In a sickening display of anti-American gestures, Minnesota Representative Ilhani Omar was seen laughing with her “squad-mates” while American casualties during the Iraqi war were discussed.
Earlier this week, Texas Representative Sheila Jackson Lee was speaking on the casualties of the war during a press conference. Gathered behind her were Omar, New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, and other House democrats.
In a fit of giggles rivaling middle school girls looking at a cute boy, Omar covers her mouth several times, unsuccessfully attempting to hide her smiles while whispers float back and forth between the squad.
It’s difficult to even focus on what Jackson Lee is saying during her speech because the girls are too busy laughing and having fun. It legitimately looks like a group of high school girls trying to hide their excitement over a prom queen announcement instead of a group of elected politicians speaking on the deaths and casualties of American soldiers.
Next, it’s Omar’s turn to speak. Not yet recovered from her gossip girl session, she works hard to bring herself back to the solemn mood she’s supposed to be in as she announces:
“I feel ill, a little bit, because of everything that is taking place.”
Clearly attempting to utilize a current buzz-worthy topic to gain sympathy and support, she goes on to say:
“And I think every time I hear of conversations around war, I find myself being stricken with PTSD.”
She goes on to stroke her squad’s ego with:
“I find peace knowing that I serve with great advocates for peace and people who have shown courage against war.
Omar’s family is said to have been forced to flee from Somalia in 1991 because of the Civil War taking place in the country, which is the cause of the PTSD to which she refers.
In general, the side effects of PTSD are more along the lines of crying. Lashing out in anger. Having nightmares. Not sleeping. Withdrawing from people or once loved activities. Lacking in purpose, motivation, joy.
Laughter, not so much.
I do not seek to take away from her childhood experience of war, or the negative affect that experience had on her mental health. I have experienced PTSD and it’s a terrible, horrible thing, and war is something that can twist and turn one’s thoughts and feelings and make one feel helpless and stuck in the pain of past experiences.
If laughter is how her PTSD expressed, and how she deals with the pain and trauma, then that’s how she deals with it. The end. No one can question how a person processes trauma, or how they avoid the negative side effects of it.
However. When the deaths of the brave men and women serving our nation at home and abroad are being discussed, you had better hold that sh*t together and show some damn respect for our soldiers.
Indiana Representative and military veteran Jim Banks doesn’t think Omar legitimately has a case of PTSD at all, and he has said as much in an interview with Breitbart News.
Banks said:
“Feigning PTSD in a press conference — in which you were seen giggling — because you disagree with the president on policy is not a thing and is disrespectful to our troops who come home from war suffering from symptoms like PTSD.”
He continued:
“What’s even more shameful is today’s vote on the War Powers resolution. This resolution intentionally ties the hands of the administration, who is working hard to prevent an endless war and protect U.S. armed forces.”
Representative Banks served overseas in Afghanistan in 2014-2015.
He posted the video of Omar’s claims of PTSD on Twitter and commented:
“This is a disgrace and offensive to our nation’s veterans who really do have PTSD after putting their life on the line to keep America safe.”
In retort, Omar tweeted,:
“Hi Jim, I survived war as a child and deal with post-traumatic stress disorder—much like many who have served or lived through war. It’s shameful that you as a member of Congress would erase the PTSD of survivors.”
Banks’ response was:
“No @IlhanMN – you can’t change the subject.”
He then posted the aforementioned giggle-fit video and says:
“Your words and actions at today’s press conference reveal your feelings toward our soldiers serving abroad and the video speaks for itself.”
Absolutely shameful.
WATCH→ @IlhanMN and other @HouseDemocrats make light of American lives lost overseas.
Our brave men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect and applause for their service and sacrifice — not mockery and laughter.pic.twitter.com/Lee0tmfGDa
— Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) January 8, 2020
Like I said, if Omar has PTSD, she has PTSD. Military members and first responders aren’t the only people who see trauma or experience symptoms of the mental injury. If she attempts to keep it under control with laughter and is successful in doing so, more power to her.
Rep. Ilhan Omar complained she’s “stricken with PTSD” because of recent events in the Middle East.
This is a disgrace and offensive to our nation’s veterans who really do have PTSD after putting their life on the line to keep America safe. pic.twitter.com/twhZDuUDu0
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) January 8, 2020
Just please, Survivor Omar, don’t do it in a national press conference speaking about our fallen soldiers. Their families are watching these press conferences. Our enemies are watching them. And so are we.
Let’s not ignore what else the “Squad” was up to this week.
In Palm Beach, FL Friday morning, an Iranian national was arrested about four miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago presidential retreat.
The man, identified as Masoud Yareioeill Zoleh on his passport, was armed with several knives, a machete and a pickax. Zoleh was arrested at Bradley Park, which is on the east end of the Flagler Memorial Bridge, according to Palm Beach police spokesman Michal Ogrodnick.
