Volume 2, Issue 2

Contents — Art. 1. Israel-Hamas (IV) — Art. 2. SDACS (II)

Article 1

U.S. gearing up, world teeters on brink of WWIII

Many nations face ‘existential threat’, religiously-motivated ‘slaughter’ and a ‘battle against evil’ says Congress

by Antarah Crawley | Last Modified 2/7/2024 at 11:03 A.M.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, 6 February 2024, The United Stated House of Representatives (House) Foreign Affairs Committee convened a Markup on Various Measures. Mr. McCaul (R) of Texas presided as Chairman. Ms. Manning (D) of North Carolina presided as the Ranking Member until Mr. Meeks (D) of New York arrived, his flight being delayed. Mr. Crawley (AM) of United Scribes and Court Reporters United reported on the proceeding on behalf of the House Clerk’s Office of Official Reporters.

The sense of the Congress concerned ongoing U.S. statecraft against what Members characterize as a modern Axis of Evil comprised of Russia, China, Iran (Persia), and its alleged proxies including the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of Palestine, The Party of Allah (Hezbollah or Hizballah) of Lebanon, The Supporters of God (Ansar Allah or Houthi) of Yemen, and The Students or Seekers (Taliban) of the Islamic Schools (Madaris) of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, among others. Meanwhile, the Representatives continued to emphasize their support for their allies, particularly Israel, Ukraine, and Christian populations across the world. This whole ordeal smacks of the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages, to wit:

The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Christian Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these military expeditions are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were intended to reconquer Jerusalem and its surrounding area from Muslim rule. Beginning with the First Crusade, which resulted in the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, dozens of military campaigns were organised, providing a focal point of European history for centuries. Crusading declined rapidly after the 15th century.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

During the discussion of H.R. 6609, To Amend the Arms Export Control Act to increase the dollar amount thresholds under sections 3 and 36 of that Act relating to proposed transfers or sales of defense articles or services under that Act, and for other purposes, Members of Congress intimated toward abrogating the Constitution of the United States of America to create an authoritarian (read “executive”) dictatorship with a rubber-stamp (read “supreme”) court.

Ms. Titus (D) of Nevada remarked:

At a time when U.S. weapons sales are reaching record levels, for some reason the Republicans on this Committee have decided that instead of needing more oversight of arms sales, Congress should surrender its already emaciated role and conduct even less oversight. We in Congress and particularly on this committee have a critical role to play in matters of war and peace, and yet this bill is another example of the steady erosion of legislative oversight. This time, however, it’s self-inflicted.
[…]
This bill will […] prevent Congressional scrutiny on defense side deals that may be used to evade anti-bribery laws  or how this would complicate reviews of U.S. defense companies’ political contributions to foreign policies. […] For the Republicans on this Committee to hold a hearing this past September entitled ‘Reclaiming Congress’s Article 1 Powers’ to now surrender those powers in this markup seems to me totally contradictory and hypocritical and a bit on the nose.

Dina Titus (D-NV)

Mr. Davidson (R) of Ohio remarked:
Frankly, since all we seem to do it cut the checks and provide no check on executive authority, particularly when it comes to war-making or spying on our citizens, why not just go ahead and dissolve Article 1.  [The Chairman giggled to himself, his microphone on.]  We could amend the constitution and simply have a chief executive who could be very efficient.

Mr. Mills (R) of Florida remarked:
If we want to talk about abdications, for God’s sake, let’s start talking about how we can repeal the AUMF which is an abdication of Article 1 Section 8 Clause 11 or even the ’73 War Powers Act that gives executive credence to Republican and Democratic presidents alike to do carte blanche warfare.  The reality is […] we have mechanisms in place already and I think that continuing to try and over-regulate, which we say that we want limited government, we want fewer taxes in the Republican party, perhaps we should start acting that way.

