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Friday, May 19, 2017

When Did they Ever Go The Other Way?

The so called Human Rights section of the American Bar Association has issued a report claiming that the sale of American weapons to the Saudis may be illegal.  At least that is what is being reported in the Huffington Post.  The Saudis are backing the forces of the government in Yemen against the Houthi rebels who are being armed and supported by Iran.  According to the ABA report, the Saudis are not doing enough to prevent civilian casualties.

You really have to wonder about the ABA people.  Have they ever reviewed an arms deal and found it to be just fine?  I couldn't find a single instance of that.  There is always a problem is the best description of their periodic reviews. 

The truth is that the President has to right to decide if arms sales like this one meet the legal standard set by American law.  That's a decision President Trump has already made.  I suppose that Congress could always step in and pass a new law that bars the deal, but that will never happen.

There is no statute that requires American weapons sales go only to countries for which the ABA makes no objection.  Especially since the ABA seems to object to every deal, the entire idea is nonsensical.

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