SHAME On US: Only 5 Elected Officials Attend Drone Strike Congressional Briefing

[kpete]

Despite being heralded as the first time in history that U.S. lawmakers would hear directly from the survivors of a U.S. drone strike, only five elected officials chose to attend the congressional briefing that took place Tuesday.



Pakistani schoolteacher Rafiq ur Rehman and his two children—9 year-old daughter Nabila and 13 year-old son Zubair—came to Washington, DC to give their account of a U.S. drone attack that killed Rafiq's mother, Momina Bibi, and injured the two children in the remote tribal region of North Waziristan last October.

"I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer grey skies. Drones don't fly when sky is grey." –Zubair Rehman, 13-year-old drone victim

According to journalist Anjali Kamat, who was present and tweeting live during the hearing, the only lawmakers to attend the briefing organized by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), were Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.).

Before the handful of reporters and scant lawmakers, however, Rafiq and his children gave dramatic testimony which reportedly caused the translator to break down into tears.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/29-3

[PoliticAverse]

1. BTW briefing is not the same as hearing. A briefing is a presentation by a group that

people (including Congress members) may be invited to attend, a hearing is a formal inquiry by a congressional
committee.

[grilled onions]

2. It's Embarassing

Our paid officials show so little interest in anything but stuffing their private war chest and making connections with others in their political country club. I wish we could start docking their wages for playing online poker,being a no show or sleeping through meetings. If it does not involve them they are not interested which just shows how little they do for the voters.