Posted on 08/16/2013 1:12:41 PM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
President Obama has “contributed to [Egypt's] descent into chaos” by providing foreign aid to the military regime while maintaining an otherwise “detached and abstract” position, according to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called for an end to financial support.
“President Obama’s detached and abstract statement yesterday on deteriorating conditions in Egypt is only the most recent manifestation of this administration’s failed policy in that country,” Cruz said.
“As there can no longer be any reasonable doubt that what occurred in July was a military coup, the first step is to send an unequivocal message that the United States is a nation of laws and suspend aid to Egypt,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
We need to do something better than sending money to untrustworthy “allies”. Obama has been stirring these things up since he took office, going around the globe preaching his phoney narrative, proclaiming the end of a Christian America and supposedly promoting a new relationship with Islam while covertly smuggling arms to dangerous people, and doing so without Congressional authorization.
Sending money and arms to these guys is complete idiocy. The same money and arms will be used not only to kill Coptics but also Americans. Don’t trust that this administration isn’t arming both sides. Look what happened in Beghazi and in Mexico.
If the military-backed regime wants our help, it should take the form of us going in and decimating the enemy. And we should pay for our damage to the Coptics and other Christians there by offering protection, asylum, and financial aid for them to rebuild or relocate. Why not arm the Coptics rather than the military? Why not give aid directly to them?
And whatever action is taken needs to be done legally and constitutionally. It is bad enough when a Republican president pushes the boundraries of executive authority. It is much worse when a Democrat one aspires to operate like a dictator.
I do agree though that bringing the persecution of Christians to light is an important part of fixing the problem. Liberals don’t want this to come out because it will end something they support. They just don’t want it to be known they support it.
You certainly present a reasoned position, though I am not in full agreement with it.
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We need to do something better than sending money to untrustworthy “allies”.
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First, define “untrustworthy,” please. Second: Please show how the Egyptians have been untrustworthy since the days of Jimmy Carter. (Hint: They haven’t been, until Obama helped put MB thug Mursi in power a year or so ago. Obama thanked loyal US ally Mubarak by throwing him under the bus.)
Obama has been stirring these things up since he took office, going around the globe preaching his phoney narrative, proclaiming the end of a Christian America and supposedly promoting a new relationship with Islam while covertly smuggling arms to dangerous people, and doing so without Congressional authorization.
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True, but his support is for the MB, whom al-Sissi is trying to crush. Further, the case with Egypt is not one of covert arms smuggling, as far as anyone knows at this point.
Sending money and arms to these guys is complete idiocy.
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Correction: Sending money and arms to Mursi and the MB thugs is complete idiocy. Sending arms and money to al-Sissi, who is intent on subduing the MB thugs makes sense for both short- and long-term US interests.
The same money and arms will be used not only to kill Coptics but also Americans.
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Not tracking with you here at all: If MB thugs get money/arms, I agree that they would use them to kill Americans, but not if al-Sissi gets the arms/money.
Don’t trust that this administration isn’t arming both sides. Look what happened in Beghazi and in Mexico.
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Interesting thought, but not convinced this is true, as al-Sissi will not even take Obama’s calls at this point!
If the military-backed regime wants our help, it should take the form of us going in and decimating the enemy.
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Could not disagree more. They Egyptian Army is large and well-trained and well-equipped (by Arab standards, anyway), and they do not need our troops on the ground. We just need to get out of the way and let them clean house.
And we should pay for our damage to the Coptics and other Christians there by offering protection, asylum, and financial aid for them to rebuild or relocate.
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Agree with the asylum part, but, if we do not send troops into Egypt, we will not damage the Copts.
Why not arm the Coptics rather than the military? Why not give aid directly to them?
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Not sure this idea comports with realities on the ground in Egypt. The minority Copts are not about to start organized armed resistance to the majority Muslims. The Copts are generally well educated and are not usually prone to violence (other than when directly attacked by Muslims).
