By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, November 19, 2024
At the very same time that we’re subjected to media analyses of how a “progressive” senator won reelection in a Trump state, that same senator, Tammy Baldwin, is refusing to come out against . . . wait for it . . . arming a proud, public, livestreamed genocide.
On Monday, World BEYOND War in Madison, Wisconsin, held a press conference in front of Senator Baldwin’s office together with Madison Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Madison Mennonite Action, Madison CODEPINK, and Jewish Voice for Peace – Madison. Speakers included: Mia Kurzer, UW-Madison student; Mina, Madison College student & CODEPINK organizer; Sharon Lezberg, Jewish Voice for Peace – Madison; and Carla Rattunde.
These students asked Senator Baldwin — and Senator Ron Johnson — to join Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, and Chris Van Hollen in voting — the vote is expected this week — to block $20 billion of weapons sales to Israel. Such shipments violate numerous existing U.S. laws, but rather than uphold any of those laws, the U.S. government is apparently equipped, at best, to vote for one law more.
Prior to their press conference, activists met with Senator Baldwin’s staff. The results are reported in The Daily Cardinal as “Anti-war group says Baldwin noncommittal on blocking Israeli military aid after meeting with her staff.”
Not only would voting to block particular weapons to Israel be merely complying with numerous existing laws, but it would also be heeding the will of the vast majority of the U.S. public. It would, in addition, amount to publicly recognizing the easy step presidential candidate Kamala Harris could have taken and likely thereby cemented an electoral victory. It would, in addition, be a throw-away costing not a single genocide-supporter anything, unless many more Senators — and House Members! — find a conscience, and unless the U.S. government chooses to suddenly comply with a super-redundant law because it’s new.
U.S. Representative from Wisconsin Mark Pocan was one of more than 80 members of Congress who pressed the Biden administration to sanction the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for actions to incite violence and expand settlements in the West Bank. Madison peace and anti-genocide activists commended Rep. Pocan for this action, for his work to reduce U.S. military spending, and for speaking up for peace and against Israeli apartheid and genocide. They called on him to sponsor a resolution in the House now to halt illegal weapons shipments to Israel.
Madison students spoke about this on the following radio show:
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