they'd have an excuse to stay feeding at the taxpayer trough. Now that news is a confession that it is all been elaborate Orwellian Bullshit and a major hoodwinking of the American Public.
So now wit can be seen,m even for those who tried to avoid seeing it, that no, the US is not, and has not been the "Good guys" for decades if ever at all, (Native American Genocide attempt anyone?).
The C.I.A. has been a pawn or willing agent provocateur for the M.I.C. and other big corporations for decades, regime changes, inspiring revolts of nations we don't like the leaders of, (Even good for the people leaders), and fomenting wars to avoid taxes in those other nations. and now, blood has been paid for blood a thousand fold, I know those who lost part of the 3+k people on 9/11 may get mad at this, but would any of them have wanted nearly 2million others from all sides to die for that reason?
Now we have liberties lost, live in a police state, the right to Habeus Corpus, (A cornerstone of Democracy), is also gone.
I can only rail from my computer, my health does not allow standing or marching in actual protests, for those who can, I will be there in spirit. If a revolt breaks out, I cannot fight anymore for the same health related reasons. I do see a possible revolt, and I think it may shatter the nation in a way the Civil War did not. I hope I am wrong.
The Emperor has now been fully exposed, spread the word, we have seen the enemy , and he is US!
So long, and thanks for all the fish
I cried the day Obama suspended
The right to Habeus Corpus. My family was completely bewildered. They just didn't understand what it meant.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Sad that they had no clue the
Sad that they had no clue the power of that one simple legal appendix to our laws. So yeah, we are worse than medieval Europe with that law gone.
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Selective outrage from the public
Rivaled only by selective "news" coverage equals the necessity of bills like this one.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
reminds me of the Boland amendment
which didn't stop arms dealing by Reagen and company in central america.
bygorry
Amazing that a member of Congress
and her co-sponsors have to clarify the point. Amazing, infuriating, and outrageous.
In case the administration wants to make a case that they're not arming forces that are intermingled with Nusra, here's part of a recent briefing. Note the date:
War and weapons of war are our two main exports. The more
people we arm, the better our job statistics look--and everyone knows that job statistics are an important measure of a President and his political party. There's just so many times you can re-draw the playing field by changing the way the statistics are calculated and/or reported.
The above is sarcasm--by not by a lot.
How sleazeball DWS tried to discredit Gabbard for speaking out about DNC bias during the Democratic primaries! Thank heaven for wikileaks. And DWS still kept her seat! Then again, Nixon was re-elected while Watergate was making headlines.
Meanwhile, Brazile should have been fired, not made acting head. Shl is every bit as bad as DWS. She thinks her solution to violating the DNC charter is to "pick up the phone" for the more nefarious crap. Not to mention leaking info to Hillary. http://heavy.com/news/2016/10/donna-brazile-sent-debate-question-leak-ma...
I don't know whom they'll elect as DNC chair, but I'd bet it will be another centrist con artist, like Dean.
But, wait! Quick Look over there! Putin "likely" interfered with US elections (by allegedly releasing true info about the DNC and a candidate's campaign)!!!!111!!
It hardly matters
whether they are given or sold to one alleged side or another, or simply abandoned in the desert. Once the armored carriers, rpg's. etc are sent into an area, the damage is done. They will be there ready for use for the next few years, that is the point. Not who gets to use them. Would our answer to violence in Chicago be to make sure more high tech weapons are available to everyone in Cook County?
If you want to lose what little sleep you might still be
getting, look under the top sheet of our trade reports. Weapons and raw resources, both of which are dead losses to the national economy. We have the world's largest Banana Republic economy, and without drastic change in the very near future, we will follow the same well-worn path, with the difference that, when we fall, we take the world with us.
Every foot of timber, barrel of oil, ton of coal, iron, copper, or corn that we allow to be shipped to another place that will turn it into finished goods, is an ongoing loss.
Interesting video of thousands leaving East Aleppo today