And whatever action is taken needs to be done legally and constitutionally. It is bad enough when a Republican president pushes the boundraries of executive authority. It is much worse when a Democrat one aspires to operate like a dictator.
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Not sure what you are talking about: Egypt has been a major recipient of duly Congressionally-authorized US foreign aid since at least the Jimmy Carter Administration, from what I can gather. Is Ted Cruz just now discovering this point? (I doubt it.) If he were criticizing it only on Constitutional grounds, he should have been doing so since the day he was sworn in, as the issue considerably predates his Senate tenure. Moreover, to be logically and morally consistent (from a strictly Constitutional perspective), he should be calling for an end to all foreign aid, not merely aid to Egypt.
I do agree though that bringing the persecution of Christians to light is an important part of fixing the problem. Liberals don’t want this to come out because it will end something they support. They just don’t want it to be known they support it.
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Your last paragraph is, in my view, your best. No disagreement there. Excellent points! We can agree on this much, at least.
The laws which allow funds to go to Egypt, as I understand it, are the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (amended in 2004) and the Arms Export Acts. I believe the most current summary is here:
http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/faa.pdf
My understanding is that around the beginning of the year Obama gave Egypt over a billion dollars worth of sophisticated weapons tech. I am not thoroughly familiar with the law but think that even though Egypt is defined as an ally, due to the military coup the president is required to suspend aid because it could be used to fight a war rather than being spent for general aid and defense. Further, I do not think this tech was legal to even sell (let alone give) to Egypt without Congressional approval. And finally I think it is required to be demilitarized when transferred.
You made some good points and I think I am out of my depth on the legalities here, but when you consider the covert gun smuggling that this administration got caught red-handed with, I have little doubt that the flow of illegal arms is going on all over the world with this administration’s support and blessing.
I think he instigated the coup to destabilize the region, promoting Arab Spring and similar uprisings, and then dumped the latest weapon technology and billions of resources we cannot afford into the hands of very dangerous people.
Even if I am wrong on this I think it is wrongheaded for some around here to be quick to throw Cruz under the bus. He is human and will make mistakes. That is my biggest reason for interjecting. Given the respective track records of Obama and Cruz, I would defer to Cruz every time.
If a true conservative had been elected president in the past two elections I suspect the turmoil in Egypt may have been avoided.
Prayers for the Egyptian Christians.
a good reply to my previous post! While we are not in agreement on all details, I do suspect that our bottom lines are not far apart.
I like these paragraphs, especially:
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Even if I am wrong on this I think it is wrongheaded for some around here to be quick to throw Cruz under the bus. He is human and will make mistakes. That is my biggest reason for interjecting. Given the respective track records of Obama and Cruz, I would defer to Cruz every time.
If a true conservative had been elected president in the past two elections I suspect the turmoil in Egypt may have been avoided.
Prayers for the Egyptian Christians.
Ted Cruz is an idiot. The Egyptian military steeped in to preserve their fledgling democracy from the Muslime Brotherhood whose leader, Morsi, was issuing one decree after another to usurp the democratic process.
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Good points.
Then, factor in that both the NYT and WaPost have in recent days also editorialized against foreign aid to Egypt, I get a uneasy feeling about Ted (for whom I voted in November) and his grasp of international affairs. He is in agreement with the editorial pages of the two primary print organs of the print media? Very interesting.
Hello, Ted? The “coup” happened under Mursi. The new guy — al-Sisi — stepped in to rescue the country back from the brink of an Islamic Dark Age. Call it a coup, if you like. I call it courageous.
The “people” currently being targeted in the streets by the Army are the (sometimes armed and dangerous) diehard Muslim loyalists who are not going down without a fight.
It is like Ted’s reading a script and it simply does not align with reality.
Ted is an evangelical leader and he is as far as I can tell not even speaking out against the currently ongoing targeting of Christians in Egypt by the MB thugs? What the h*ll, Ted?