The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) (Pub. L. 107–40, 115 Stat. 224) is a joint resolution of the United States Congress which became law on September 18, 2001, authorizing the use of the United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the September 11 attacks. The authorization granted the President the authority to use all “necessary and appropriate force” against those whom he determined “planned, authorized, committed or aided” the September 11 attacks, or who harbored said persons or groups.
[…]
The 2001 AUMF has enabled the US President to unilaterally launch military operations across the world without any congressional oversight or transparency for more than two decades. Between 2018-20 alone, US forces initiated what it labelled “counter-terror” activities in 85 countries. Of these, the 2001 AUMF has been used to launch classified military campaigns in at least 22 countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorization_for_Use_of_Military_Force_of_2001

Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution, sometimes referred to as the War Powers Clause, vests in the Congress the power to declare war, in the following wording:

“[The Congress shall have Power …] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water …”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Powers_Clause

During discussion of H.R. 7089, To authorize the Diplomatic Security Services of the Department of State to investigate allegations of violations of conduct constituting offenses under chapter 77 of title 18, United States Code, and for other purposes, bill sponsor Mr. James (R) of Michigan preached the word of God, saying:

Human trafficking must be eradicated everywhere.  Modern day slavery is a major stain on humanity and decency.  It is a sin.  […] According to the State Department, ‘there are about 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time.’ […] God’s will is clear.  Luke 4:18 and 19 says ‘The spirit of the LORD is upon [me] because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind.  To set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.’  We have a duty to all, particularly those being trafficked into slavery.  My bill empowers our law enforcement to liberate the oppressed and the captive, and I beseech my colleagues to support my bill.

John James (R-MI)

During discussion of H.Con.Res. 27, Condemning Russia’s unjust and arbitrary detention of Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza who has stood up in defense of democracy, the rule of law, and free and fair elections in Russia, Ms. Manning (D) of North Carolina remarked:

Mr. Meeks and I […] must implore that we find a way to support Ukraine and their existential fight for freedom in their hour of need. Failing to support Ukraine, failing to act now, serves the Kremlin, serves Beijing, and hurts our standing in the world, our national security, and our collective prosperous and peaceful future.

Kathy Manning (D-NC)

During a discussion of H.Res.82, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, the need to appoint a Special Envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, and for other purposes, Mr. Smith (R) of New Jersey remarked:

Genocide Watch has called Nigeria a killing field of defenseless Christians. Open Doors reporter that there were 5,014 Christians murdered in 2022, nearly 90% of the total number of Christians killed worldwide.  And Vatican News reported that over 52,250 Christians were slaughtered in Nigeria since 2009. I am convinced there is more the US can do to protect these believers, and that goes for Muslims as well and promote freedom of religion.  
[…]
Pastor Alika Yusuf […] has talked about how in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria [Christians] face violence and are being slaughtered — this is his words — because of our religion.  This bill is very important […] It will serve as legislation to hold our government … [the Nigerian government] … accountable for the millions of lives facing existential threat from the extremists.

Chris Smith (R-NJ)

The Democratic bloc opposed the resolution. Besides Mr. Smith, Mr. Self, Mr. Perry, and the Chairman, all Republicans vacated the hearing room during discussion of this matter. Present in the audience were Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi and Pastor Akila Yusuf representing a network of 200 pastors and leaders.

Mr. Smith later remarked that he’d “met with the Islamic leaders; they’re amazing people.  They get along, they’re friends — like so many other moderate muslims in Nigeria — with the bishops and the clergy that are here today, and others.  It is this radicalized group, whether it be ISIS-West Africa, whether it be Boko Haram, or the Fulani.  You know, the Fulani have now become a major — in the Middle Belt area — a major major killer of Christians.”  Mr. Smith closed his remarks by emphasizing his “outrage” toward the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Mr. Self (R) of Texas remarked:
The [Biden] Administration is not that interested in Nigeria. […] The Administration has turned a blind eye to the crisis.  The State Department inexplicably removed Nigeria from its special watch list as a country of particular concern in 2021 […] The State Department needs to reverse their course and pressure the government of Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians, regardless of who is doing the persecution.

Mr. Connolly (D) of Virginia remarked that “if we [the Congress] are concerned about the violation of human rights and the right of human autonomy and freedom, and we should be, that has to be consistent.  It can’t simply be one group but not anther.  And I thank my friend and I hope his outrage will extend to other groups that need our consideration and protection.”

