Uppity Wisconsin
Making Wisconsin Progressive Again
Gwen Moore, profile in courage on Gaza vote
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 5:29pm | xoff
Milwaukee Congresswoman Gwen Moore deserves a Profiles in Courage award for being one of only five House members to vote against a resolution basically absolving Israel of any responsibility for the violence in Gaza and blaming it all on Hamas.
Russell Wallace at Reform Dem blog has the details of the resolution. Highlights include:
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against Hamas's unceasing aggression, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter;
(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, and verifiably dismantle its terrorist infrastructure;
The House vote was 390-5, with 16 others either absent and 22 Dems voting "present." Call that profiles in cowardice.
The entire Wisconsin delegation voted "yes" except for Moore and Steve Kagen, who was absent after a recent surgery.
Joining Moore in voting no were Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Ron Paul (R-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Nick Rahall (D-WV).
Go here to tell Moore thank you.
Veterans for Peace, a national organization of veterans who have served in peacetime and in war, got it right with its statement on Gaza:
VFP does not take the side of any government, but rather takes the side of all people in the region who are victims of the most recent outbreak of violence raging between Palestine and Israel.Unfortunately, this is one area where a new president is unlikely to bring the change we need.As U.S. military veterans all too familiar with the horrors of war, Veterans For Peace must shout "HALT" to the violence, restating our position that attacks on civilians are never warranted. Neither Israel nor Hamas is justified in attacking the civilian population of the other. Bombings, rocket attacks, blockading medical supplies and military invasions will not lead to peace and security but will perpetuate the cycle of death, destruction, fear and insecurity among the people of all countries, including the U.S.
As citizens of the United States, VFP also recognizes that tens of billions of our tax dollars provide Israel the military means to wage a vastly disproportionate attack on Gaza , a district with particularly dense population. That attack, plainly condemned by nearly all of the world's nations, has killed many hundreds of civilians, injured hundreds more and set off a humanitarian crisis where the wounded are dying from lack of transport to aid centers and many more face death from lack of water.
We note with great sadness the unspeakable suffering which builds by the hour in Gaza . We support the call for an end to the violence while noting that the Security Council's inability to take effective actions to uphold the UN Charter, its own previously adopted resolutions and international law is due in great part due to the objections of the U.S.
Tags:
How Stupid
Submitted by John Reilly (not verified) on Wed, 01/21/2009 - 1:54pm.
I don't have a horse in the Israel-Arabian conflict.
But the "Veterans for Peace" or whoever are full of crap.
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"restating our position that attacks on civilians are never warranted."
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The VFP knows that Hamas is launching attacks from civillian areas, which legally and morally allows a response from Israel into civillian areas.
It is an old Arab bait and switch routine, and I would demand the U.S. Government do the same as Israel were San Diego rocketed from populated areas of Tijuana.
Hamas started this shit, with the backing of the Arabs in Gaza, and no one in Gaza has the right to whine when Israel gives them a taste of their own medicine.
Stop complaining, Arabs.
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So basically, you're point
Submitted by chaos4700 (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 2:38pm.
So basically, you're point boils down to "Blame the Arabs" and "Kill the Arabs." How sophisticated. I think we'll see soon enough whether the world courts will approve the notion that a slew of rockets shot toward Israel causing less than a dozen deaths, somehow justifies Israel killing hundreds of children and maiming thousands more -- and that's only considering the children, not the women and men civilians, nor the widespread, systematic destruction of Gaza's entire infrastructure, and repeated, directed attacks against the UN itself. I wouldn't get your hopes up that Israel will be exonerated.
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Thank you
Submitted by mal contends on Sun, 01/18/2009 - 8:57am.
Congresswoman Moore. You and Dennis Kucinich and few others stand out by speaking up for justice and truth.
It seems that when the democrats take what they perceive (wrongly) as the easy way on militarism, tragedy usually results.
This is happening again.
