South Dakota Senators continue to stand with the craven Donald Trump and against holding Saudi Arabia’s crown prince accountable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While Senator Mike Rounds says he’s “frustrated” (KELO Radio’s word) about Khashoggi’s murder and says, “Our ability to express that has not been offered yet,” Rounds and his partner Senator John Thune both voted against an opportunity to express that frustration yesterday on the Senate floor.
The Senate voted 63–37 yesterday to bring to the floor Senate Joint Resolution 54, a measure that would limit presidential war powers in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is helping kill a whole bunch more civilians. The nays were all Republican.
Note that this vote was not to rip up the U.S.–Saudi alliance. This vote was just the motion to discharge—i.e., to allow Senators to do what Senators are supposed to do, discuss whether the United States should withdraw its troops from a country in which Congress has not declared war:
…Whereas section 8(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1547(c)) defines the introduction of United States Armed Forces to include “the assignment of members of such armed forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged, or there exists an imminent threat that such forces will become engaged, in hostilities,” and activities that the United States is conducting in support of the Saudi-led coalition, including aerial refueling and targeting assistance, fall within this definition;
Whereas section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 (50 U.S.C. 1546a) provides that any joint resolution or bill to require the removal of United States Armed Forces engaged in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization shall be considered in accordance with the expedited procedures of section 601(b) of the International Security and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–329; 90 Stat. 765); and
Whereas no specific statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces with respect to the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen has been enacted, and no provision of law explicitly authorizes the provision of targeting assistance or of midair refueling services to warplanes of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that are engaged in such conflict: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS.
Pursuant to section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 (50 U.S.C. 1546a) and in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–329; 90 Stat. 765), Congress hereby directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces, by not later than the date that is 30 days after the date of the adoption of this joint resolution (unless the President requests and Congress authorizes a later date), and unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted [S.J. Res. 54, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, 2018.02.28].
The Senate tabled this same motion back in March on a 55–44 vote.
Now Senators Rounds and Thune must explain not only their water-carrying for a grossly immoral White House that is destroying America’s moral stature but also their unwillingness to allow an honest debate about putting American troops in harm’s way without proper Congressional authorization.
In utterly unrelated news, archaeologists have identified a ring dug up in Israel 50 years ago as possibly having belonged to Pontius Pilate.
It is funny neither Noem nor Rounds have the competence to remain in DC and do their jobs. And Thune’s mentor is Mitch McConnell. Those lifetime DC perks. And then there is NRA, Mueller probe, Butina in jail, Erickson’s hand-wringing, Dusty-in-the-house, all clamoring to avoid Trump’s insanity. Talk about a puppet Red state.
5 big name wingnuts have accepted serious money from Saudi lobbyists and surprise, all five voted against the resolution. Marlboro Barbie must be considered an afterthought because his name wasn’t mentioned as a recipient of lobbyist pesos.
Another thread discussed the cost of alternative energy and the cost of oil. This is the cost of a national energy policy focused on oil.
Thune’s silence makes him a poster boy for Trump’s lackeys.Is that NRA money, Blue Cross Money, burning a hole in your integrity? Spending the 4th of July in Russia was the icing on the cake. South Dakota is west of DC not east. I am disgusted by all of our DC representatives.
The only consolation in this is that the children of these clowns will get to live thru the mess that they are creating, alienating allies, lifetime appointments to marginally qualified individuals, a warming climate… And every person that supports these folks will get to explain it to their kids!
The Intercept, A. Lacey (11.10.18) describes significant blu wave house committee leadership changes.
The recent GM layoffs, NOem, Thune and Rounds did it. They completely did not know that the tax cuts they supported would allow GM to close shop and get paid a massive amount to send those jobs out of country. Winning
Bob J, I find them disgusting too.
Honestly, do any of you understand 1) what the fighting is about, 2) what side represents what action/party, 3) freedom for the people
Or all you about hating on anything that you perceive the present leadership supports?
Please, before you condemn the actions of the parties involved learn something about what is actually going on. Yemen is not what you think.
Are these not the two who never wore the uniform to get out of Yemen in March.Will photo op thune make a statement will slick Mike come out and say something or do it over the phone.
Please, before you condemn the actions of the parties involved learn something about what is actually going on. Yemen is not what you think.