Mr. Perry (R) of Pennsylvania remarked that “the current Secretary of State under the Biden Administration stated in his first few months that this administration does not plan to prioritize religious freedom.”

The Committee discussed America’s commitment to the Pacific Theater in its discussion of H.R. 7159, To bolster United States engagement with the Pacific Islands region, and for other purposes.  Mrs. Radewagen (R) of American Samoa remarked that “the U.S. is a pacific island nation.”  The Ranking Member Mr. Meeks stated that H.R. 7159 strengthens U.S. “engagement with Pacific Islands by requiring future administrations to develop and update a strategy for U.S. engagement in the region.”

In its discussion of H.R. 6046, To designate Ansarallah as a foreign terrorist organization and impose certain sanctions on Ansarallah, and for other purposes, the Committee discussed the Houthi’s operations in the Red Sea.

The Houthi movement (Arabic: الحوثيون al-Ḥūthiyūn), officially known as Ansar Allah[a] (أنصار الله ʾAnṣār Allāh, lit. ’Supporters of God’), is a Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaidi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe.

Wikipedia

The Chairman remarked that “since October 7th, the Houthis have launched over 40 attacks on U.S. war ships and commercial ships in the Red Sea.  These attacks have threatened a wide array of regional security and international shipping interests.  Crews have been taken hostage, ships have faced near misses, and our American sailors have been working overtime to protect and defend America’s interests in the Red Sea.  International shipping companies have been forced to reroute their ships, disrupting the global supply chain and driving up shipping costs by 450%.  This is negatively impacting supply chains and the global economy.”  He went on to mention that “Iran is providing the Houthis an arsenal of weapons, and while Iran was building a Houthi proxy army, this Administration say idly by pursuing a policy of appeasement.”

Mr. Perry remarked:

Let’s just go through what Iran is.  The Houthis are just a proxy for Iran like many other proxies for Iran.  Iran’s got proxies in Gaza, they’ve got proxies in Lebanon, they’ve got proxies in Syria — the whole neighborhood, doing Iran’s bidding.  But I will tell you […]  the Biden Administration in particular is so desperate for a nuclear deal with Iran that they are on both sides of this war, and they are on both sides of this war […] Just follow the facts yourself.  I mean, being on both sides of the war goes like this: we’re going to approve aid to some of our allies in the Middle East to fight the Iranian proxies […] at the very same time we’re going to allow Iran to receive billions, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars, either directly from the United States or from sanctioned money around the globe that has been unavailable to them because of their malign activities […and] they supply missiles to Hezbollah, they supply all kinds of armament to Hamas, and they do everything they can to kill the Great Satan and the people that represent the Great Satan, the poor service members caught in the middle of being on both sides of the war; and three of them just lost their lives because they’re on both sides of the war.

Scott Perry (R-PA)

By way of background:

Iran, also known as Persia and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran,[c] is a country in West Asia.
[…]
Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. It was first unified by the Medes in the seventh century BC and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in the fourth century BC, and it was subsequently divided into several Hellenistic states. An Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in the third century BC, which was succeeded in the third century AD by the Sasanian Empire. Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century AD, leading to its Islamization; Iran thereafter became a major center of Islamic culture and learning. Over the next two centuries, a series of native Iranian Muslim dynasties emerged before the Seljuk and the Mongols conquered the region. In the 16th century, the native Safavids re-established a unified Iranian state. Under the reign of Nader Shah in the 18th century, Iran presided over the most powerful military in the world, though by the 19th century, a series of conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial losses. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution. Efforts to nationalise its fossil fuel supply led to an Anglo-American coup in 1953. After the Iranian Revolution, the current Islamic republic was established in 1979 by Ruhollah Khomeini, who became the country’s first supreme leader.

