forwarded by ram narayanan.
ask yourself why you gave money to jindal's campaign. as a zealous recent convert, jindal has to show his affinity to only one extra-territorial interest: the state of vatican.
A recent issue of INDIA ABROAD (April 15, 2005, Page A8) carries an Aziz Haniffa report on Congressman Gary Ackerman's bill to to prohibit the sale of F-16 fighter aircraft and other military assistance to Pakistan, unless Islamabad provides the US with access to scientist A Q Khan, who had publicly confessed to running a clandestine nuclear arms bazaar.
Rep Ackerman told INDIA ABROAD, the White House is yet to reply to a letter he and 19 lawmakers, including Congresswoman Ileana Ross-Lehtinen, Florida Republican, had sent to President Bush March 23 opposing the sale of F-16s to Pakistan. The lawmaker said typically, the White House took a long time to answer mail, especially mail the administration did not agree with.
"But we will do what we are trying to do and that is to get it up [his legislation] before our Committee [International Relations Committee], he said.
The Ackerman-Ross-Lehtinen letter was signed, among others, by Rep Joe Crowley (D-NY), Rep Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep Jim McDermott (D-WA), besides senior Republican members like Rep Joe Wilson (R-SC), Rep Ed Royce (R- CA) and Rep Mark Foley (R- FL).
Aziz Haniffa notes that a conspicuous absentee from the signatories list is Indian American Congressman Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Republican, elected for the first time in 2004.
1 comment:
Why did Gary Ackerman have to link the sale of F-16s to Pak with access to A Q Khan? There should not have been any sale of F-16s to Pak even if the US had access to A Q Khan (which they do - they have questioned him at length). This resolution smacks of political naievete and appears to be doomed from the start (if Pak agrees to full access - whatever this means, then the sale is OK? - what bs). Anyway, how does one become a member of the India Caucus and why are there no members that were newly elected in Nov 2004 in the Caucus?
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