its sends the mind spinning
Posted on 09/17/2014 6:53:19 AM PDT by walford
The Obama administration and indeed now Congress are apparently dead set on “arming” Syrian rebels to fight against ISIS. These are the same folks to which the president referred to as doctors, farmers, and pharmacists and said any endeavor to arm them was a “fantasy.” Well, looks like that fantasy is about to come true.
As reported by USA Today, “The U.S. House is preparing a resolution to authorize President Obama’s plan to arm and train Syrian rebels to fight the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The language, drafted by the House Armed Services Committee and unveiled Monday evening, is on track for a Wednesday vote to add it to a stop-gap funding bill to keep the government open until early December. While the amendment is likely to draw opposition from both GOP and Democratic corners, it is likely to ultimately pass with bipartisan support.”
If you’re wondering how I would vote on the resolution in committee and on the House floor — it would be a resounding nay! And I would be as vocal in speaking out against this resolution as I am right now.
Imagine the disrespect to our men and women in uniform who have recently received “pink slips” essentially firing them from service to our country — some of them are in combat zones receiving this notification.
So now we’re going to expend resources to hire — outsource — individuals who without a thorough vetting to fight the enemy of America, ISIS? If we cannot afford to pay our own, why should we be paying and using taxpayer funds for these shadow figures?
Members of Congress are about to sign off on $500 million of American taxpayer dollars while we refuse to take care of our own military — that ladies and gents makes no doggone sense.
Now, I understand the Special Forces mission of Foreign Internal Defense (FID) and fully support that — as we did working with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. However, the U.S. history of arming one group of jihadis to fight is not that great.
We did so in Afghanistan supporting the Mujahideen against the Soviets and that gave way to what became the Taliban and ultimately al-Qaida. We should never forget that it was Osama bin Laden who fought with the Mujahids.
If you want recent history, just look at Libya where we armed and supported Islamists forces to overthrow Qaddafy — and what has been the result? We had an American Special Mission Compound (SMC) attacked, four dead Americans (to include an Ambassador), and the evacuation of our embassy.
We hear the U.S. will monitor the Syrian rebels to ensure our weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands — we did a crappy job of that in Libya. Furthermore, there have been instances of these Syrian rebels teaming up with al-Qaida offshoots, like Jabhat al-Nusra who attacked UN peacekeepers.
USA Today says “the House resolution makes clear that it does not authorize sending U.S. ground troops to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. It puts requirements on the Pentagon to report back to Congress 15 days before the mission begins. Those restraints are necessary for winning congressional support from lawmakers wary of continued U.S. involvement in the Middle East.”
So here we now have our U.S. House of Representatives, the House Armed Services Committee, drafting a resolution stating how we’re not going to fight a combat operation? This is pure unadulterated madness and why I have absolutely no confidence in this decision to fund Syrian rebels.
We are looking at arming “moderates” who are fighting against a dictator to fight against “extremists” while we sit back at 30,000 ft and just hope? Why aren’t we allowing the U.S. military to plan an operation that advances the defeat of ISIS — not about holding terrain, just killing the enemy? We look completely dysfunctional as a nation.
Even more disconcerting is that the action on the amendment and the underlying funding bill are likely to be the last major acts of Congress before they adjourn for the final stretch ahead of the midterm elections. So our elected representatives will pass some mess and then run home and ask for your vote?
I will not support any Member of the U.S. House who supports this resolution. This is a horrible response and if this is the future of U.S. national security, let’s just dissolve our U.S. military and outsource our security – that’s what Rome ended up doing as it glided towards its demise. We have an enemy, ISIS, who has declared war against us and beheaded our citizens and we want to trust someone else to fight for us.
At a time of global crisis this is the answer? Pass a terrible resolution and go home? Can this actually be the best that America can do? Obama didn’t present a viable strategy — this is just a matter of kicking the can down the road — but hey, here’s your blank check for $500 million.
*video*
This is a sad day for our Republic and demonstrates how completely we are being neutered. Yes, we do need to commit our American ground combat troops and give them a strategy and a plan for victory. Politics has no place in guiding our national security, but that’s what is happening. To hear anyone say there is no military solution to fight a savage and barbaric enemy is the verbiage of surrender.
