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The Spectacle Blog
Senator Rand Paul has introduced an amendment to the Highway Bill (S. 1813) calling for an immediate suspension of foreign aid to Egypt until detained American citizens are released by the Egyptian government.
In the senator’s words:
We are subsidizing behavior through US taxpayer foreign aid to Egypt that is leading and allowing for the unjust detainment of American citizens in Egypt.
[…]
Not everyone in this body agrees on foreign policy or on the role of US foreign assistance but the reckless actions of Egyptian authorities in the matter should bring us together to form one undeniable conclusion: American foreign assistance dollars should never be provided to any country that bullies our citizens, recklessly seeks to arrest them on imaginary charges or denies them access to their most basic rights.
The Egyptian Ministry of Justice recently announced it will try 19 American citizens — many of whom have endured detention and interrogation since their pro-democracy offices were raided last month — on charges of illegal operations and receiving funds from abroad without consent of the government in Cairo. This international incident represents the latest and most egregious effort on the part of military leadership in Egypt to hector any attempt to support the nascent democratic process.
Technically the amendment cannot be attached to the bill until the legislation is formally addressed later this afternoon or tomorrow, but Senator Paul has staked claim to the matter, which I expect will enjoy robust support among his fellow senators.
UPDATE: It appears the cessation of aid would also hinge
on the return of “property” belonging to those non-governmental
organizations and the personal property of staff. When the raids
occurred, laptops, files and (allegedly) hundreds of thousands of
dollars of cash were confiscated from IRI and NDI offices, among
others.
View all comments (25) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Reid Smith
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/09/sen-paul-introduces-amendment
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Bill| 2.9.12 @ 1:23PM
Egypt is a terrorist country. Sen Paul is a true-patriot, and I salute him.
Jack in Wi.| 2.9.12 @ 3:42PM
End all aid to everyone. We are doing nothing but subsidizing criminals, warmongers, and kleptocrats. The little humanitarian aid that gets through is peanuts to what we are spending.
Bill| 2.9.12 @ 3:51PM
Deport all Muslims!
john| 2.11.12 @ 12:56PM
ditto , and stop immigration from ALL
muslim countries
Clint| 2.9.12 @ 5:32PM
Time To Stop Big Government From Confiscating Our American Taxpayer Money And Handing It Over, As Welfare Payments To Foreigner Parasite Leaches.
The Tea Party Rebellion Heads To A Brokered Convention.
Hobbes| 2.9.12 @ 2:40PM
Why stop there? End aid everywhere like his old man wants too.
Oldefarte| 2.9.12 @ 3:07PM
I disagree with his amendment that only suspends foreign aid '....until detained American citizens are released by the Egyptian government...'. Foreign aid to Egypt [and to all other foreign recipients] should be not be temporarily suspended but instead should be permanently eliminated !!!!!!!!!!!
Fred| 2.9.12 @ 3:36PM
How about one thing at a time? What does aid to Egypt have to do with highways? ........I do agree aid to all countries should be eliminated.
David W| 2.9.12 @ 4:20PM
Just keep in mind that the computers and cash taken is probably considered booty or jizya by those who took it from the infidels. The price of doing business with muslim "moderates".
Dai Alanye | 2.9.12 @ 5:36PM
Nothing but a baby step, although at least a start. What is needed is a blockade, and work our way up from there.
Occam's Tool| 2.9.12 @ 6:22PM
But, Clint and Jack, the Egyptians want to kill the Israelis! How will this be done unless you support them?
Clint| 2.9.12 @ 6:42PM
But Screwball Israel Firster Maniac RINO-CINO ,Tool Job We Don't Want Big Government Force Confiscating Our American Taxpayer Money And Handing Over Welfare Payments To The Parasite Leaches.
Dr.Ron Paul,
“I am not the only one who can see the absurdities of our foreign
policy. We give $3 billion to Israel and $12 billion to her enemies.
Most Americans know that makes no sense.
