Friends,
Is it
possible that we finally got to Rep. Steny Hoyer? He is a co-sponsor of
this legislation?
Kagiso, Max
'Glimmer of Hope'
for Yemen as Khanna Invokes War Powers Act to End US Support for Saudi-Led
Slaughter of Civilians
commondreams.org
Wednesday,
September 26, 2018
"This
resolution should be a no-brainer for Congress. What more do they need to
finally end this tragedy?"
A
young boy runs with his tyre past buildings damaged by air strikes in Saada Old
Town, Yemen. (Photo: Giles Clarke/OCHA)
Amid
reports that civilian deaths have "surged dramatically" in Yemen since June,
when the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive to take control of the port
city Hodeidah, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Wednesday officially introduced
a highly anticipated resolution invoking
the War Powers Act of 1973, in hopes of ending American support for the
coalition's attacks and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
Breaking!
@RepRoKhanna has just
introduced legislation invoking the War Powers Act and directing the Trump
administration to pull US troops from the civil war in #Yemen. It is time for our
unconscionable participation in this war to end. https://theintercept.com/2018/09/26/yemen-us-military-house-resolution/ …
The resolution (pdf) "directs the
president to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic
of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations authorized
under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force...not later than 30 days
after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution unless and until a
declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States
Armed Forces has been enacted into law."
"The
unauthorized U.S. role in the war has given rise to the worst humanitarian
disaster in the world, made the U.S. complicit in countless war crimes and
violations of international law, and undermined our national security
interests."
—Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action
—Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action
The
measure was immediately applauded by peace advocates and human rights groups
that have long charged, as Paul Kawika Martin of Peace Action outlined Wednesday, that "the
unauthorized U.S. role in the war has given rise to the worst humanitarian
disaster in the world, made the U.S. complicit in countless war crimes and
violations of international law, and undermined our national security
interests."
"This
House resolution offers a glimmer of hope to the suffering people of Yemen
because if the U.S. withdraws its support for the Saudi-led bombing, a
negotiated settlement is sure to follow," responded CODEPINK co-director
Medea Benjamin.
"Let's
make sure the August bombing of a busload of children marks a turning point in
U.S. policy," she added, referencing an August attack that killed 40 boys aged six to 11.
Legislation
that would end US involvement in Yemen is gaining traction! Thank you to all
the representatives taking a stand against this war. #YemenCantWait
"This
resolution should be a no-brainer for Congress. What more do they need to
finally end this tragedy?" said Elizabeth Beavers, associate policy
director for Indivisible. "If they're not persuaded by the fact that the
U.S. is engaging in unauthorized warfare, the growing civilian body count
should demand their attention."
William
D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for
International Policy, noted: "Rarely does Congress have an opportunity
make a difference in the lives of millions of people. This legislation is one
such chance, and the time to act is now." "Rarely
does Congress have an opportunity make a difference in the lives of millions of
people. This legislation is one such chance, and the time to act is now."
—William D. Hartung, Center for International Policy
Last
year, Khanna was part of a small group of House members who were demanding an
end to U.S. complicity in the war and introduced a similar measure. "One
year later, the bloodshed continues with widespread destruction and disease
contributing to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. U.S.-fueled planes continue
to drop U.S.-made bombs on innocent victims," he said in a statement Wednesday. "This
time around, our coalition to end the war has expanded and the call for
withdrawing U.S. involvement is louder."
Backed
by a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers, Khanna asserted that
withdrawing U.S. support for the coalition "is now a mainstream position
within the Democratic Party," and that he is "confident the House
Republican leadership will allow this resolution to come to a vote and that
members of the House will hear from their constituents in support of our
position against this unauthorized war contributing to Yemen's humanitarian
catastrophe."
Rep.
Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services
Committee, is one of the resolution's co-sponsors. "The U.S. should be
aggressively pushing a peaceful solution to end this civil war instead of
supporting the Saudi-led coalition military campaign that has only destabilized
the crisis further," the congressman charged on Twitter Wednesday.
·Yemen is
facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world right now that has been
significantly exacerbated by the civil war. The impact of the Saudi-coalition’s
actions on the dire humanitarian crisis is undeniable. https://twitter.com/AlexEmmons/status/1044991735158460416 …
The
U.S. should be aggressively pushing a peaceful solution to end this civil war
instead of supporting the Saudi-led coalition military campaign that has only
destabilized the crisis further.
The
resolution's other co-sponsors—which include the ranking members of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Rules Committee—are: Reps. Steny Hoyer
(D-Md.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.),
Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii),
Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Ted
Lieu (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), Adriano
Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Gwen Moore
(D-Wis.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Pramila Jayapal
(D-Wash.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).
This
work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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