The Marquis deSade costume- powdered wig and all.
)
Posted on 09/25/2007 11:12:13 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress signaled its disapproval of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a vote Tuesday to tighten sanctions against his government and a call to designate his army a terrorist group.
The swift rebuke was a rare display of bipartisan cooperation in a Congress bitterly divided on the Iraq war. It reflected lawmakers' long-standing nervousness about Tehran's intentions in the region, particularly toward Israel—a sentiment fueled by the pro-Israeli lobby whose influence reaches across party lines in Congress.
"Iran faces a choice between a very big carrot and a very sharp stick," said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It is my hope that they will take the carrot. But today, we are putting the stick in place."
The House passed, by a 397-16 vote, a proposal by Lantos, D-Calif., aimed at blocking foreign investment in Iran, in particular its lucrative energy sector. The bill would specifically bar the president from waiving U.S. sanctions.
Current law imposes sanctions against any foreign company that invests $20 million or more in Iran's energy industry, although the U.S. has waived or ignored sanction laws in exchange for European support on nonproliferation issues.
In the Senate, Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., proposed a nonbinding resolution urging the State Department to label Iran's military—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—a terrorist organization.
The Bush administration had already been planning to blacklist a unit within the Revolutionary Guard, subjecting part of the vast military operation to financial sanctions.
The legislative push came a day after Ahmadinejad defended Holocaust revisionists, questioned who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and declared homosexuals didn't exist in Iran in a tense question-and- answer session at Columbia University.
The Iranian president planned to speak Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly.
Lantos' bill was expected to draw criticism from U.S. allies in Europe. During a visit to Washington last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told lawmakers that France opposes any U.S. legislation that would target European countries operating in Iran. He argued that such sanctions could undermine cooperation on dealing with Iran.
Sanctions, along with financial and political support to persons and groups dedicated to the overthrow of the Iranian government, are acts of war.
By Paul's standards Iran is already at war with Israel, Lebanon and Iraq
I wonder if killing our soldiers and attacking our facilities over the years means they're at war with us too, as in the old days, or doesn't that count?
Oh well, in the words of a supporter, that Ahmadinejad sounds like a pretty cool guy.
They like have fingers and stuff on them....
Hey dudette, back from Texas but no Texas barbeque this time. Saw the new granddaughter, though so it was worth every minute. But Dallas area traffic is something to stay away from if possible. We’re going to look into McKinney next time.
Yeah, he's totally like a lawyer and a doctor and like an Indian chief and all. Ron Paul's so totally awesome. I think Ron Paul's also like God. Man, Ron Paul is going to save the world. Ron Paul's also like a fireman and a banker and a guy who stamps documents and stuff.
Dude, I'm so stoked on Ron Paul that I wear a powdered wig to my job at Taco Bell. It really freaks The Man, you know? Dig?
Paul may not like it, but advocating the destruction of the State of Israel by any means, even yesterday's speech, is genocide.
Not Lying Propaganda.
An interesting choice of words.