(This is by no mans intended to let the other sham “conservative” leaders in Congress — McConnell, Cornyn, Boehner, etc — off the hook for their chronic dereliction of duty in calling out the Muslims for targeting Christians, as well as the Obokoharama Admin for its failure to speak out in defense of persecuted Christians in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iran, etc.) Where the h*ll are you guys, anyway? Hiding under your desks cuddling up to Reince Preibus? Pathetic!
That said, I would be happy to vote for Ted again.... for Senator.
Not sure he is actually eligible for President. (Sorry gang: It is what it is.) Oh, I know that there is no reason to believe that the current occupant of the White House is eligible, either, but for me to mention that would, of course, be ..... racist! :-)
You do realize that you are implying that the Constitution and the laws of the land are subject to your opinion, on a case-by-case basis, don't you? If you really believe that, then you should have no problem with Obama doing end run after end run around Congress if he happens to be pushing for something you believe in, and the Constitution be damned. Would you really support a Republican President who broke the tenets of the Constitution? If so, the Constitution has no meaning.
How about Obamas first act as President is to go and Make a Speech In Egypt, and INSIST against Protestations By Hosni Mubarack,that the Muslim Brotherhood be allowed to attend the speech.Ever since the place, as well as here has gone to hell in a Handbasket.All with assistance from the Hildabeast as Secretary of State
Ahhh.. Ok, I called Ted’s office and then I searched around a bit. Senator Cruz is a very, very wise man.
I agree about cutting off Aid. I disagreed with him that THIS was the military coup, and there is a good reason why he cast a wide net with the terminology.. because he caught up two fish. Graham and McCain.
The military coup that should have stopped the US Aid, that Senator Cruz is talking about is...
When the MB got into office.
And now it all makes sense. OF COURSE we should have cut funding - did we not all call our Senators about cutting funding, months ago?
Ted Cruz is awesome. Now McCain has to admit he support the official terrorist organization, who overthrew an Egyptian government, the Muslim Brotherhood? Nice move.
Play on Senator- he is making fools out of all of them.
Look closely, Cruz is saying that the military coup -WAS OBAMA! And that Obama did not follow the laws of military aid, but instead funded a terrorist group.
THIS is big.
Cruz is simply one of very few politicians where laws mean something. If you don't think the law is a good one, go through the legal process of changing it. Otherwise, the laws need to be enforced. You surely must know all the oaths of office the elected politicians took.
Look closely, Cruz is saying that the military coup -WAS OBAMA! And that Obama did not follow the laws of military aid, but instead funded a terrorist group.
THIS is big.
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Then Cruz is wrong.
The MB takeover about a year ago was Obama.
The current (anti-MB, anti-Obama) *military-led* counterrevolution is NOT Obama. That is why Obama, Kerry, and McCain are upset, as they are all very fond of the MB.
If Cruz means the (Obama-supported) MB takeover a year ago, he needs to be MUCH clearer.
Frankly, I am not sure Cruz gets it. However, he has time to come out this weekend and clarify just what the h*ll he is talking about.
I think he is being intentionally unclear, but also very clear to those who are paying attention. Time will tell.
I think he is being intentionally unclear, but also very clear to those who are paying attention. Time will tell.
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Hope you are correct, but he does not seem clear to me — and I am paying attention.
I could be wrong. I have no inside information. Time will tell what he really means, but I think he is saying that when Morsi was seated into power, it was a coup. Is the “July” Cruz is referring to really July 1, 2012?? The day Morsi entered office?
I don’t know. It isn’t clear, but I suspect there is something else going on with this talk of a coup.
Either way, we should cut back our aid anyway.
Rand Paul’s immigration speech
03.19.13 | Hon Sen Rand Paul (KY)
Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2998395/posts
...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let’s start that conversation by acknowledging we aren’t going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
[but he’s not against amnesty, snicker, definition of is is ping]
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt’s Generals:
‘How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?’
Foreign Policy | 15 Aug 2013 | John Hudson
Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3055253/posts
Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt’s military — even as Cairo’s security forces massacre anti-government activists.
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