[Peace-discuss] If the Russian War on Ukraine is “Genocide,” the Saudi War on Yemen is “Genocide”

Wed Apr 13 21:03:48 UTC 2022

RECALL FROM LOGIC (I F YOU EVER STUDIED LOGIC) THAT A CONCLUSION FOLLOWING AN INVALID PREMISE IS INVALID  

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
To: Mildred O'brien <moboct1 at aol.com>
Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Sent: Wed, Apr 13, 2022 3:56 pm
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] If the Russian War on Ukraine is “Genocide,” the Saudi War on Yemen is “Genocide”

Recall from undergrad philosophy: the assertion that "P implies Q" does not imply that P is true. Only that, if P is true, then Q is also true. 
We don't have any control over whether Biden said this. It's a "fact on the ground." :) 
On Wed, Apr 13, 2022 at 4:29 PM Mildred O'brien via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:

FALSE PREMISE:"IF" RUSSIAN WAR ON UKRAINE IS "GENOCIDE" IS NOT VALID JUST BECAUSE BIDEN SAYS SO

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
To: peace <peace at lists.chambana.net>; Peace Discuss <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Sent: Wed, Apr 13, 2022 2:57 pm
Subject: [Peace-discuss] If the Russian War on Ukraine is “Genocide,” the Saudi War on Yemen is “GenociPlease vote in the poll.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/4/13/2091771/-If-the-Russian-War-on-Ukraine-is-Genocide-the-Saudi-War-on-Yemen-is-Genocide
If the Russian War on Ukraine is “Genocide,” the Saudi War on Yemen is “Genocide”

President Biden has crossed a rhetorical Rubicon in describing the illegal actions of Putin and his “Willing Executioners” in Ukraine as “genocide.”

We can debate, if we want, whether President Biden’s description was “technically accurate.” We can debate, if we want, whether that was a good idea that was in “U.S. national interests,” whatever those are. We can debate, if we want, if this was yet another so-called “Biden gaffe.”

But there ain’t no debatin’ which side of this rhetorical Rubicon President Biden is standing on now on Russia-Ukraine. He’s standing on the “genocide” side.

All this, of course, begs a crucial “Jeopardy Daily Double” question about U.S. democracy, the Rule of Law, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

If the last month of Russia’s war on Ukraine was “genocide,” then by what moral calculus was the last seven years of U.S.-enabled, deliberate Saudi regime-imposed famine in Yemen not “genocide”?

Now, of course, some Blob Establishment Concern Troll might try to claim that “deliberate Saudi-imposed famine in Yemen” is rhetorically excessive, beyond the pale. But if they did try to do that, then we could protect ourselves with an Impeccably-Credentialed Blob Establishment Validator. We could pull Marshall McLuhan from behind the movie poster in Annie Hall.

On May 17, 2017, Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy made the following statement on the Senate floor:

"The Saudis are deliberately trying to create a famine inside Yemen in order to essentially starve the Yemenis to the negotiating table.”

Note that this was not Ilhan Omar, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Dellums, Mike Gravel, Wayne Morse, Walter Jones, Justin Amash, or Ron Paul. This was not the People’s Daily World, Socialist Worker, In These Times, Jacobin, The Nation, Antiwar.com, or The American Conservative. This was Chris Murphy. He’s universally considered “Serious” by the “Serious” Blob Establishment on U.S. foreign policy. He’s a member in good standing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was on the “short list” to become President Biden’s Secretary of State.

But perhaps some Blob Establishment Concern Troll might try to claim: “Well, that was on May 17, 2017. That’s Ancient History. Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who.” 

But if they did try to claim that, it would just beg yet another “Jeopardy Daily Double” question about U.S. democracy, the Rule of Law, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Suppose that this statement was true on May 17, 2017, when Democratic Senator and SFRC member in good standing Chris Murphy said it on the Senate floor. Suppose that it is not true today.

On exactly which day did it stop being true? Surely not on January 20, 2021, the day that President Biden was inaugurated as POTUS. Surely not even a Blob Establishment Concern Troll would try to claim that.

So let’s assume that this was all true then and remains all true today. Is there anything we can do about it? If there’s nothing we can do about it, what’s the point? “At this point, what difference does it make?” We are all American Pragmatists now. We are all realists now. “Politics is the art of the possible.” It’s not enough to be right. We need to have a “theory of change.”

But there IS something we can do about this. We can pass the Yemen War Powers Resolution now, and shut down unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi regime-imposed famine in Yemen for good.

This is not pie in the sky. Congress has passed a Yemen War Powers Resolution before. In our corner right now, we have Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Progressive Caucus. We have Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Transportation Committee. We have @RoKhanna, who some people claim might be the One. We have some Constitution-loyal House Republicans. And we have Uncle Bernie. What’s the excuse for inaction from the DC Beltway Excuse Factory now?

Fulfill the promise of the Democratic Platform: “Democrats will end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and help bring the war to an end.” Pass the Yemen War Powers Resolution now!

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