HOUSE BILL: September 2017 Foreign Relations Review (Passed)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Here is my take on this and you are free to disagree with it. Iran will always be hostile to our interest, will always be in Russia's sphere and will be a thorn in our side in both Afghanistan and in the Levant. I believe in restrain, in avoiding war unless absolutely necessary, but I am also something a of a foreign policy realist. While I think we made mistakes and went too far in abandoning our principles under that banner with Kissinger and others, I must say that we are making something of a mistake in painting such a broad brush across a wide swath of countries, some of whom we may have to work with on a case by a case basis.

I am not one who sees Saudi Arabia as our friend or "ally", but I do seem them as a critical partner who is willing to oppose Russian influence in the Levant, and Iranian influence in the Arabian peninsula. We should push towards reform, we should pressure them to modernize and embrace greater human rights, and we should encourage moderate Islam. But we should be realistic, that a fast break to democracy in this region often leads to "democracy" without freedom and the election of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, both of which are hostile to our interests.

However, I think this amendment is too much stick and not enough carrot to accomplish that objective.

NAY

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Amendment H9:03 by NC Yankee:

Aye (5): Illiniwek, JGibson, LouisvilleThunder, Peebs and VPH
Nay (4): Haslam, NC Yankee, Pessimsitic, and Rfayette


The amendment is adopted.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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Status: Representatives have 24 hours to object.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

If there is no further amendments after this one, I am going to move towards a final vote since there is an intense desire to finish this on the Senate side before the term of it's Senate sponsor expires.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The amendment is adopted.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A final vote is now open on the September 2017 Foreign Relations Review, Representatives please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

This has enough votes to pass, Representatives have 24 hours to change their votes.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Passage of the Foreign Relations Review:

Aye (: Haslam2020, Illiniwek, JGibson, LouisvilleThunder, NC Yankee, Pessimistic and VPH
Nay (0):
Abstain (0):

Didn't vote (1): Rfayette

The FRR Has passed the House!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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To Be Continued
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[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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To Be Concluded
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[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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People's House of Representatives
Passed 8-0 in the Atlasian House Assembled,

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[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Both references to Guatemala have the same listed policy so that can be fixed easily.


I was under the impression that all House amendments had already been offered in the Senate.


 

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Number 4 also is not a problem, as the final text passed is the sum total of all the amendments passed by the House. If something is left off accidentally, it still present in the current text and thus the "actual" final text.

So 3 and 4 are easily fixed.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Both references to Guatemala have the same listed policy so that can be fixed easily.


I was under the impression that all House amendments had already been offered in the Senate.


 

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Number 4 also is not a problem, as the final text passed is the sum total of all the amendments passed by the House. If something is left off accidentally, it still present in the current text and thus the "actual" final text.

So 3 and 4 are easily fixed.

All of the amendments were offered. It's just that when I went to put the amendment into the text, it didn't really... fit anywhere. That's why I put the addendum explaining what everything meant and then I interpreted it literally and went in and changed all of the disputed territory instances to reflect the spirit of the amendment.

Anyway, the rules gives the Vice President the power to resolve disputes between the houses. This isn't really a dispute, but I think PiT could just pull together a final text that fixes any issues and we can all just sign off on it.

I agree with this approach.