We are about to send our U.S. military to fight against Ebola, but we can’t put troops on the ground to fight a declared enemy? USA Today reports that “President Obama is launching an expanded, $763 million military-led plan to help West Africa nations fight the spread of the Ebola virus and prevent it from reaching the United States, officials said Tuesday. Some 3,000 U.S. military personnel will be deployed to West Africa to lead the project, officials said, and Obama issued the order to the Pentagon on Tuesday. The project calls for more doctors and health care professionals; more portable hospitals, laboratories, and other medical facilities; and increased training for first responders and other medical officials throughout West Africa. “Responding to the Ebola outbreak is a top national security priority,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.”
Silly me, I thought ISIS was a top national security priority, not a virus. We are so upside down.
We will be further arming Islamic terrorists who will use the US weaponry to kill and subjugate all who do not agree with them. This will just be another disguised strategy to overthrow Assad and then we will look back on the creation of another Libyan failed state that is even more brutal than the strongman that it replaced.
STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..STUPID..
Oh, don’t worry. They have all been vetted. I even heard Boner say so.
Yep, pure a$$ craziness.
Seems like these people in DC do not remember history at ALL.
OR they are insane....you can pick.
More FREE money from the American Taxpayer down the shiitter and this shiitter wants to kill us.
US policy is the very reverse of the path of wisdom.
In the Hebrew scripture, God sometimes allowed demons to delude wicked kings to believe false things and to make unwise decisions. It appears that we are repeating that.
we will have to put troops into Syria to root them out. anything else is folly. and the same goes for Iraq.
If Assad says that is a declaration of war, then so be it, after all, what other choice do we have?
However, this will NOT happen under this president. It will have to wait, and be 3 times as difficult, if not impossible.
If we don’t get the Senate, then it doesn’t matter.. We all lose.
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
Look up your reps and CALL them.
That is the only way to stop the arming of our enemies.
There is no such thing as “moderate Syrian rebels”.
They declared a truce with ISIS last week, so any arms we send to these lunatics WILL wind up in the hands of ISIS.
Arms need to go to the Kurds and the Iraqis. PERIOD.
Call and tell your reps—let’s not just ell each other.
And while you are at it, tell them that sending 3,000 troops into a hot disease zone is madness—that is not the purpose of our military.
I made my calls already.
Thanks.
Yes, we armed the Iraqi Army and subsequently armed the ISIS. When the Iraqi’s actually saw what the ISIS did to the Iraqi Army members they dropped their weapons and rolled out into the country side blending into the population leaving billions in weapons and cash to the ISIS.
But be sure to vote for everyone with an “R” behind their name! That’s our only hope! /s
The last time that the Iraqi armed forces were effective at anything but oppressing its own people, that country was called Babylonia.
What do they care? Even if their own sons/daughters/etc. are enlisted, I’d bet $$ to doughnuts, they get the ‘off the front lines’ desk jobs.
2nd, follow the $$...Whose pockets get the most lined with the never ending beating of the war drum?
Heh. Good one!
:)
I’ll use firebug to copy it, if you don’t mind.
This time it’s much worse. The groups that they are talking about now have recently become allies of ISIS.
Russia supports Assad and Iran and is trying to make inroads in Iraq with Shiites. Assad is alawite, a shia sect.
ISIS is Sunni. Saudi is Sunni.
If Obama gives this to his Saudi King what’s he got to give Russia to placate them?
Luvvit!
:)
For the record, this was not a “resolution,” its an amendment to a bill for an act.
“The House of Representatives voted 273-156 to back Obama’s plan to give military aid to vetted members of the Free Syrian Army.
The total yes vote included 115 Democrats and 159 Republicans; opposition was just as bipartisan, with 85 Democrats and 71 Republicans voting no. The Syria language was considered as an amendment to a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
The House later Wednesday is expected to pass the $1 trillion continuing resolution or CR, and will then send the full package over to the Senate, which is expected to approve it on Thursday.”—The Hill
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.