Opinion Editorials, November 2009

Kucinich Addresses UN Goldstone Gaza Resolution

November 3, 2009, Congressman Dennis Kucinich addresses H.RES. 867 on the House Floor.

H.RES. 867 condemns the UN Goldstone Gaza Fact Finding Mission Report.

Congressman Kucinich stated:

"Today we journey from Operation Cast Lead to Operation Cast Doubt. Almost as serious as committing war crimes is covering up war crimes, pretending that war crimes were never committed and did not exist."

"Because behind every such deception is the nullification of humanity, the destruction of human dignity, the annihilation of the human spirit, the triumph of Orwellian thinking, the eternal prison of the dark heart of the totalitarian."

"Because behind every such deception is the nullification of humanity, the destruction of human dignity, the annihilation of the human spirit, the triumph of Orwellian thinking, the eternal prison of the dark heart of the totalitarian."

"The resolution before us today, which would reject all attempts of the Goldstone Report to fix responsibility of all parties to war crimes, including both Hamas and Israel, may as well be called the "Down is Up, Night is Day, Wrong is Right: resolution."

"Because if this Congress votes to condemn a report it has not read, concerning events it has totally ignored, about violations of law of which it is unaware, it will have brought shame to this great institution."

"How can we ever expect there to be peace in the Middle East if we tacitly approve of violations of international law and international human rights, if we look the other way, or if we close our eyes to the heartbreak of people on both sides by white-washing a legitimate investigation?"

"How can we protect the people of Israel from existential threats if we hold no concern for the protection of the Palestinians, for their physical security, their right to land, their right to their own homes, their right to water, their right to sustenance, their right to freedom of movement, their right to human security of jobs, education and health care?".

"We will have peace only when the plight of both Palestinians and Israelis is brought before this House and given equal consideration in recognition of that principle that all people on this planet have a right to survive and thrive, and it is our responsibility, our duty to see that no individual, no group, no people are barred from this humble human claim."

Please, join with Dennis in the fight for Human Rights. Contribute, you can make a difference.


The Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee

ADC Thanks 36 House Representatives who Opposed H.RES 867

 On November 4, 2009, the US House of Representatives voted 344-36 in support of the remarkably biased H. Res. 867 which called on the President and the Secretary of State to unequivocally oppose any endorsement of the Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.  During the debate on the House floor, it became increasingly clear that the Members of Congress who voted for H. Res. 867 had not read the report, and instead were relying on inaccuracies and deeply flawed arguments made around the Report. By passing this resolution, Congress sent a message yesterday that it does not stand for the accountability of war crimes committed in Gaza, the protection of civilians, and/or the restoration for peace.

Though the vote was very one-sided, 36 Members of Congress – 33 Democrats and 3 Republicans- courageously voted to oppose H. Res. 867, and correctly pointed out that the opportunity of holding a hearing on the Report did not even exist, and that such resolution does nothing to promote peace and accountability.  The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) urges you to recognize and thank these 36 US House Representatives for exhibiting real leadership by contacting them TODAY. Please see below for the list.

Arizona: AZ-4: Edward Pastor (D),

                AZ-7: Raul Grijalva (D)

Arkansas: AR-2: Victor Snyder (D)

California: CA-6: Lynn Woolsey (D),

CA-7: George Miller (D),

CA-9: Lee Barbara (D),

CA-13: Fortney Stark (D),

CA-23: Lois Capps (D),

CA-35: Maxine Waters (D),

CA-51 Bob Filner (D)

Indiana: IN-7: Andre Carson (D)

Kentucky: KY-4: Davis Geoff (R)

Louisiana: LA-7: Charles Boustany (R)

Maryland: MD-4: Donna Edwards (D)

Massachusetts: MA-1: John Olver (D),

MA-3: James McGovern (D),

MA-9: Lynch Stephen (D)

Michigan: MI-13: Carolyn Kilpatrick (D),

MI-15: John Dingell (D)

Minnesota: MN-4: Betty McCollum (D),

MN-5: Keith Ellison (D)

Missouri: MO-1: William Clay (D)

New York: NY-11: Yvette Clarke (D),

NY-22: Maurice Hinchey (D)

North Carolina: NC-4: David Price (D),

NC-12 Melvin Watt (D)

Ohio: OH-10: Dennis Kucinich (D)

Oregon: OR-3 Earl Blumenauer (D)

Texas: TX-14: Ronald Paul (R),

TX-25 Lloyd Doggett (D),

TX-30 Eddie Johnson (D)

Virginia: VA-8: James Moran

Washington: WA-3: Brian Baird (D),

WA-7: James McDermott (D)

West Virginia: WV-3: Nick Rahall (D)

Wisconsin: WI-2: Tammy Baldwin (D)

NOTE:

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.

Contact: ADC Media Department < [email protected]

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