If we’re going to end unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi regime war-blockade-famine-genocide in Yemen in 2022, then there must be a floor vote in the House on a Yemen War Powers Resolution by March 25, 2022, the seventh anniversary of the war.
There’s no reason to do it any later. What are we waiting for? “If not now, when?” There’s no information we need about this that we don’t already have. Are we waiting for the Saudi regime to blow up another school bus full of school children? Are we waiting for the Saudi regime to assassinate and dismember another Washington Post journalist who opposes the war? Are we waiting for the Saudi regime to starve more Yemeni children to death by blockading Yemeni ports?
The more this issue drags into 2022, the more pressure there will be on House Democrats not to rock the boat. “Don’t make no waves, don’t back no losers,” as they say in Chicago. The further this issue drags into 2022, the more the DNC hacks masquerading as peace advocates will say: “Wah! Wah! You’re attacking Biden! It’s an election year! Democrats will lose the House and it will be all your fault!” Of course that’s cow manure. The DNC hacks masquerading as peace advocates will spew any nonsense. But we don’t want to study DNC hack apologetics for war no more. So let’s have the vote before March 25, 2022 and get it over with, so we don’t have to deal with this tawdry claim from DNC hacks that it’s our fault if Democrats lose the House because we wanted to end the Saudi war in Yemen, exactly as Democrats promised to Democrats in the Democratic Platform.
To be certain of having a floor vote in the House by March 25, the Yemen War Powers Resolution must be introduced in the House at least two weeks before, because that’s the way the War Powers Resolution of 1973 works. There’s a waiting period after the bill is introduced before the sponsors can force a floor vote.
25-14 = 11. We need a hook on the calendar that’s before March 11. What’s wrong with March 8, International Women’s Day? “Who will kill us?” as the Italians say.
International Women’s Day links women in Yemen who are victims of this war to women in the United States, the United Kingdom and France whose governments are perpetuating this war. It’s principally the U.S., the UK, and France who are arming the Saudi regime. It’s the U.S., the UK and France who are blocking action on the UN Security Council to end this war. It’s the U.S., the UK, and France who are ensuring that international diplomacy to end the war is imprisoned in a Saudi regime-approved sandbox that never accomplishes anything in the absence of decisive Congressional action.
Peace advocates across the United States need to know 100% for certain that we’re going to have this House floor vote in March so they can have the next two months to organize the Street Heat on House Democrats in March that’s going to win the vote. Every House Democrat voted before to end this war. But that’s when Trump was POTUS. Now we have Dem POTUS. We can expect the Administration to try twisting the arms of House Democrats against us, because that’s what every Administration always does. “We’re the Administration, you’re not, yours not to reason why, yours just to follow our orders.” So we need Street Heat in March on the House Democrats who voted with us before so that they resist the Administration’s arm twisting. And Street Heat takes time to organize.
Here’s how we lose. We wait until March. Then we say: “Hey peace advocates across the United States! We have a floor vote in the House tomorrow! Go organize Street Heat on House Democrats!” If we’re going to try to do it like that, we might as well just concede defeat right now. Street Heat takes time to organize.
Here’s how we win. We get ONE House Democrat to PUBLICLY pledge that if the House Yemen War Powers Resolution hasn’t been introduced by March 8, International Women’s Day, then that House Democrat will take responsibility for introducing the bill. Then the March House vote is publicly guaranteed.
That will give peace advocates across the United States the certainty they need to organize the Street Heat for March. From the point of view of peace advocates organizing across the United States, it doesn’t matter that much who the bill sponsor will be. What matters for peace advocates across the United States is that’s it’s 100% certain that there will be a House floor vote to end the war in March.