a NATIONAL DISGRACE

Remember the refrain of the ignorant, after the September 11 attacks, uttered with such ingenuous incredulity, "Why do they hate us?"

Well, here's ONE example (of many)...why "they" might hate us...

In spite of international outrage at the war crimes, the murders of over a thousand innocent civilians and the burning and maiming of thousands more, and the collective human rights abuses being committed by the state of Israel since Christmas against the civilian population in Gaza, on January 9th, an overwhelming number of U.S. Congressmen and women cast a vote IN SUPPORT of the state of Israel!

WHAT AN APPALLING, NATIONAL, DISGRACE.

What does that wholly unnecessary vote symbolize, anyway? The nation's abject subservience to AIPAC? That Israel is suzerain to the United States of America?

But even if these truths are held self-evident, many Israelis, and American Jews, are wholly opposed to what is being done in Gaza. So why does our Congress have to demonstrate "support" for the insupportable?

Just when you thought things were getting better, and the Presidency of Evil was on its way out, for good...our representatives show they, themselves, are every bit as venal, cowardly, and lacking in basic humanity and sensitivity for the suffering of other human beings.

I thought we were supposed to be a nation founded on support for the rights of humankind for freedom, peace, and justice....?

Oh, excuse me...I forgot one of the chief lessons of the Bush years....it momentarily slipped my mind that those ideals only apply to AMERICAN CITIZENS in the minds of many of our leaders, and, evidently, in the minds of most of our populace as well.

As I visited Paris and the Middle East over Christmas, I once again felt proud of my country, thanks to our recent election. On the day-pack I carried everywhere -- until Israel's attacks, that is -- I kept a smiling photo of next Tuesday's new President. That pride couldn't last too long, I guess, faced with the reality of life in America today.

Once again I am ashamed, and embarrassed, and even humiliated by this new outrage by my own country on the international stage...a nation whose leaders SUPPORT and DEFEND the acts of an aggressor state, a nation whose leaders do not even follow our own ideals in supporting such horrific and appalling violence against humanity, a nation seemingly populated by a silent, indifferent, self-absorbed majority.

What a complete disgrace!


Details:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2009-10
House Vote On Passage: H. Res. 34: Recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks...

Overview
TotalsDemocratsRepublicansIndependentsAll Votes
Yea:390(90%)
2221680
Nay:5(1%)410
Present:22(5%)2200
Not Voting:16(4%)880
Required: 2/3 of 417 votes (=278 votes)
(Vacancies in Congress may affect vote totals.)

Maryland
YeaMD-1Kratovil, Frank [D]
YeaMD-2Ruppersberger, C.A. [D]
YeaMD-3Sarbanes, John [D]
PresentMD-4Edwards, Donna [D]
YeaMD-5Hoyer, Steny [D]
YeaMD-6Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
YeaMD-7Cummings, Elijah [D]
YeaMD-8Van Hollen, Christopher [D]


Profiles in courage:

NayCA-35Waters, Maxine [D]

NayOH-10Kucinich, Dennis [D]

NayTX-14Paul, Ronald [R]

NayWV-3Rahall, Nick [D]

NayWI-4Moore, Gwen [D]


(Remember these names!)
Profiles in cowardice, or something else...:

PresentAZ-7Grijalva, Raul [D]

PresentCA-6Woolsey, Lynn [D]

PresentCA-7Miller, George [D]

PresentCA-9Lee, Barbara [D]

PresentCA-13Stark, Fortney [D]

PresentCA-17Farr, Sam [D]

PresentCA-33Watson, Diane [D]

PresentCA-47Sanchez, Loretta [D]

PresentGA-4Johnson, Henry [D]

PresentHI-1Abercrombie, Neil [D]

PresentMD-4Edwards, Donna [D]

PresentMA-1Olver, John [D]

PresentMI-13Kilpatrick, Carolyn [D]

PresentMI-15Dingell, John [D]

PresentMN-4McCollum, Betty [D]

PresentMN-5Ellison, Keith [D]
FIRST AND ONLY MUSLIM IN CONGRESS

PresentNJ-10Payne, Donald [D]

PresentNY-22Hinchey, Maurice [D]

PresentOR-3Blumenauer, Earl [D]

PresentOR-4DeFazio, Peter [D]

PresentVA-8Moran, James [D]

PresentWA-7McDermott, James [D]