Nothing can justify a genocide. And nothing can justify offering weaponry and assist for these conducting a genocide.
Nonetheless, the US Senate on February 13 handed a invoice that gives billions for Israel’s slaughter of tens of hundreds of Palestinians. It authorizes $14 billion {dollars} in navy assist for Israel’s genocidal marketing campaign in Gaza. And it handed the Senate on February 13 by a vote of 70 to 29. Of these opposing this heinous invoice, whose names will be discovered right here, 26 had been Republican; solely three weren’t. One in all that tiny trio, Senator Merkley commented, “I can not vote to ship extra bombs and shells to Israel when they’re utilizing them in an indiscriminate method towards Palestinian civilians.” His stance is to be applauded though the time period “indiscriminate” shouldn’t be merely the understatement of the century however blatantly euphemistic since Israel’s bombardments are fastidiously focused.
Nevertheless, whether or not Republican or Democrat or Unbiased, those that took a stand towards the conflict and genocide that this Senate invoice represents deserve reward. The institution of each main Events favored it as did many stress teams, together with pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian voices. So these opposing the invoice will definitely be focused and pay a value except they obtain assist. So, search for your Senator on the listing of “Yeas” and “Nays” for the invoice. The “Nays” deserve reward and assist, each private and non-private, and the “Yeas” a strong dose of opprobrium.
The invoice additionally gives $61 billion to fund the Ukraine proxy conflict to “weaken” Russia, within the phrases of DOD Secretary Lloyd Austin, and $5 billion to Taiwan and different US allies as a part of the navy portion of the “Pivot” to China’s neighborhood. We will return to those provisions under.
The Discharge Petition
The Senate invoice has now been forwarded to the Home. And there it has encountered an deadlock, as a result of Speaker Johnson has refused to deliver the measure to the ground of the Home for a vote. And a small band of MAGA Republicans has dedicated to take away him from Speakership if he does so. If challenged, Speaker Johnson wants a majority vote, that’s, 218 votes, to stay as Speaker. However the GOP has a razor skinny majority, solely 219 members; and so, a really small, decided minority can take away a Speaker, as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy ruefully realized. Such a minority has emerged and has promised to take away the Speaker if he brings the Senate invoice to the ground of the Home.
In response, the pro-genocide, prowar forces have hit on a option to bypass Speaker Johnson and get a vote on the Senate invoice. They’re using a time-honored, however not broadly recognized, component of Roberts Guidelines, a “Discharge Petition” which works within the following means within the Home. If a majority of Home members signal a petition to deliver a invoice out of a committee the place it’s being thought-about (that’s, “discharge” the committee of accountability and put the matter within the fingers of the whole Home), then the invoice involves the ground for a vote. Thus, the Speaker will be bypassed if a majority indicators such a petition.
Such a Discharge Petition has been initiated by the rating Democrat on the Guidelines Committee, James McGovern. McGovern signed and commenced to flow into the Petition on March 12, and as of March 22, it had garnered 191 signatures, all however one among them Democrats!
Progressives for Genocide and Battle
The 191 Democrat signatures (out of 213 within the Home) on the nefarious Discharge Petition is one more physique blow to the concept the Democrat Occasion is a celebration of peace. However what concerning the Democratic Occasion’s Progressive Caucus? Amongst their objectives they listing: “Ending our endlessly wars, slicing the bloated Pentagon finances, and prioritizing diplomacy.”
There are about 96 voting Home members within the Progressive Caucus and 74 of those have signed on to the Discharge Petition! Solely 22 members of the Progressive Caucus, a definite minority, haven’t signed the pro-genocide, prowar Petition. We must always encourage these 22 to stay to their place; with out them the Discharge Petition might collect sufficient assist to go.
That is of such significance that it’s price offering a listing of the brave Representatives that deserve assist of their opposition to the Discharge Petition. Right here they’re (in alphabetical order):
Bowman, Jamaal, (NY); Bush, Cori, (MO); Carson, Andre, (IN); Casar, Greg, (TX);
Castro, Joaquín, (TX); Cherfilus-McCormack, Sheila, (FL); Dingell, Debbie, (MI); Frost, Maxwell, (FL); Garcia, Jesus G. “Chuy,” (IL); Grijalva, Raul, (CA); Gomez, Jimmy, (CA); Khanna, Ro, (CA); Lee, Barbara, (CA); Lee, Summer season, (PA); Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandra, (NY); Omar, Ilhan (MN); Pocan, Mark, (WI); Presley, Ayanna, (MA); Ramirez, Delia, (IL); Tlaib, Rashida, (MI); Velazquez, Nydia, (NY); Watson-Coleman, Bonnie, (NJ). If any of those is your Congressperson, contact them and inform them you respect and assist their place on the Discharge Petition. But when your Congressional Rep is likely one of the 191 who’ve signed onto the petition, then inform them to take away their signature earlier than it’s too late.
Contact your Representatives Right here.
What about assist for the Ukraine proxy conflict? Nothing can justify omnicide
Sadly, there are a lot of inside and Congress and out who assist the Ukraine proxy conflict. A few of them argue that they assist the Senate invoice as a result of it has funding for arms to Ukraine. However as a result of the identical invoice comprises arms for Israel, this comes right down to arguing that supporting a genocide is justified with the intention to get assist for the Ukraine proxy conflict. Bear in mind what we mentioned on the very outset. Nothing can justify assist for a genocide – and definitely assist for an additional conflict can not accomplish that.
In reality, there is one factor that’s worse than genocide and that’s omnicide, the destruction or close to destruction of the human species in a nuclear conflict. And the Ukraine proxy conflict places us on the highway to nuclear conflict with the world’s strongest nuclear armed power, Russia. Equally, arming of Taiwan towards China places us on the highway to nuclear Armageddon.
So, let’s get to work. Name upon your Congressional Rep to oppose the pro-genocide, pro-omnicide Discharge Petition and refuse to signal it. If they’ve already refused to signal the Petition, reward them to the skies. And ask them to name on different Reps to do the identical. If they’ve signed the nefarious petition, name on them to withdraw their signatures.
Defeat of the Discharge Petition is a giant step ahead for individuals who want finish the genocide in Gaza, terminate the limitless wars and put us on the highway to peace.
