Saudi Arabia's war and blockade have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. But the Trump Administration wants to sell Saudi Arabia even more weapons. Under U.S. law, weapons exports are supposed to be conditioned on requirements that civilians be protected from their use. Unfortunately, Congressional "oversight" of U.S. weapons exports has often been virtually absent, particularly for countries like Saudi Arabia that have bought a lot of influence in Washington. Senators Murphy, Paul, Durbin and Franken [1] have now introduced Senate Joint Resolution 40 [2], which would tighten these requirements in the case of Saudi Arabia. Under SJRes40, the Administration would have to publicly certify that Saudi Arabia is complying with international humanitarian law in Yemen and facilitating the flow of aid into Yemen in order for arms sales to proceed. On September 21, 27 Senators voted against arming Saudi Arabia. [3] The more Senators co-sponsor SJRes40, the more Senate support we have for blocking the sale of weapons if Saudi Arabia doesn't change its behavior in Yemen. Urge Senators to co-sponsor SJRes40 by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/40/cosponsors 2. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/sjres40/text 3. https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=2&vote=00145#position

On April 7, the purported "fact-checking" site "PolitiFact Wisconsin" issued a "ruling" claiming that Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan deserved a "FALSE" rating for saying that there was no legal basis for President Trump's April 6 military attack on Syria. In attempting to justify its claim, "PolitiFact Wisconsin" asserted: "under the War Powers Resolution, the president can send in forces without approval from Congress." [1] Politifact Wisconsin's claim is FALSE. The War Powers Resolution says: "The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces." [2] The ACLU says: "President Trump has unilaterally launched strikes against a country that has not attacked us, and without any authorization from Congress. Doing so violates some of the most important legal constraints on the use of force... we have been steadfast in insisting, from the Vietnam War through the wars in Iraq and strikes in Libya and Syria by the Obama administration, that the decision to use military force requires Congress’ specific, advance authorization." [3] Urge PolitiFact Wisconsin to correct the record by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/07/mark-pocan/mark-pocan-wrongly-claims-donald-trump-had-no-lega/ 2. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40160-in-attacking-syria-trump-breached-the-war-powers-resolution-s-outer-wall 3. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/us-strikes-syria-are-illegal-response-atrocity

On Thursday, April 6, President Trump attacked Syria without Congressional authorization, violating the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. [1] Following Nixon's unauthorized escalations of the Vietnam War, the Congressional Framers of the War Powers Resolution knew that it was likely that future Presidents would try to use military force without Congressional authorization. That's why they put multiple mechanisms in the WPR to help future Congresses defend their war powers. One of those mechanisms was the requirement that the President report in writing to Congress within 48 hours of using military force without a declaration of war, stating: "(A) the circumstances necessitating the introduction of United States Armed Forces; (B) the constitutional and legislative authority under which such introduction took place; and (C) the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement." [2] On April 7, Reps. Peter DeFazio [OR-4], Mark Pocan [WI-2], Barbara Lee [CA-13], and James McGovern [MA-2] sent a letter to Trump reminding him that under the War Powers Resolution, he has 48 hours to report to Congress on his unauthorized strike. Add your voice to that of DeFazio, Pocan, Lee and McGovern by signing our petition. UPDATE: "With six hours to spare before the 48-hour deadline in section 4 of the War Powers Resolution, the White House has sent the President's report to Congress on Thursday evening's missile attacks on Syria." [4] You can still show your support for President Trump's compliance with the War Powers Resolution by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/us-strikes-syria-are-illegal-response-atrocity; https://www.lawfareblog.com/constitutionality-syria-strike-through-eyes-olc-and-obama-administration 2. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/warpower.asp 3. http://defazio.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-defazio-lawmakers-urge-president-trump-to-outline-scope-of-syria 4. https://www.lawfareblog.com/president-trumps-war-powers-report-syria-attacks

As the world considers the ramifications of Trump's unilateral missile strikes in response to Bashar Assad's heinous actions, we cannot forget that the families who were gassed and killed by Assad are the very same families Trump wants to ban from taking refuge in the United States. As Congress decides whether to authorize Trump's use of force in Syria, we need to be clear: It would be hypocritical and morally wrong to bomb the people of Syria who are trapped there because of our government's recent decisions. We are talking with Democrats in Congress and will share the momentum of this petition with them. Together, we'll encourage them to stand up to Trump's anti-refugee policies.