Let's hope Rep. Moore runs for higher office (like the Senate) someday.
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"Despite the line you cite
Submitted by Dan (not verified) on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 5:37pm.
"Despite the line you cite out of context, in no way did she vote against the existence of Israel"
No, but with her support of Hamas, who does want Israel to be out of existence she seems to favor it.
A very simple way to solve this problemand that is if Hamas stops shooting rockets into Israel, the incursion will stop. That is very simple.
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This talk of Hamas is a
Submitted by MD68 (not verified) on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 4:00pm.
This talk of Hamas is a joke. A band of ill equipped idiots taking on a 1st world military; whose rocket technology isn't even guided. At best these home made rockets are an inconvenience for Israel.
Add to it the billions given to this state and then a topper in that the UN is even referenced in the support of Israel destroying a people that have no where to go.
How about Israel taking heed of the 131+ UN resolutions against it? It's indiscriminant killing of civilians in pursuit of its goals. A country that plays the anti-semitism, victim, holocaust cards every chance it gets. A country that is a huge benefactor of the United States, while at the same time spying against that benefactor (Jon Pollard et al). We call Israel's government a democracy? They refuse the right to return of the people they evicted, and the ones that remained that are citizens don't enjoy full rights and are discriminated against regularly. Read Haartz or the JP regularly and you'll see these stories.
How about if Israel admits it purposely attacked the USS Liberty in 1967 in order to complete its land grab of the Golan Heights during the six day war?
And the list can continue.
And the Israel apologists bring up Hamas and their toy rockets. The very terror organization that they propped up to counter the PLO. The Israeli government with the blessing of the masses have effectively walled the problem off and then blockaded it.
A beaten down people with a rag tag militia firing toy rockets. Give us a break.
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good for you
Submitted by aisha (not verified) on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 2:38pm.
I think Moore deserves a medal for being courageous enough for making a stand that no-one else is willing to take. The global community seems to be suffering from either a collective form of blindness or else really doesn't care about the hundreds of innocent children who've died since this siege began.
Thank you Congresswoman Moore.
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good for you
Submitted by aisha (not verified) on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 2:34pm.
I think Moore deserves a medal for being courageous enough for making a stand that no-one else is willing to take. The global community seems to be suffering from either a collective form of blindness or else really doesn't care about the hundreds of innocent children who've died since this siege began.
Thank you Congresswoman Moore.
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"present?"
Submitted by xoff on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 9:59am.
As though she had no opinion? That would really be courageous, wouldn't it?
Despite the line you cite out of context, in no way did she vote against the existence of Israel.
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Well, I guess a little
Submitted by Dan (not verified) on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 8:07am.
Well, I guess a little anti-semitism is a good thing. She also could have voted present, but she choose to vote against the Jewish state.
From the resolution:
"1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against Hamas's unceasing aggression, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter;"
But is it surprising when your son is named Supreme Solar Allah.
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Disgraceful, baseless accusation
Submitted by chaos4700 (not verified) on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 12:22pm.
Your "Jewish state" just bombed the UN relief agency headquarters in Gaza. Israel has become a militant, rogue, nuclear-armed state that has committed atrocities and war crimes. They're even on the road away from democracy to fascism now -- they've banned the two main Arab political parties from the elections, thereby depriving the single largest minority among their population a voice in the government.
How dare you accuse Gwen Moore of antisemitism. Maybe you don't know what the word "Semitic" refers to, but as it happens Arabs are a Semitic people too. Your post is just another example of the bullying tactics of the pro-Israel lobby in the US -- an unprecedented influence that Israeli politicians now brag openly about, having shamed Condileeza Rice in what might have been a genuine shining moment in her career as Secretary of State by "telling" Bush to force her to submit an abstention to the cease fire. And now look where it's led -- the last refuges of safety in the Gaza strip and the very symbol of international presence and security are under assault by Israel's military.
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