“We need to come to our senses, trade with our friends in the Middle
East (both Arab and Israeli), clean up our own economic mess so we set a
good example, and allow them to work out their own conflicts.”
Occam's Tool| 2.9.12 @ 6:25PM
I disagree with the end of foreign aid to Egypt, by the way. I think they are desperately in need of critical mass radioactives to be delivered immediately to the Aswan dam by B-1.
By the way, the abducted Americans are all pro-Islamic terrorist types, like Ray LaHood himself. Amusing to see them hoist by their own petard.
mzk1| 2.10.12 @ 3:45AM
This is what happened with the American captives in Lebanon, way back when. The capture by Moslems of American Leftists and bigots was used to pressure Israel, anyway.
Clint| 2.9.12 @ 6:47PM
Gee, Israel Firster Neo-Chickenhawk Coward, Tool Job, Why Don't Ya Get Your Rough Puff Israeli Girlfriends To Do Their Own Fighting And Stop Attempting To Use Our American Military And Our National Treasure To Carry Out Your Israel Firster Agenda.
You Could Ride The Nuke Down Like Slim Pickens.
Occam's Tool| 2.9.12 @ 9:48PM
I thought you were the one with the Israeli Jewish friends, Clint: are they little girls, then, like you?
mzk1| 2.10.12 @ 3:49AM
Oh, please, our little girls could take down Clint anytime.
But please watch what you say. I shudder at having him anywhere near them.
Clint| 2.10.12 @ 6:09AM
Why Don't You Try It Yourself , Israel Firster Neo-Chickenhawk Coward mzk1, And We'll See What Happens To You.
You Israel Firster Neo-Chickenhawk Cowards Got A Bad Habit Of Tryin' To Get Others To Do Yor Fightin' For Ya.
Occam's Tool| 2.9.12 @ 9:49PM
Again, Clint: I thought you were the uber-Catholic: you do realize that the Iranian mullahs will be able to target and hit the Vatican with a nuke, right?
I suppose that's OK by you.
Clint| 2.10.12 @ 6:13AM
Again, Israel Firster Neo-Chickenhawk Coward,Tool Boy.
I Don't Listen To Some Screwball Jew,Who Uses The Moniker Of A Catholic Heretic.
Wanna Make Somethin' Of It, Neo-Chickenhawk Traitor Bastard Coward, Tool Job ?
Hmmmmm ?
DeaN| 2.9.12 @ 10:49PM
The right thing to do,though i say no foreign aid period. Even to our allies like israel.
The senate GOP is truly pathetic,save for Rand,Mike lee,Demint,Ron Johnson and Imhofe.
BMatkin| 2.10.12 @ 2:51AM
Why do we care if the Egyptians are holding these NGO losers? Do you know who they are? They are progressive busybodies who are trying to make sure that American principles are not part of the new Egypt. They are not our friends.
martin j smith| 2.10.12 @ 7:39AM
Now if Paul is submitting a bill
to withhold aid to a nation because it is harming American interests that is fine and dandy with me. But I guess otherwise he would not halt aid to Egypt right ? See this guy Paul is a phoney and bigot as well.
All American American| 2.10.12 @ 1:13PM
Seems about a year ago these pages were full of editorialists who were telling us what a wonderful deal this "Arab Spring" was, how they poor, oppressed Egyptian people were ridding themselves of a brutal dictator and they all clamored for a Jeffersonian Republic.
Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!
Where have you gone, Dhimmidiano???
anti-neocon| 2.10.12 @ 2:14PM
Rand Paul is nothing but a lying whore of the status-quo, globalist political order, dressed up as some kind of "tea"(pee?) party activist. These americans violated Egyptian law regarding foreign groups who attempt to influence politics with cash money- laws that the U.S. enforces rigorously against foreign NGOs operating here. Rand Paul knows this full well and is counting on your stupidity and ignorance not to notice, as he uses his popularity with the pee party crowd to defuse their isolationist agenda and render them impotent.