The Silence of Senators Wyden and Merkley on the Major Issues of Egypt and Russia

Why the lack of outrage on the part of mainstream media and the entire Congress along with the President?

Oregon’s Senators Wyden and Merkley.

(JAMESTOWN, RI) - Where are the voices of Oregon’s Senators Wyden and Merkley on Egypt? An elected government (isn’t that democracy?) was overthrown by the Egyptian military which is funded by the US government and can only survive with US money, and has established one of the most repressive governments on the planet.

An Egyptian judge, perhaps broke the world’s record by sentencing 683 members of the opposition party to death in an 8 minute trial. This followed another sham lighting quick trial back in mid-March that saw another 529 Egyptian opposition members sentenced to death.

The political party who won the majority of votes in 2012 election has now been declared illegal. Where is the outrage by mainstream media or the Oregon congressional delegation? Should there be outrage? The Egyptian military dictatorship, clearly a puppet of the US who provides billions to the Egyptian military, used its military power to overthrow an elected government.

The 683 aforementioned, were sentenced to death for the killing of one Egyptian policeman who was killed during riots in which Egyptians opposed the overthrow of a duly elected government. Imagine 683 people killing one person. What was the reaction of our esteemed leaders? Mr. Kerry, our Secretary of State, said after the sentencing of 529 people to death said, it “sends a negative message”. Wow! What a powerful statement!!

What a leader!

This coming from the guy who said he is fully aware there is a risk of nuclear confrontation with Russia over our Russian policy. One might have thought that Senators Wyden and Merkley would have at least something to say about a possible nuclear confrontation with Russia, but silence.

One week ago Mr. Kerry certified Egypt was upholding its peace treaty with Israel, thus freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt. It makes little difference if the brutal government is sentencing over 1000 to death in but a few minutes, the key here apparently is that they are honoring their treaty with Israel.

Apparently that is the only thing that counts, and is far more important than the emergence of a brutal military dictatorship, or the death sentence for over 1000 in sham trials.

Only Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont has expressed concern over the dictatorships emergence and has announced he will hold up the 680 million dollars of military aid that Kerry has already approved for Egypt.

Leahy said: ‘No country with any sense of morality, with any sense of human values, with any sense of honesty ... is going to sentence hundreds of people to death after 40- 50 minute trials,’’ he told reporters. ‘‘It’s obscene. It’s wrong. And the United States should not be supporting a country like that.’’ The contrast of Leahy’s comments with Kerry’s speaks volumes, while from Oregon Senators only silence.

On the other hand we have the ultimate hawk Senator John McCain, who perhaps let the cat out of the bag when he said: “We’re not going to be able to stop the military aid, No. 1, No. 2, they are reasserting security in the Sinai. That’s in our interests.’’

So obviously as long as they get along with Israel we are quite willing to tolerate and look the other way at mock lightening trials where over 1000 are sentenced to death in a matter of minutes and support a brutal repressive government.

Following every major terrorist act committed against the US, the perpetrators explained they attacked because of the one sided treatment and blind support of Israel by the US government, and the killing of Americans, I suggest to Mr. McCain, is not in our interest. McCain’s statement might just be reason 3,897 to explain why our policy is so hated by the world’s people.

So where are Senators Wyden and Merkley, and why the lack of outrage on the part of mainstream media and the entire Congress along with the President? Are we so concerned the paramount issue is an Egyptian treaty with Israel, so we all hide from the real ugly truth that we are sponsoring one of the most brutal repressive governments on the planet? We are sacrificing the Egyptian people and the concept of free elections in Egypt to placate Israel. Senators Wyden and Merkley, care to speak out?

Joseph Clifford

01 May 2014

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Salem-News.com Writer Joe Clifford, lives in historic Jamestown, Rhode Island, and has contributed a number of articles relating to foreign policy to newspapers in the Rhode Island area for years.

He graduated from Providence College where he earned an undergraduate and graduate degree. After a lengthy career as a high school teacher he turned to the study of US foreign policy, and then to writing, as a means of expressing an alternative perspective. His reading and research on foreign policy is broad and extensive, especially as the policy relates to the Middle East. His interest in foreign policy was inspired by the American misadventure in Vietnam. You can write to Joe at this address: jc21131@gmail.com