Yemen is chocolate covered OldStumpbroke farts. Yemen is all that with a cherry on top. Yemen is gonna be Drumpf and OldSferbrain’s greatest foreign policy blunderbuss and they will blame it on Obama and HRC’s emails.
Yemen is the key to understanding the Lakota culture expurts pitiful whines for help because he has been everywhere and done everything and has no intelligent ideas about anything. And he has trolls for playmates.
A fine pair of partisan pansies with not a vestige of true character between the two of them.
OS, a good floor debate on U.S. military involvement will help us all understand the situation better, don’t you think? An open debate about whether we should be putting U.S. troops in harm’s way without a proper Congressional authorization of the use of force and on behalf of a country whose ruler ordered the murder of a journalist whose coverage annoyed him is worth having, isn’t it?
I think those points are enough to tell us that Rounds and Thune voted wrong.
It’s horrific when one of our journalists gets murdered, tortured, dis-membered and no one pays for this or brought to justice? It’s just a journalist, right? I get sickened by the politics covering up what they don’t want to admit to in foreign relations. This presidency is about oil, money, business and he has plenty of businesses in foreign lands. It scares me so much who the President’s bed partners are and our legislators are part of his legacy. And our children ? Grand-children? I fear for them, most.
MJK~ The “reporter” wasn’t American or even a green card holder nor was he actually a journalist. Jamal Khashoggi was previously a spy for the Saudi Intelligence Agency and then became a traitor by joining the Muslim Brotherhood and trying to overthrow the leadership of his home country. The lie that he was a journalist was perpetrated to cause division between the US and Saudi to the advantage of Iran. His cover was that of a journalist only. Read his articles. They were all ghost written.
Russian gets his info straight from Putin’s arse. But he admits a fellow human being was ambushed and murdered in a consulate by Saudi murderers on orders from MBS. Pick a lane Russian.
Sarge w/o more you are no more than the Saudis heaping dung on the steaming smoke of the career columnist murdered and dismembered for criticizing the ruling royalty and the trump mob. Linkey-linkey, name calling smear-artist.
Wahhabo Muslims- think Saudi royal Family- are the worst terrorists in the world and Drumpf and dumbass dubya’s families are in bed with them.
Dumbass dubya’s family was in bed with bin-Ladin’s family as well.
Dumbass dubya had a band of Talibanis at his Texas ranch giving them millions of taxpayers bucks to fight poppy growers for us in Afghanistan. They used the money to buy weapons and used the drug trade to fund their whole outfot and offshoots.
Wahhabi Muslims- think Saudi royal Family- are the worst terrorists in the world and Drumpf and dumbass dubya’s families are in bed with them.
Dumbass dubya’s family was in bed with bin-Ladin’s family as well.
Dumbass dubya had a band of Talibanis at his Texas ranch giving them millions of taxpayers bucks to fight poppy growers for us in Afghanistan. They used the money to buy weapons and used the drug trade to fund their whole outfot and offshoots.
But HRC had emails.
OldSonofawhiskerbiscuit- prove Kashoggi’s Muslim Brotherhood ties and involvement. Put up or shut up!
“trump business partner Felix Sater has now stated publicly that the Trump Organization tried to bribe a foreign government official, Putin, with a $50 million penthouse, and two law enforcement sources confirmed to Buzz Feed News the bribe was communicated to Dmitry Peskov, a Putin aide, in violation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, putting both the Trump Organization and it’s leader Donald Trump in serious legal jeopardy, which may explain why Trump has been so upset.” Dust off the old impeachment papers kiddo’s. You can’t do business with our enemies so they will elect you.
Can’t wait for our Thune, our number 2, to come out and defend his actions for the last two years. Thune was number 3 in senate leadership before he became number 2, so he was in on the whole thing so much so, he even went to Russia himself. What a crew.
High 5’s from Putin and MBS, everything is working out. The takeover of America, the UK, the disbanding of NATO and all with little effort along with the full support of republican accomplices in trump’s circle. https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1068555158743859205/video/1
I am sure Thune and Rounds and little Johnson would approve of the points scored.
https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-jamal-khashoggi/4610403.html
That ‘fake’ journalist bgot a degree in Journalism in 1983 and was a journalist, unlike the news readers at Fake Noise, his entire life. Every major, reliable outlet sez he was a journalist, but our resident know it all claims to know better. My best guess is drumpf tweeted in OldSambarbellers ear.