Police responded to a call at around 9:30 a.m. and found Zoleh, who also had $22,000 on him and had a car parked at the Palm Beach International Airport.
What might be most troubling about the entire thing is that just days ago, “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar called for Iran to go after Trump properties. Now that a real threat has been identified, cops around the country are calling for her to be arrested for inciting potential violence and threatening national security.
A Daily News photographer who was on the scene saw Zoleh being taken into custody by three Palm Beach police officers, along with two plainclothes officers whom he was told were from another agency. The man also had camping gear on him, according to the photographer. The Palm Beach Post published photos of the arrest.
The arrest on Friday morning came just days after Iran shot approximately twelve ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops. This was in response to the United States airstrike that took out terrorist mastermind Qassem Soleimani, who was the head of the Iranian Quds Force, just outside Baghdad International Airport.
President Trump ordered the airstrike and taking out of Soleimani after U.S. intelligence sources developed information that Soleimani was planning terrorist activities against the United States embassy in Baghdad, as well as other countries.
Last week, insurgents attacked the embassy in Iraq, an attack that was subsequently repelled by a U.S. show of force, unlike what happened in Benghazi, Libya under the Obama administration.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appearing on the Ingraham Angle on Fox News said Thursday that Soleimani was planning “a series of imminent attacks” when he was killed.
“We don’t know precisely when—and we don’t know precisely where—but it was real. There was a real opportunity here and there was a real necessity here. We made the right decision. The president made the right call.”
Pompeo also backed President Trump’s claim that the multi-billion-dollar payoff made to Iran by the Obama administration likely helped provide the resources that Iran used to launch the attack on the military bases.
“All the things that we are now confronting are a direct result of the resources that the regime had available as a result of that terrible nuclear deal,” Pompeo said.
On Wednesday, President Trump, in an address to the nation, which occurred the morning after the Iranian attack, said, “The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.”
In September 2016, the Treasury Department acknowledged that $1.7 billion was transferred from the U.S. to Iran in foreign hard currency. An initial $400 million was sent to Tehran Jan. 17, the same day Iran released four American prisoners.
The remaining $1.3 billion was paid over a period of a few weeks. The initial payment was settlement of a 37-7ear-old dispute between the two countries over a $400 million payment made by the Shah of Iran, who was exiled during the embassy attack in 1979.
The U.S. also released billions of dollars in assets which belonged to Iran that were held in financial institutions around the world. This was basically all a bribe so that Iran would terminate its nuclear program, which it has continued in basically a move thumbing their nose at the United States.
The move was widely criticized, especially by Republicans who claimed that it showed weakness on the part of Obama. No real surprise there.
The timing of the latest incident comes on the heels of Congressman Ilhan Omar’s not so subtle suggestion in a tweet that the president’s properties worldwide might be a target.
“Trump needs to immediately divest from his businesses and comply with the emoluments clause. Iran could threaten Trump hotels “worldwide” and he could provoke war over the loss of revenue from skittish guests.
His business interests should not be driving military decision.”
Trump needs to immediately divest from his businesses and comply with the emoluments clause. Iran could threaten Trump hotels *worldwide* and he could provoke war over the loss of revenue from skittish guests.
His business interests should not be driving military decisions.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 6, 2020
Well, alrighty then. For someone who constantly uses terms like “dog-whistling”, this sure the heck seems like a not so veiled suggestion to Iraq that maybe Trump’s properties might be an attractive target.
Omar has made it quite clear that she throws down with America’s enemies. She also gained a little bit of controversy (shocker there) on Wednesday, when during a press conference, she said that the ongoing conflict with Iran have left her feeling “’a little bit ill’ because of everything that is taking place.”
“And I think every time I hear about—I hear conversations around war, I find myself being stricken with PTSD. And I find peace knowing that I serve with great advocates for peace and people who have shown courage against war,” Omar continued.
PTSD?? Is this nut serious? She suffers from PTSD because a known terrorist was taken out and Iran “responded” by tossing a few missiles at rather harmless targets in Iraq?
This is a tremendous disservice to the brave men and women in our armed forces, who have seen and done things in their lives that would have her running and hiding under her bed. What a pure, unadulterated insult to our military.
During the same conference, after her “PTSD” had calmed down, Omar was seen laughing and giggling, talking to other Democrat colleagues while Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was talking about U.S. troops killed in war.
Rather than stand silently behind Lee as she spoke and actually showing her some respect, she actually became the center of attention when she began her laughing charade and turning around to speak to the other women Democrats on the stage.
Her stunt did not go unnoticed. Twitter lit up with people criticizing Omar for carrying on like a twelve-year-old school child while Lee was speaking.
In the past, when men and women of our military were in harm’s way, politicians at least supported them. They may not have supported their mission, or may not have supported the president, but they always stood behind our brave men and women in the military.
Not this bunch.
The so-called “squad” have shown that they are un-American and do not have the best interests of our country in mind, only their interest in pandering to the small constituency of brain-dead voters that elected them in the first place.
