March, 14 2011, 02:16pm EDT
Kucinich Says No! To 'No-Fly' Zone Over Libya
Calls for U.S. Neutrality in Libyan Civil War
WASHINGTON
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement after the Arab League came out in unanimous support of a no-fly zone over Libya.
"A no-fly zone begins with an attack on the air defenses of Libya. It is an act of war that can only be approved by Congressional action, not by any international body. There is a civil war in Libya, which must be resolved by Libya. My thoughts are with the families of the victims who have lost their lives in the pursuit of better economic opportunity and democratic government. The United States must speak out strongly against human rights abuses but must do so without undermining the right of Libya's people to wholly determine their own governance.
"The very idea of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, an act of war, is chilling. We cannot make U.S. policy without being mindful of the effect this policy would have on our own people, let alone people half the world away.
"It is time for the Administration to stop looking for someone else to make the decision. The U.S. must make a firm declaration that it will not intervene in Libya by means of enforcing a no-fly zone or any other aggressive military means," said Kucinich.
Kucinich is the author of H. Con. Res. 28, a bill that, if enacted, would force the Administration to end the war in Afghanistan by the end of the year. The privileged resolution is scheduled for a debate and vote on Thursday, March 17, 2011.
"The war in Iraq will cost over three trillion dollars. America can't afford it. The war in Afghanistan is costing over half a trillion dollars. America can't afford that. The costs of our incursions into Pakistan are untold, but America can't afford it. America certainly cannot afford to get entangled in still another war in the Muslim world," added Kucinich.
Dennis Kucinich is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008.
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