Our Senators and Congressmen are elected representatives. They are voted in by the people they are supposed to represent. A certain amount of transparency is expected from them so that the voters can decide whether or not to reelect them. Unfortunately, some of our cowardly Senators have learned how to get around that transparency and avoid taking responsibility for the votes they cast in the Senate.<\/p>\n
Just the News<\/a> posted an article yesterday that reported the following:<\/p>\n The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a $740 billion 2021 defense authorization bill on Wednesday that establishes a commission that would make recommendations on renaming military bases named after Confederate leaders and implement the plan within three years from the date the bill becomes law.<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the office of the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed, the committee passed an amendment by voice vote during a closed-door session that would create “a commission to study and provide recommendations” concerning the removal of “names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America.”<\/strong><\/p>\n The amendment was passed by a voice vote so that no one would know who voted for it and who voted against it. No one is actually taking responsibility for the vote.<\/p>\n The article continues, illustrating the further lack of transparency:<\/p>\n The amendment was approved during a\u00a0“secret level” markup <\/a>session\u00a0that concluded on Wednesday evening. The\u00a0full text of the amendment, which\u00a0was\u00a0introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),\u00a0has not been made available yet. Warren’s office was not available for comment. The office of\u00a0Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) also did not respond before publication.<\/strong><\/p>\n Inhofe reportedly<\/a> said on Thursday that he would seek to change the language of the amendment\u00a0so that renaming the military bases would not be a congressional requirement.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tweeted on Thursday that he\u00a0opposed the\u00a0amendment and\u00a0“spoke against it”\u00a0during the closed-door, full committee markup of the defense bill.<\/strong><\/p>\n “Congress should not be mandating renaming of our bases and military installations,” he wrote.<\/strong><\/p>\n The House Armed Services Committee has a hearing\u00a0scheduled in July for the\u00a0defense authorization bill.<\/strong><\/p>\n House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a> said Thursday that Democratic leaders might include renaming military bases and removing Confederate statues from the Capitol as part of the defense bill or as standalone legislation.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Civil War is a part of American history. There were many brave men who fought on both sides. All of the soldiers fighting for the Union were not fighting because they opposed slavery and all of the soldiers fighting for the Confederacy were not fighting because they supported slavery. There were multiple motives on both sides. Can we please get over ourselves and grow up?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our Senators and Congressmen are elected representatives. They are voted in by the people they are supposed to represent. A certain amount of transparency is expected from them so that the voters can decide whether or not to reelect them. … Continue reading