Wikipedia

Mr. McCormick (R) of Georgia remarked:
This is a constant pattern with the Biden Administration, whether at the border, with the cartels, in Gaza, with Hamas, with UNRWA, or in Yemen with the Houthis, this Administration constantly uses short-term humanitarian concerns to justify decisions that in the long run further deteriorate humanitarian conditions and undermine the United States’ national security.  This can even be seen in the manner that the Biden Administration chooses to support Ukraine. They are more interested in a feel-good solution than in winning a war against evil.

This debate highlighted a sharpening contradiction between the Congress’s assessment of the innocent civilians and children of Yemen and those of Palestine.

During the discussion of H.R. 7122, To prohibit aid that will benefit Hamas, and for other purposes, or, The Stop Support for UNRWA Act, Mr. Smith remarked that “UNRWA […] is a massive entity that wants Israel utterly destroyed […] and those refugees would then take their place in Jerusalem in a new Palestinian state and elsewhere that is currently Israel.”

Mr. Meeks remarked:

Prohibiting U.S. funding of UNRWA while the people of Gaza are suffering an acute humanitarian disaster undermines the united states and Israel’s interests, erodes the Unites States moral authority and further endangers the lives of more than 2 million Palestinians residing in Gaza.
[…]
The government of Israel agrees, which is why a senior Israeli official announced just days ago […] ‘If UNRWA ceases operating on the ground this could cause a humanitarian catastrophe that will force Israel to halt its fighting against Hamas. This would not be in Israel’s interests.  It would not be in the interests of Israel’s allies either.’  UNRWA’s collapse would further harm regional stability, including in the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria at a time when the United States and Israel are seeking to deescalate and contain spillover from the war in Gaza.  It would be a gift to Iran and its allies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Bashar al-Assad

Gregory Meeks (D-NY)

Mr. Perry remarked:

The Biden Administration has given UNRWA $730 million during its term here […] hard earned tax dollars of good Americans […] We’re sending them money since 1949 […] here’s what their doing, they’re relieving Israel of their sovereignty and their working on destroying Israel and the United States of America […] the Administration is on both sides of the war, but $730 million is going to the people that attacked Israel.  We’re going to give Israel billions of dollars to defend themselves, we’re going to give billions of dollars to Israel to attack Gaza, and essentially level most of it, and then we’re going to ask for more money to fix Gaza. […] Since 1949 our American tax dollars have funded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency […] this isn’t the United States going over there; maybe it’d be different.  Hopefully it would be different, but it’s the United Nations […which] seems a little hostile to your friends in Israel […] and I wonder, since 1949 whose responsibility is this […] maybe Iran wants to fund UNRWA, or the money can go direct to Hamas and doesn’t have to go through UNRWA. […] People are asking for a two-state solution and the Administration is now asking for the recognition of a Palestinian state.  What happened on October 7th is what you get with an UNRWA-provided two-state solution.

Scott Perry (R-PA)

Mr. Mast (R) of Florida remarked:
Israel is America’s ally […] Palestinians are not our ally […] Nobody in here is willing to say that Palestinians are our ally; nobody wants to refute that Israel is our ally.  Our ally Israel is at war with our non-ally, and UNRWA exists […] to support our non-ally. […] If we support UNRWA […] we are paying literally the salaries of our non-ally that is at war with our ally.

During Mr. Mast’s statements, the Ranking Member departed, and only one Democrat, Mr. Schneider, remained in the hearing room. In response to Mr. Mast, Mr. Schneider (D) of Illinois responded:

I’ll agree with you; Israel is our ally, in fact Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East, perhaps one of our most important allies in the world.  The United States has no better friend than Israel and Israel has no better friend than the United States. […] The Palestinians are neither an ally nor an enemy; the Palestinians are a population […] that have been failed by their leadership for more than 100 years.

Brad Schneider (D-IL)

Approximately 100 years ago, Lord Rothschild and the British Crown took it upon themselves to shepherd and settle Zionists into the state of Palestine, and the region has been unstable ever since, to the extent that the United Nations in 1949 had to implement and operate basic civil society infrastructure on behalf of the Palestinian people.  It is clear that Israel does not want to accept the responsibility of running the civil society of the people against whom they are committing genocide.  Furthermore, if it became incumbent upon Israel to remedy the humanitarian crisis which they caused then they would have to cease committing genocide against such people, which is not in the interest of Israel or its allies.

