Editor,
The reaction of Democrats in Congress regarding the crash of Ukrainian Flight 752 is baffling and disturbing. All evidence thus far indicates that it was shot down by an Iranian missile. There was no crossfire. Iran was the aggressor in this situation.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, called the airline downing “collateral damage” during her discussion with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. I take issue with this. Did the U.S. launch an airstrike on Iran? Did the U.S. bomb terrorists where innocent bystanders were injured or killed? The answer to both of these questions is no. Speier’s statement is clearly a product of the blind and naïve anti-Trump sentiment that drives almost everything Democrats do and say. The reality is that the United States took out a mass murderer in Iraq. Yet many congressional Democrats are vilifying President Trump while absolving the Iranian regime. It is a sad day when members of Congress rally behind our enemies.
Although the origins of the conflict with Iran started in 1979, Obama’s policy of appeasement toward Iran only exacerbated the situation. The United States under Obama and Kerry gave Iran $150 billion, essentially funding Soleimani’s activities across the globe while ignoring the reality that the Iranian regime is a danger to the United States and the world. All Americans need to unite against clear threats to our national interests and not let partisan politics blind us to the truth.
Ran Petel
Burlingame
The letter writer is a candidate for the 14th District congressional seat.
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(3) comments
Oh boy, here we go again with another Trump-lie, - as usual swallowed raw by his supporters! First of all, former President Barack Obama didn’t give “150 billion in cash” to Iran. The nuclear agreement included China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, so Obama didn’t carry out any part of it on his own. The deal did lift some sanctions, which lifted a freeze on Iran’s assets that were held largely in foreign, not U.S., banks. And, to be clear, the money that was unfrozen belonged to Iran. It had only been made inaccessible by sanctions aimed at crippling the country’s nuclear program. Secondly, $150 billion is a high-end estimate of the total that was freed up after some sanctions were lifted. U.S. Treasury Department estimates put the number at about $50 billion in “usable liquid assets,” according to 2015 testimony from Adam Szubin, acting under secretary of treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence.
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Jorg - apparently you don't get it. Do you really believe that the agreement would have gone anywhere without US involvement? And, why was it named an agreement? Obama knew full well that a formal treaty would have to be approved by the Congress. His loop-holed agreement with a totally unreliable party, such as Iran, would have never even be allowed for a vote on the Congress floor. And look Jorg, Iran has since abandoned the agreement, leaving the other signatories with egg on their faces. Another Obama fiasco.
and what has Iran done with the $150 billion given to/back to this theocratic regime bent on world domination. Do you want to help fund a nuclear Iran, do you want to fund state sponsored terror and do you want to fund a theocratic regime hostile to Western culture. Do you?
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