Using nuclear weapons may very well bring about the end of the world (as we know it) . . . could possibly make it so it's like human history never happened. The past, the present, the future . . . gone up in mushroom clouds of smoke.

The devastating civil war in Syria, now in its seventh year, has claimed at lesat 400,000 casualties, and displaced more than 6 million people, creating a humanitarian crisis of historic proportions. Following the ruthless chemical attacks carried about by Bashir Assad's forces that killed over 80 Syrian civilians, Trump declared, "No child of God should ever suffer such horror." Yet, rather than help the Syrian people who are trapped between Assad and Isis, the Trump administration has attempted to slam the doors entirely on Syrian refugees and gut funding for international aid and diplomacy. It's time for Trump and his fellow Republicans to actually take actions to reduce this suffering. The U.S. government must match the generous and humanitarian impulses of the American people and live up to our international responsibilities to support the people of Syria—by expediting the acceptance and resettlement of 100,000 Syrian refugees.

More bombs won't end the crisis in Syria. After more than six years of war in Syria, with millions displaced and a death toll of nearly half a million people, it’s clear that there is no military solution to this crisis. But for years the U.S. has bombed Syria, and on April 6, the U.S. expanded the war by bombing a Syrian government airbase. This week's abhorrent chemical weapons attack was an act of unspeakable violence against civilians, and we are heartbroken over the deaths of Syrians, including many children. The Trump administration’s escalation is not the solution, and will only cause more killing and suffering for Syrian civilians.

Donald Trump just ordered dozens of Tomahawk missiles to strike Syria. It's an illegal and unauthorized escalation that could have devastating consequences: killing innocent Syrians and costing the lives of U.S. service members. Let's be clear: There's no doubt that Bashar Assad is a brutal dictator who has slaughtered his own people and is complicit in the use of chemical weapons. But the solution is not to entangle the U.S. in yet another war in the Middle East, possibly even drawing in Russia and Iran, which have been close partners of the Assad regime. The U.S. cannot bomb its way to peace, but it does have an essential role to play in the world, including 1) welcoming increased numbers of refugees fleeing Syria, 2) fully supporting international relief efforts for those most affected by this brutal civil war, 3) engaging in multilateral diplomacy at the United Nations to isolate Syria, and 4) sanctioning Russia and other nations which enable the Assad regime. But none of this will be possible unless we first halt Trump's march toward war. Please add your name to this emergency petition calling for Congress to act.

1. This is required by the US Constitution. 2. Our national leaders have lied to us too many times. 3. The people have a right--and a duty--to hold members of Congress accountable.

On the anniversary of Martin Luther King's death, I attended and was moved by an interfaith media briefing in Chicago hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The panel addressed the horrific chemical attack in the city of Khan Sheikhoun where hundreds were killed or injured, including children. There are severe medical needs as reported by SAMS rescue group. Since moral leadership is lacking at the political level, we the people must condemn this holocaust and STAND UP. Let's honor the spirit of Martin Luther King.

U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's war and blockade in Yemen has brought Yemen to the brink of famine, with hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children facing starvation. [1] Instead of ending the carnage, some in the Trump Administration want to get the U.S. directly involved in Saudi Arabia's war. [2] But this war has never been authorized by Congress. The Houthi Shia targets of the Saudi war aren't "associated forces" of Al Qaeda. On the contrary: Al Qaeda has fought alongside Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia's war against the Houthis has strengthened Al Qaeda. [3] Since Congress has never authorized this war, direct U.S. participation would violate the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. Now Reps. Mark Pocan [D-WI], Justin Amash [R-MI], Ted Lieu [D-CA], and Walter Jones [R-NC] are leading a bipartisan letter challenging the Administration to show its legal justification for direct participation in the Saudi war against the Houthis without Congressional authorization. Building support for this letter is a step towards invoking the War Powers Resolution to compel the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the conflict. Urge your Representative to sign the Pocan-Amash-Lieu-Jones letter by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hundreds-of-thousands-of-yemeni-children-are-nearing-starvation/2017/02/23/f01ead8a-f850-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-weighs-deeper-involvement-in-yemen-war/2017/03/26/b81eecd8-0e49-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html 3. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/25/the-u-s-backed-war-in-yemen-is-strengthening-al-qaeda.html

This petition is about unnecessary killing of civilians in air strikes. I am not currently affected by this atrocity, but I will be if one of these countries does another 911 on us.