[Peace-discuss] What "antiwar" Dems should have said but didn't

[unionyes]

I heard / saw Dennis Kucinich's speech on Democracy Now this morning about 
this vote.
Almost identical to Ron Paul's.

Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich continue to be the true representatives of the 
American people.

I know Maxine Waters and Woosley (sp. ) on the Dem side stuck to their 
principles, who were the other Republicans with Ron Paul ?

Jan Schowkowsky ( sp. ) from Chicago is a HUGE disappointment, and what a 
lame excuse she gave " I needed to support my president " !

Well, I don't see the president supporting the will of the American people 
on ; the ending of the war, NAFTA repeal, Single Payer Health Care, or many 
other issues.

All Obama has been doing is supporting the corporate agenda of ; greed, 
endless war, and an expansion of government secrecy and repression.

If he ( Obama ) doesn't support us, why in the HELL should we support him !

David J.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at illinois.edu>
To: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:23 AM
Subject: [Peace-discuss] What "antiwar" Dems should have said but didn't


> Ron Paul on the War Funding Bill
>
> [On June 15, Rep. Ron Paul gave the following speech in opposition to the 
> Democrats’ new $106 Billion war funding bill, after it was sent back to 
> the House from the conference committee. (The bill passed Tuesday 
> evening.)]
>
> Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this conference report on the 
> War Supplemental Appropriations. I wonder what happened to all of my 
> colleagues who said they were opposed to the ongoing wars in Iraq and 
> Afghanistan. I wonder what happened to my colleagues who voted with me as 
> I opposed every war supplemental request under the previous 
> administration. It seems, with very few exceptions, they have changed 
> their position on the war now that the White House has changed hands. I 
> find this troubling. As I have said while opposing previous war funding 
> requests, a vote to fund the war is a vote in favor of the war. Congress 
> exercises its constitutional prerogatives through the power of the purse.
>
> This conference report, being a Washington-style compromise, reflects one 
> thing Congress agrees on: spending money we do not have. So this 
> “compromise” bill spends 15 percent more than the president requested, 
> which is $9 billion more than in the original House bill and $14.6 billion 
> more than the original Senate version. Included in this final version — in 
> addition to the $106 billion to continue the wars in Afghanistan and 
> Iraq — is a $108 billion loan guarantee to the International Monetary 
> Fund, allowing that destructive organization to continue spending taxpayer 
> money to prop up corrupt elites and promote harmful economic policies 
> overseas.
>
> As Americans struggle through the worst economic downturn since the Great 
> Depression, this emergency supplemental appropriations bill sends billions 
> of dollars overseas as foreign aid. Included in this appropriation is $660 
> million for Gaza, $555 million for Israel, $310 million for Egypt, $300 
> million for Jordan, and $420 million for Mexico. Some $889 million will be 
> sent to the United Nations for “peacekeeping” missions. Almost one billion 
> dollars will be sent overseas to address the global financial crisis 
> outside our borders and nearly $8 billion will be spent to address a 
> “potential pandemic flu.”
>
> Mr. Speaker, I continue to believe that the best way to support our troops 
> is to bring them home from Iraq and Afghanistan. If one looks at the 
> original authorization for the use of force in Afghanistan, it is clear 
> that the ongoing and expanding nation-building mission there has nothing 
> to do with our goal of capturing and bringing to justice those who 
> attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. Our continued presence 
> in Iraq and Afghanistan does not make us safer at home, but in fact it 
> undermines our national security. I urge my colleagues to defeat this 
> reckless conference report.
>
> http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2009/06/16/ron-paul-on-the-war-funding-bill/
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