Syria/Iraq

[Vrede too]

If anyone wins in October, I will figure something has been rigged.

[JTA]

If anyone wins in October, I will figure something has been rigged.

Harambe.

[JTA]

Do you think crooked Hillary had Harambe killed?

[Vrede too]

Guys, your Harambe memes are making the Cincinnati Zoo sad

[Vrede too]

As of July 17th, Canada has resettled 29,207 Syrian refugees. Another 2,479 applications are finalized, but the refugees have not yet travelled to Canada. A further 17,523 applications are in progress.

(Now "30,136 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since November 4, 2015")

They're being spread out in over 300 communities across Canada. The idea is to integrate them into Canadian society, rather than having European-style ghettos and enclaves.

A wonderful thing happened on Wednesday when one family got lost....

and even a little .

10,000th Syrian reaches US this week in resettlement program

More than I would have guessed, but still.

[rstrong]

10,000th Syrian reaches US this week in resettlement program

More than I would have guessed, but still.

Well, it *is* an election year.

As of August 21st, Canada has resettled 30,136 Syrian refugees. Another 3,265 applications are finalized, but the refugees have not yet travelled to Canada. A further 18,842 applications are in progress.

[Vrede too]

Pentagon Calls on Turkey to Stop Fighting Kurds

Maybe if Mexico and Israel mediate.

[Vrede too]

Why Is the United States Abetting Saudi War Crimes in Yemen?
The Obama administration’s record-setting arms deals with Riyadh have strengthened extremists and led to greater regional instability.



Let’s End America’s Hopeless War for the Middle East
Our country’s longest war is unwinnable, and we have more important things to do.

[Vrede too]

Back Murphy-Paul-Lieu-Yoho Limits on Weapons to Saudis (petition)

Senate rejects bid to block US-Saudi Arabia arms deal

... The measure to disapprove the sale failed on a 26-71 vote.

The outcome, which was a victory for Saudi Arabia, came as the US-Saudi relationship is being carefully examined and managed by restive lawmakers.

Congress will vote in the coming days in favor of another highly sensitive matter the Saudis strongly oppose. Lawmakers are expected to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that would allow victims and families of the 9/11 terrorist strikes to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in them....

A coalition of liberal and conservative senators pushed the resolution to scrap the sale.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, argued that by selling tanks and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia the US is essentially joining the war in Yemen without congressional authorization.

"We are complicit and actively involved with war in Yemen. There's been no debate in Congress, really no debate in the public sphere, over whether or not we should be at war in Yemen," Paul said. "We are currently doing inflight refueling of bombers, Saudi Arabian bombers that are bombing in Yemen. We are helping to select sites and we actually have had Special Forces involved in these decisions in the theatre as well."

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, warned America would be blamed for humanitarian disaster in Yemen and could lead to a backlash against the US.

"There have already been thousands and thousands of civilians killed," said Murphy. "If you talk to Yemenis, they will tell you that this is perceived inside Yemen as not a Saudi-led bombing campaign, which it's broadly advertised in the newspapers, but as a US bombing campaign or at best a US-Saudi bombing campaign. There is a US imprint on every civilian death inside Yemen, which is radicalizing the people this country against the United States." ...

The pro-sale argument essentially is that out of all the things we could possibly do for Saudi Arabia the only acceptable one is to sell them arms while they are actively killing Yemenis.

27-71 according to the Senate website. NC's Burr & Tillis both voted with the majority, as did SC's Graham and Scott and TN's Alexander and Corker. 22 Dems, 4 GOP and Bernie were in the minority.

[Vrede too]

Congress: Debate & Vote Before War with Russia or Syria

To be delivered to The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate

Congress must debate and approve or reject an authorization for the use of military force before the U.S. takes military action against Russian or Syrian military forces in Syria.

[Vrede too]

Pence Gets (unanimously) Clobbered By Federal Appeals Court In Refugee Case

[Vrede too]

Assad and Russia have been rightly condemned for what they're doing to the civilian population in their efforts to root out the rebels. It will be interesting to see if the same standards are applied to the US, Kurds and Iraqi government in their efforts to root out the Daesh rebels in Mosul.

[rstrong]

If anyone wins in October, I will figure something has been rigged.

I think Hillary won in October.

[Vrede too]

I think she won when Kasich and Rubio dropped out.

[billy.pilgrim]

Assad and Russia have been rightly condemned for what they're doing to the civilian population in their efforts to root out the rebels. It will be interesting to see if the same standards are applied to the US, Kurds and Iraqi government in their efforts to root out the Daesh rebels in Mosul.

Ask the dead babies in Fallujah

[Vrede too]

Hendersonville church members appear to drop refugee proposal

Sad but not surprising in Hooterville. My former northern Rockies home has a very active refugee solidarity group. Meanwhile, WNC is infamous for several white rightwing Christian terrorists. Maybe other places will start refusing permission for us to resettle elsewhere.

[rstrong]

The campaign promise was 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of December. After the election that got changed to 10,000 by the end of December, and 25,000 refugees by the end of February.

Now that the pipeline is up and running the plan is for 35,000 to 50,000 Syrian refugees by the end of next year.

No year-end total yet, but as of Dec. 19th:

38,713 - Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada
2,712 - refugee applications have been finalized, but they have not yet travelled to Canada 
18,112 - refugee resettlement applications in progress

[rstrong]

CBC: Sweet success: How the Hadhads went from refugees to employers in 1 year

[Vrede too]

Obesity and tooth decay terrorism.

[Vrede too]

Dem (along with Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.) seeks to block US troops going to Syria after Marines deployed (article)

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Block the Deployment of Ground Troops in Syria (press release)

H.R.1473 - To prohibit the deployment of members of the Armed Forces to Syria for purposes of engaging in ground combat operations, and for other purposes.

To be delivered to The United States House of Representatives

Co-sponsor H.R. 1473, Rep. Barbara Lee's bill to block the deployment of U.S. ground troops in Syria.