A nation’s leader murdering a critical investigative journalist is always an extremely serious crime. We must to have people with the means and brains to keep an eye on our government for the citizens, else democracy collapses.
Of course MBS doesn’t have, nor want, democracy. Neither does Pootie, Erdogan, nor our own wanna-be dictator, Orange Imbecile. That makes those journalists even more critical.
Democracies must stand up for journalists everywhere because one such as the USA has journalists everywhere. If we don’t stand up for Khashoggi, why would a nation think we will stand up for a US journalist reporting on US troops or money in a foreign land?
By not supporting journalists over murderous rulers, Orange Imbecile and the Pootiepublicans endanger journalists everywhere, including US citizens.
I believe there were 27 other journalists murdered this year. Not sure how many were fake according to OldSpicerack.
“A nation’s leader murdering a critical investigative journalist is always an extremely serious crime.” not really. Today’s journalist are just talking heads on the boob tube. Journalist are no more important than any person they simply decided to major in something that teaches them to read off a teleprompter.
Where are the provable Muslim Brotherhood ties? As for Kashoggi the journalist, he just doesn’t meet your, exclusive definition of a journalist. Running out of strikes for today.
“According to Egypt Today, Khashoggi revealed “yes, I joined the Muslim Brotherhood organization when I was at university; and I was not alone.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Khashoggi
Mike you should learn to use google. Sometimes I wonder if you are actually mental or just stupid. Help me out, which is it?
The end result, explained Lee Stranahan, a former Breitbart reporter and the host of a radio show on the Russia-owned Sputnik TV, is that the pro-Trump line obscures the truth about extremism in the Middle East. “The goal is to never enhance people’s understanding of what’s going on, and so they’re able to get away with saying stuff like ‘Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terror in the world,‘” he said. “And all the major terrorist groups are Salafi groups, and they’re all connected to Saudi Arabia, where Wahhabism came from! But no one on the right wants to talk about it.
Typical Russian thinking that murder is okay because______________ according to Egypt something or other. Now according to the CIA, he was a green card carrying American citizen. How about that, the Russian is okay with the killing of an American. sad
OldStraplessgown, Lee Stranahan and you really should get together and cook up some conspiracy theories. You are a terrible bore by yourself.
“A nation’s leader murdering a critical investigative journalist is always an extremely serious crime.”
Yes, really. Absolutely and always really.
“OldStraplessgown?!?” 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Nothing, “sarge”? Didn’t think so. Rounds and trump use public resources to bury smoking autocratic corruption, criminality and nepotism. Rounds may not run again it is rumored. Trump is TOAST. The financial, health, civil rights and environmental messes created by trump, the GOP/NRA/KKK and the right wing billionaires will be fixed, and the house will impeach the President.
leslie, he is a patriot..for Putin. Got the red, white, and blue flag that goes with that loyalty to Putin as well, it has no stars though.
Obstruction of Justice, “Mr. Cohen consulted with White House staff members and Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers as he prepared for his false congressional testimony, according to the memo.” New York Times 12/01/2018
Wow, trump thought we are a banana republic until he slipped on the peel. Time to clean house…real soon. Meanwhile, here in crazy land South Dakota, we just keep paying for republican accomplice blind support for mob rule.
You folks are a nasty group of freaks. A group of Saudis kill a foreign spy and you all have a cow. Kill a baby and you all cheer. Freaking Freaks!
what foreign spy did a group of Saudis kill?
Who is cheering for killing babies?
Nick I can’t say for sure, but it appears that OldSarg once more might be projecting his own cheering:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/25/us-bombs-yemen-children-humanitarian-disaster
See the OldSarg comment at:
https://dakotafreepress.com/2018/11/29/rounds-thune-resist-debate-on-u-s-withdrawal-from-yemen/#comment-121353
As an old friend often wrote here, I’m just sayin. . . .
85 children in Yemen (at least) have starved and that is with the help of Drumpf and OldSudsytoucan’s Saudi buddies so you know OS is cheering his guts out for the crown prince.
In saying that the murder of any human being is not a serious crime, OS forfeits any right to complain that we’re all scum for supporting women’s right to abortion.