One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin today delivered remarks on the Senate floor outlining why he opposes funding, arming or training Syrian opposition forces. The Senator says he will vote against a continuing resolution to fund the U.S. Government if the measure contains that language.
The senator said this should be an Arab ground war and a U.S. air war. But he will not support arming or training the Syrian opposition force.
“I would ask my colleagues to consider America’s history of intervention in the Middle East. It is not a successful one. Interventions have failed in Lebanon, Somalia, Libya and Iraq, and Afghanistan is on the brink of failure. What have we learned from our actions? Certainly not that going into Muslim countries to restore order or establish democracy is a winning strategy.”
Manchin notes that there needs to be a vote on a continuing resolution to keep the U.S. government operating, but resents that the resolution may also contain a measure to support Syrian rebels.
“I do not believe we should be forced to decide between funding our government and arming Syrian rebels. We should be ashamed for failing to pass appropriations bills to finance government operations for the fiscal year that starts two weeks from now. And more ashamed that, for the sake of expediency, we are using a stop-gap continuing resolution as a vehicle for authorizing major military activity. Asking us to make this choice is a disservice to the American people. But if that is a decision I am forced to make, it is one I am committed to making.”
The first vote in Congress on the President’s plan to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria will be made in the House.
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Each year, the West Virginia Legislature passes bills to align definitions and rules in state tax code with federal rules. This year’s bills brought the state up to tax changes passed on the One Big Beautiful Bill (HR 1), passed by the U.S. Congress last summer.
Most West Virginia leaders have expressed support for the U.S.-led attack on Iran over the weekend, which led to the death of the nation's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
