Speaking out at Representative Emanuel Cleaver’s (D) town hall on military intervention in Syria – Kansas City – September 5, 2013.

On Thursday evening in Kansas City Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) held an open town hall on military intervention in Syria. After brief introductory remarks Congressman Cleaver opened up the microphone to anyone who wanted to speak on the subject. People did so, one after another, for almost two hours.

Uh, good evening Congressman [….] I am a concerned citizen.

Uh, let me preface my statement by first saying that I think what’s happening in Syria is heartbreaking. Watching the news and seeing children in body bags, men and women being indiscriminately attacked is awful.

With that being said I can’t help but be suspicious of our government when it comes to foreign intervention in to conflicts that we as a nation have no interest or no reason to be involved in in the first place.

Several years of war in Iraq have left me incredibly fed up and wary of this. Even though what’s gone on in Syria is terrible I just can’t put my heart toward saying, yes, this is the right thing for us to do.

The second thing I’d like to say is, even in the midst of all this foreign policy kerfuffle it feels like we’re taking our focus off of the main issue that’s effected a lot of people locally here. Which is, pulling our nation out of a deep recession. And I feel that diverting everyone’s attention to go to this, uh, Syrian conflict is taking off our focus. Our, we should be focused like a laser beam on fixing our own situation here. Americans gotta come first. Because that’s what, that’s the way it works, right? What’s in it for us. We can’t be looking after other people when our own people are suffering every day. That’s all I have to say. Thank you. [Rep. Emanuel Cleaver: “Thank you.”]

Previously:

Suppose they gave a town hall before rushing off to war and everybody came (September 5, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City (September 5, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 2 (September 6, 2013)

A short interview with Rep. Cleaver after last night’s town hall (September 6, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 3 (September 7, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 4 (September 7, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 5 (September 7, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 6 (September 7, 2013)

Norman Rockwell ain’t got nothin’ on the real Kansas City – part 7 (September 8, 2013)