How Congress Should Have Reacted to USS Liberty Attack–But Didn’t

Congress has a tradition of honoring our servicemen and women and holding those in power to account for their actions in the numerous military engagements our country has been engaged in. It is a tradition Americans should focus on ever more so when it is NOT followed by Congress. And it WASN’T followed after the USS Liberty attack.

by Joe Meadors

A recent email from my Congressman is undoubtedly being repeated by every Member of Congress.

Cong. Michael Cloud (R-TX27) Honors American KIA During Evacuation

Notice how much honor and reverence the announcement shows for those Killed in Action at the airport in Kabul.

Notice also the use of future tense when referring to the need for accountability.

Compare that to the reaction of Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY). He made the comment on the floor of the Senate on June 8, 1967.

I wish to join with all of my fellow Americans in expressing deep sorrow over the tragic error which resulted in the bombing of a U.S. Navy communications ship off of Sinai this morning, with a reported loss of four American lives and 53 wounded.

Notice that he was declaring the attack to be a “tragic error” before a single word is taken in any investigation of the attack.

Not to be outdone by his colleagues, past and present, Congress has not yet investigated the attack.

If you’re fine with War Crimes being committed against the United States with impunity and without remorse, you’re obviously a Member of Congress so you can go back to lying to your constituents about the attack on our ship and raising money for your reelection campaign.

If it troubles you that those same Members of Congress have allowed War Crimes to be committed against the United States with impunity and without remorse during the attack on our ship, Write Your Congressional Delegation and tell them to investigate the attack on the USS Liberty.