In Defense of Tulsi Gabbard

What a breath of fresh air it is to have an elected representative in our Congress who is willing to go against the grain of official Washington in matters of war and peace. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii dared to question the sanctioned narrative justifying President Trump’s recent missile attack against the Syrian Airforce. Even while Trump was enjoying his first ever bipartisan applause, and the media was unquestioning in its “Assad gasses his own people” story, Tulsi Gabbard cautioned us to wait and find out what really happened before rushing to escalate the U.S. war on Syria.

The Congresswoman from Hawaii is not a newcomer to the issues of war and peace. Tulsi Gabbard is a Major in the Hawaiian National Guard and a veteran of the Iraq War. Unlike other Congressional representatives, Rep. Gabbard has closely studied U.S. intervention in Syria. She actually visited Syria in January, and spoke with Syrians from many walks of life. Rep. Gabbard, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also spoke with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for which she received bipartisan rebukes upon her return to the United States.

Rep. Gabbard went on to introduce the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, which would prohibit the U.S. government from doing just that. Since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, the CIA has been arming terrorist groups – both supposed “moderates” and outright jihadists – who are seeking to overthrow the Syrian government. Senator Rand Paul, Republican from Kentucky, has introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.

It takes a lot of integrity and a lot of courage to stand up against the raging pack that is clamoring for war. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has earned the admiration of many in the U.S. who are not in a rush to go to war, in Syria, in Yemen, in Afghanistan, in Iran or in North Korea. In U.S. politics, however, there is always a price to pay for not going along with the war drive.

Tulsi Gabbard has been targeted for political assassination, not only by Republicans but by leaders of her own Democratic Party. None other than Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and former head of the Democratic National Committee, has attacked Rep. Gabbard harshly on national television.  Dean later called on Rep. Gabbard’s Hawaii constituents to vote her out of office in the next election.

All peace-loving people should stand up for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard while she is standing up for us.  Send her a message of support at:

Phone: (202) 225-4906
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
Email: 
TulsiOffice@mail.house.gov                             1433 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515

Also ask your own Representatives and Senators to support Rep. Gabbard’s bill, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, HR 608, and in the Senate, S. 532 (introduced by Sen. Rand Paul).

Please sign the petition in support of Stop Arming Terrorists Act, HR 608 at: http://hr608.info.

Gerry Condon is a Vietnam-era veteran who resisted the war while an active-duty soldier. He is a past president of Veterans For Peace, a current Board member, and a coordinator of its Nuclear Abolition Working Group.