[Peace-discuss] Disingenuous Democrat vs. Republican who votes against the war
C. G. Estabrook
galliher at illinois.edu
Sun Oct 31 13:13:01 CDT 2010
Rep. Timothy Johnson, of this Congressional district, is voting against all
funding for the US war in the Middle East. David Gill, running against him as a
Democrat, refuses to pledge to do the same. The closest Gill comes (in a
statement on his website) is to say, "I definitely do not support funding of any
additional combat troop build-ups [sic] in that part of the world." The evasion
is obvious, and a long way from voting against any more money for military
operations in the Mideast, as Johnson does.
Instead, Gill dusts off the Bush-era wheeze, "Support the troops!" and charges
Johnson with not doing so. Johnson, as he said he would, voted against a
military construction bill (HR 5288) that included some veterans' benefits. (The
Democratic leadership of the Congress frequently puts such things together to
support their war policy and prevent anti-war votes.)
In today's News-Gazette, Gill trumpets, "The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America, which issues a report card for each Congressional member, gave Johnson
a failing grade of 'F' based on his voting record in the 111th Congress."
What Gill knows and doesn't say is that "The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America" is a pro-war group masquerading as a veterans' organization. Certainly
they would "give Rep. Johnson an F" - because he consistently votes against the
war. IAVA was originally founded as "Operation Truth" by one Paul Rieckhoff, who
is still IAVA's executive director. Read about him in an article by an anti-war
veteran, Stan Goff, "Operation (Un)Truth: A Trojan Jackass for the Anti-War
Movement" <http://www.counterpunch.org/goff04022005.html>. (In response to that
piece, Rieckhoff said, quite accurately, that IAVA never claimed to be an
anti-war organization.)
Killing people is the most important thing the federal government does, and the
Obama administration wants to expand that in the Greater Middle East (as the
Pentagon says) - Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, even Iran.
President Obama claims the right to kill even American citizens whom the CIA
suspects of sympathy to the resistance to American invasion and occupation.
In Illinois' 15th Congressional district the incumbent congressman, a
Republican, votes against that, while on this issue his Democratic opponent
stands substantially to his Right. Those of his constituents who oppose the
president's murderous policy in the Mideast should vote for Representative
Johnson. --CGE
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