Open letter to Sen. Cornyn:
Sen. Cornyn,
You sent me an e-mail message
concerning Syria, which I repeat at the end of my message.
My main concern is that your reply reflects your position
concerning the Syrian rebellion and you generally take this position whenever
the subject publicly arises.
I take issue with several points.
First you seem to have fallen into
the position of the liberal news media which continues to press that the Asaad
regime is killing Syrian civilians, apparently for no reason. If you think
about this for a minute, I believe you will agree that no government will kill
its citizens for no reason.
The key point is that a strong
element in the civilian population is against the existing regime. The Asaad
regime wishes to maintain its power, as I am sure the you would wish to retain
your position in the Senate. Since the rebels are using force against the
government, the government is responding equally. Because the people being
killed have no uniforms, it should not be interpreted that they are innocent
civilians. The likelihood is high that they are rebels.
With that
said, a other questions arise. Do rebels in the civilian population have a
right to attempt the overthrow of the government? The answer is that they do,
but at their own risk. That risk is the possibility of being killed. Why would
a rebel want to take military action against his government? There are a couple
of possibilities. One is for an idealistic principle of obtaining personal
freedom for himself and the general population, and a second is to benefit from
the spoils of power. I'm sure you understand the "spoils of power",
if you consider the various benefits and financial opportunities in the
position you now hold as compared to what you might have in a job of lesser
power.
Considering
that rebels desire to take the risk of overthrowing their government in Syria,
the question is whether this should be of much significance to US citizens and
particularly to you as a Senator. Since you have sponsored a bill and a
resolution involving the situation, and presumably favorable to rebels, you
have answered the question whether you believe you should be involved. I
completely disagree. It is not the business of the American citizens, nor
especially its government, to be concerned with foreign developments which have
no significant bearing on the economic situation of the US.
Am I
personally concerned about the bloodshed on the part of the Syrian military and
the rebels. The answer is yes, but these people have a right to their own
decisions to take whatever risk necessary in order to accomplish their goals.
It is not up to me or you to decide what those goals should be, nor should we
interfere if we don't particularly like the goals of one side or the other.
The fact
that you are already taking sides against the Syrian government and indirectly
promoting the rebel cause, with a bill and resolution to aid the rebels, I can
justly claim that you are promoting war for the US. Whether it would be a
restricted flyover or military aid to rebels, it would be active participation.
This is something which is not our business nor do we have any justification
for borrowing money to finance any involvement.
Sen. Cornyn,
This is the
letter you sent me:
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Dear Dr. Sucsy:
Thank you for contacting me
regarding the United States’ policy toward Syria. I appreciate having
the benefit of your comments on this matter.
As you may know, on March 18,
2011, the Syrian people commenced widespread and peaceful protests against
President Bashar al-Assad and his regime. Subsequently, President
Assad and his government forces launched a violent response, killing over
9,000 of their own citizens. The violent oppression by the Assad
regime continues unabated, with the regime failing to deliver promised
reforms and instead utilizing overwhelming force against the protestors.
Since August 2011, President Obama has called for Assad’s
resignation, supporting United Nations Security Council action to
facilitate his removal. To date, the Security Council is deadlocked
due to obstruction by Russia and China.
As a result, I am pleased that
President Obama has heeded the call of many in Congress to authorize targeted
sanctions against human rights abusers in Syria. I am also proud to
cosponsor Senate Resolution 370 (S.Res. 370), which was introduced on
February 9, 2012. This resolution would condemn the ongoing and
systematic human rights violations conducted by Syrian authorities and call
on Assad to step down from power. Additionally, this resolution would
call on President Obama to develop a plan to identify weapons stockpiles in
Syria and prevent their proliferation, as well as urge the international
community to support a post-Assad democratic government. S.Res. 370
was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for further
consideration.
Furthermore, I am proud to
have cosponsored Senate Bill 2224 (S. 2224), which directs the President to
submit three reports to Congress that would assess all Syrian opposition
groups; assess the size and security of weapons stockpiles in Syria; and
describe support provided to opposition political forces in Syria. S.
2224 was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent on May 9, 2012, and was
subsequently referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for further
consideration.
Finally, I introduced Senate
Resolution 494 (S.Res. 494) on June 14, 2012. This resolution would
condemn the government of the Russian Federation for providing weapons to
the Assad regime, which have been used to slaughter Syrian civilians.
Additionally, I have pressed the Obama Administration to end all U.S.
government business dealings with Rosoboronexport���the Russian state-owned
arms broker that facilitates the Russian Federation’s arms transfers to
Syria. I remain troubled that the U.S. Army continues to do business
with Rosoboronexport, purchasing dozens of dual-use Mi-17 helicopters for
the Afghan military. I am pleased that a number of my colleagues
joined me in calling on the Administration to express serious concerns and
call on the Department of Defense to end its contractual relations with
Rosoboronexport. It is unconscionable that U.S. taxpayers would be
required to pay for a contract with a Russian firm that is simultaneously
enabling the Assad regime to murder its own people, and you may be certain
that I will continue to press the Obama Administration on this issue.
The people of Syria have
demonstrated a hunger for freedom, and the United States has a solemn duty
to support their democratic aspirations. I appreciate having the
opportunity to represent you in the United States Senate, and I will keep
your views in mind as these matters are discussed. Thank you for
taking the time to contact me.
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