[Peace-discuss] Disingenuous Democrat vs. Republican who votes against the war

[C. G. Estabrook]

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