Later, Mr. Schneider remarked:
The government of Israel has been clear that it does not want UNRWA to implode as it was noted in the Wall Street Journal just yesterday. There is a fear that if the critical services provided by UNRWA are no longer provided by the organization, it will be left to Israel to step in, or as was noted earlier in the conversation today, that Israel would have to pause it operations to defeat Hamas.

Later, Mr. Sherman (D) of California later remarked that “Israel trusts the other agencies of the UN, UNICEF, the World Food Program, et cetera, which surprised me frankly because I’m aware of the UN General Assembly and as a Zionist I am not a fan.”

Mr. Smith remarked:
UNRWA has proven itself to be, not just a malign actor, but to cause unbelievable child abuse to these Palestinian children who are taught to hate and they believe it. Why do we have young people, 13 and 14 year olds, toting AK-47s and being willing — really trying to think, someday I’ll be a martyr for Hamas and for a radical Islamic view.  That’s absurd. Teach them to want to coexist, to respect other people, including Jewish men, women, and children. Instead, they’re taught to kill them and to hate them.  That’s why there’s almost no end to the number of volunteers and people that go into Hamas, because they have been taught from the earliest stages to do so.

Mr. Mills remarked:
For those of us who swore an oath to our constitution, let us not forget that it is based upon our Christian-Judeo beliefs.  And I don’t think that our Constitutional obligation is to worry about supporting funding to an organization that continues to go against the very people who’s trying to destroy the people of Israel.

The discussion of H.R. 7152, To direct the Secretary of State to establish a national registry of Korean American divided families, and for other purposes, specifically concerned Korean families separated by the South Korea-North Korea border (itself a legacy of the Korean-American War) even though the U.S. is currently embroiled in a U.S.-Mexico border crisis regarding the mass separation of migrant families coming from the global south.

Although Members of Congress give much lip service to the ‘existential threat’ faced by their allies, they do not consider the Palestinians to be facing such a threat from the ongoing genocide committed by Israel.

Article 2

Synchronized Decentralized Autonomous Command System (SDACS II)

A regimental, educational and friendly association of free people who voluntarily commit themselves to carrying out a common mission; or free association, or bureau, for political education operations and development [for N∴S∴, U∴A∴, and U∴S∴].

By Antarah Crawley

NACOTCHTANK, OD — Here follows the revised command structure for the Synchronized Decentralized Autonomous Command System on the basis of occupational specialities held and practiced by the Governor of N∴S∴ and constituting the schedule of members and officers of the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), of which Curricular Operations Research and Publication Services (CORPS) is a division, a college of the Universitas Autodidactus (U∴A∴) is a regiment, a freely associated service provider is a company, a labor union is a platoon, and a committee of any of the above units is a squad or team.

Occupational Specialties (OS)

Civil Society [sui juris]

Student (Talib) [one who teaches themself]
Faculty Member (Professor) [one who teaches another]

Non-Commissioned Ranks – Enlisted

Scribe (E-1)
Djedi [Knight] (E-2)
Rapporteur (E-3)
Free Thinker [Dialectician I] (E-4)
Truth Speaker [Dialectician II] (E-5)
Light Worker [Dialectician III] (E-6)
Ombudsman [Master Dialectician] (E-7)
Departmental Director (E-8)

Commissioned Ranks – Officer [pertaining to a corpus meaning “body”, as in a union, university, assembly; Revised SDACS: (1) sui juris or self law, (2) syndicate or committee, (3) college or commune, (4) corps or party, (5) tribunal or association, (6) company or council, (7) administration or international]

Syndic (O-1)
Secretary Treasurer [Clerk] (O-2)
Chair [of a committee] (O-3)
Preceptor [of a Preceptory, or regiment] (O-4)
Administrator [of an Association, or union] (O-5)
Governor [of a Company] (O-6)
General Consul [of a Division] (O-7)

© MMXXIV BY NOVUS SYLLABUS L.L.C.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.