By JOHN HOWELL Pacifists from two local groups walked the sidewalk in front of the Summit Office Park on Centerville Road yesterday afternoon in hopes of gaining Congressman James Langevin's support of their efforts to pressure Saudi Arabia to end its
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Pacifists from two local groups walked the sidewalk in front of the Summit Office Park on Centerville Road yesterday afternoon in hopes of gaining Congressman James Langevin’s support of their efforts to pressure Saudi Arabia to end its war on Yemen.
David Oppenheimer of No Endless War and Excessive Militarism said Senate action on a resolution is “imminent” and that the purpose of yesterday’s demonstration was to promote public awareness of the issue and gain Langevin’s support of companion legislation in the House. Bill Waters of Pax Christi Rhode Island was also in the line.
Langevin’s Rhode Island offices are located at Summit Office Park. Langevin was not in his office at the time of the demonstration.
Oppenheimer was congratulatory of Reed.
“Last week, Jack Reed had a sharp about face on the issue of his support of Saudi Arabia and its War on Yemen. We look for Langevin to sponsor or join the House companion effort. We also look for Sheldon Whitehouse's support of Reed's effort to finally bring a halt to the War on Yemen and our sponsorship of it,” reads a release issued by NEWEM.
It goes on to say that although Reed’s legislation “is not nearly as fast acting or constitutionally as important as the bi-partisan bill that will be voted on in the Senate this week, SJRes54, a War Powers Act that will stop all U.S. military support to the Saudi coalition for its war on Yemen without express Congressional approval, this was a step in the right direction.”
Oppenheimer said Langevin was gracious and listened when he and others met with him in 2017 to talk to him about health care and employee rights.
“He gave us a lot of time,” he said.
Asked whether the group has requested a meeting with the Congressman, Oppenheimer said he would wait until after the Senate vote.
“We have to get our feet on ground…we’ll reach out to him,” he said.
Nonetheless, NEWEM is critical of Langevin.
“Congressman Langevin has been very quiet about the war on Yemen after a two-year run where he voted for Trump's military budget, even after the tax cuts clearly indicated that deficits would occur that would allow the Republicans to go after social security and Medicare and the rest of what is left of the safety net, and voted with the Republicans and against Democratic leadership on the major vote held on domestic surveillance of American civilians,” reads the release.
The group outside the office park numbered eight people and stayed on location for about 90 minutes. Oppenheimer said a number of motorists showed their support by honking. However, one person mooned the group. In his days of protesting, Oppenheimer said it was a first.
“This is a moral issue,” Oppenheimer said in a statement.
“Every day you can read about the horrors of civilian slaughter and death in Yemen and the Saudi war on the Yemeni people. With Trump supporting the murderers of Khashoggi, with Secretary of State Pompeo basically saying profits from arms sales are more important than the lives of innocent civilians, we need this War Power Resolution to succeed. We need to stop a genocide. We need to show that we do give free reign to allies to commit war crimes and that lives come before arms sale profits. We will be looking for Congressman Langevin's position on this; we will be looking to see if he believes that enabling the bloody Saudi regime fits with what our nation stands for and if military contracting companies' bottom lines trump human decency and the lives of innocents.”
Langevin’s office did not respond to calls by press time.
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bendover
YES, YES, by all means...and get the help of the combat hero, the midget from West Point, Reed...(OH, that's right, he dodged combat). While you are at it, help plant the welcome sign for Iran. Where the hell was your concern while 600,000 Christians, Sunni Muslims and Kurds were being exterminated while obozo was President? By the way, I don't like the Saudi's and have little trust of them but the alternative is worse...Why don't you send obozo over there with these 4 Washington clowns from RI? Maybe if they bow enough they won't kill you...Diplomacy by dummies who are clueless....Remember....RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA...Sycophants, the whole lot of you.
Friday, November 30, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
and i is the idiot here....
Friday, November 30, 2018 Report this
Cat2222
The moral of Mr. Dover's (LOL) story is that war is only bad when you dislike the sitting President. Got it.
Friday, November 30, 2018 Report this
patientman
The Iranians will stop supporting the Houthi's and the Saudi's will stop supporting the Yemeni government if we end our involvement? No the war will get bloodier if we take our leash off the Saudi's. An Iranian stronghold next door to KSA is seen as an existential threat to the Saudis.
Saturday, December 1, 2018 Report this