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 21
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly referred to as the `Genocide Convention') defines genocide as, among other things, the act of killing members of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the
targeted group, and it also prohibits conspiracy to commit genocide, as well as `direct and public incitement to commit genocide';
Whereas Article 4 of the Genocide Convention provides that individuals committing any of the listed genocidal crimes shall be punished `whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals';
Whereas 133 Member States of the United Nations have ratified the Genocide Convention and thereby pledged to prosecute those individuals who violate its criteria for incitement to commit genocide, as well as those individuals who commit genocide directly;
Whereas 62 years ago the United Nations was founded in the wake of the Holocaust, the Nazi genocide carried out during World War II that resulted in the slaughter of 6 million Jews in Europe, in order to `save succeeding gen- erations from the scourge of war' and uphold and protect the `dignity and worth of the human person';
Whereas Article 2, Section 4, of the United Nations Charter, to which Iran has agreed as a Member State of the United Nations, requires all Member States of the United Nations to `refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state';
Whereas on October 26, 2005, at the World Without Zionism Conference in Tehran, Iran , Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be `wiped off the map', described Israel as `a disgraceful blot [Struck out->][ on ][<-Struck out] the face of the Islamic world', and declared that ` [Struck out->][ a ][<-Struck out] nybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury';
Whereas on December 12, 2006, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed a conference in Tehran questioning the historical veracity of the Holocaust and said that Israel would `soon be wiped out';
Whereas on December 15, 2000, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamene'i stated to thousands of Muslim worshippers in Tehran that `Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region';
Whereas other Iranian leaders have made similar statements and the Government of Iran has displayed inflammatory symbols that express similar intent;
Whereas on December 14, 2006, incoming United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Iran's calls for Israel's destruction and its dismissal of the Holocaust are `unacceptable', and expressed concern about the regional and global security implications of Tehran's nuclear program;
Whereas on August 3, 2006, in a speech during an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that the Middle East would be better off `without the existence of the Zionist regime', called Israel an `illegitimate regime' with `no legal basis for its existence', and accused the United States of using Israel as a proxy to control the region and its oil resources;
Whereas Iran funds, trains, and openly supports terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad among many others, all of which have murdered Americans, Israelis, and non-Israeli Jews and are determined to destroy Israel;
Whereas on December 14, 2001, former leader of Iran and current leader of Iran's influential Expediency Council Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani threatened Israel with destruction by nuclear attack, saying, ` [Struck out->][ i ][<-Struck out] f one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything [Struck out->][ in Israel ][<-Struck out] , while it will merely harm the Islamic world';
Whereas Iran has aggressively pursued a clandestine effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons; and
Whereas the longstanding policy of the Iranian regime is aimed at destroying the democratic State of Israel, a vital United States ally and longstanding friend, which is confirmed by statements such as those made by Iranian leader Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Khamene'i, and Expediency Council leader Rafsanjani, demonstrating the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran : Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--
(1) condemns, in the strongest terms, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offensive remarks, contemptible statements, and reprehensible policies aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel;
(2) calls on the United Nations Security Council to take up charges against Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and Article 2, Section 4, of the United Nations Charter;
(3) further calls on the United Nations Security Council and all Member States of the United Nations to consider stronger measures to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which would be both a dangerous violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a potential means to the end of carrying out Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel; and
(4) reaffirms the unwavering strategic partnership and close friendship between the United States and Israel and reasserts the steadfast commitment of the United States to defend the right of Israel to exist as a free and democratic state.
Passed the House of Representatives June 20, 2007.
Attest:
Clerk.
Passed 411 to 2, Nays, Paul and Kucinich.
Here’s another congressional vote from June on a bill entitled:
“Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel.”
The only two Nay votes: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll513.xml
Have a link? I'd like to see that.
{Glassy-eyed stare, shaking head}
No, dude....no Letter of Marque, right? Then it doesn't count.
No war, dude.
US out of Iran, dude. I mean...US out of Iraq. I mean....US out of...Kuwait. Oh, I forget. It's one of those places that has sand. Anyway, US out of everywhere, man.
You'll not Paul didn't just vote against the resolution, but characterized that the destruction of Israel might constitute genocide as Lying War Propaganda Against Iran
Birds of a feather stick together. ;-)
Welcome back to the party. :-D
I'm off to bed, but I trust y'all will keep the home fires burning on this thread.
I.E.....they did nothing substantial....BFD. The Gov of California beat them to the bunch....
His nickname isn't "Dr. No" for nothing. RP votes no on everything -- it's his M.O.
I bet the feathers on a bird’s ass stick together too. That might be the more appropriate metaphor here.
Oh shoot, you have stumbled on something here.. Remember how all the DUmmies were going to wear Guy Fauks masks, maybe we can sneak into the forums and see if we can get all the Paulites go wear powdered wigs to show their support for Paul.. I bet you can get them at Oriental Trading real cheap.
Dude, like that would so rule....
Wow, after a quick read through the thread....I see all the conservatives on FR agree with “a proposal by Lantos, D-Calif”, which did absolutely diddly nothing to condemn or change the status quo with iran. I’m sorry, didn’t know this was a Ron Paul bashing thread......
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