Sue, I hear you, however my main concern is how Obama may be acting with the blessing of Congress. A letter on January 21, 2010, a letter [signed by] by 54 members of Congress asking the Obama administration to demand that Israel lift the siege of Gaza. The letter has meaning and expresses an opinion backed by a significant number of congressional members.
Another Facebook inspired response.
Congressional Letter to Obama on Gaza Siege – Letter by 54 Members of Congress to Obama-Facebook response
When liberals and democrats support factions which act to aid and abet actual enemy populations of the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and populations which support, authorize and even elect known terrorist groups as their representative form of government, they have clearly gone way to far, in their touchy-feely concept of save the poor downtrodden and oppressed people.-Aharon Moshe Sanders, November 3, 2010 1:25PM EST
Yes, these sentiments do have their place. Apparently those long infomercials asking for donations which utilize Sally Struthers for the ongoing “Save the Children” appeal apparently does not satisfy a longing for people who insist that their version of idealism be enabled and enacted upon by the entire world.
Of all the elected representatives in the US, Congress is supposed to most representative of the individual voters. and they are re-elected every two years.
“Each state receives representation in the House in proportion to its population but is entitled to at least one Representative. The most populous state, California, currently has 53 representatives. The total number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435.[1] Each representative serves for a two-year term.”..
“The major power of the House is to pass federal legislation that affects the entire country, although its bills must also be passed by the Senate and further agreed to by the President before becoming law (unless both the House and Senate re-pass the legislation with a two-thirds majority in each chamber)”
These are government officials with the power to affect actual US policy including foreign policy!
The United States had Not filed a Declaration of war against any nation since June 05, 1942.
Congress has not exercised its constitutional right to declare war since World War II.
http://www.ptsdsupport.net/war_powers_act.html
Apparently wars for the right reasons are not what they once were, and quite possibly with the current over marginalized US voting population, the necessary ability to be an altruistic US Congressional Representative is greatly diminished.
The problem regarding the most representative form of government in the US political spectrum has to do with many factors. I imagine that the greatest issue has to do with the great diversity of opinion within any congressional districts, and perhaps an unrefined method or overly deceptive advertising or public relations that candidates do use to get re-elected. The primary problem additionally with the Congressional representatives or members of the US House of Representatives is that they primarily have to answer to the political machine which put them in power.
the problem seems to be that no one cares one bit about the whole thing…
The War Powers Act is found as 50 USC S.1541-1548, passed in 1973 over the veto of President Nixon. It’s supposed to be the mechanism by which the President may use US Armed Forces. It purports to spell out the situations under which he may deploy the Forces with and without a Congressional declaration of war.
Courtesy of “The War Powers Act”- By Karl Kleinpaste
Such a letter to the The President of the US, is significant, and the signers of this letter, should be able to provide an explanation as to it’s intent! Additionally in the wake of the May 31, 2010 Flotilla incident, these same Congressional Representatives should restate their opinion in light of the clearly unwarranted outpouring of media attention, against all of the interests of Israel.
Personally I feel such a statement from our elected Congressional Representatives, becomes the 1st step in a movement which seeks to re-introduce an isolationist attitude towards Israel, because theses Congressional Representatives of the US understand potential financial and diplomatic liabilities th US may face n relation to strong Pro-Israel US policy.
Again when considering the larger picture of the political, economic and and rapidly changing power structure of the world, based on such immediate threats posed by a nuclear capable Iran supported by strategically geographically placed nations like Turkey, along with a theoretically bottomless pit of financing form oil producing nations, then whatever slight risk the US might face economically or diplomatically, from being a strong ally of Israel, would be greatly offset by the important position which the US occupies as a military super-power in keeping a tight balance on the the growing threat caused by a newly emerging alliance having both vast financial resources as well as a developing and growing sophisticated arsenal of both high tech conventional weapons, as well as weapons of mass destruction.
Think Globally Act Locally
Such statements may indeed be predicated upon extensive campaign contributions for various corporations which may be helpful in financing congressional campaigns. There unfortunately is a highly prevalent political attitude that the only kind of legislation which is good for the US, and it’s vastly diverse citizens, is whatever happens to be good for the largest campaign contributors that are able to help a given politician remain in power.
Sure one particular politician, perhaps representing ideas which seem contrary to maintaining an vital power equilibrium in a some remote part of the world may on the surface appear to hold little significance to struggling wage earned trying to feed his family;
However, one more step in the wrong direction of a delicately balanced house of cards, like the power struggle in the area of the middle east, can push the over-all equilibrium into an extremely dangerous chain reaction. When Congressional Representatives in the US House of Representatives formally sign such an advisory notice to the President of the United States, they are not simply expressing an opinion that has little meaning.
They are effectively drawing a line in the sand stating that they have aligned themselves with what they feel is the majority sentiment of the people of the United States, and placing their seal of approval to the President’s plans whatever they may have been, in distancing itself from being an important ally of Israel.
A letter like this signed by 54 congressional representatives telling the President how to handle deteriorating US Israel relations, in a political climate where a strong nation as an ally in this part of the world, is equally important to global peace, based on a balance of power, is clearly something which requires significant explanation on the part of it’s signers, and is not something which should be lightly glossed over.
Aharon Moshe Sanders, November 3, 2010 1:25PM EST
Complete transcript attached via link below:
Letter to Obama by 54 Members of Congress Demanding End to Siege of Gaza
A Rare Act of Congressional Defiance of Pro-Likud Lobby
By Pierre Tristam, About.com Guide
