Engaging our armed forces is not a vote I take lightly. Like many, I was reluctant to enter our nation into another conflict. But the situation in Libya is different. This is a nation where the people were giving their lives to fight for a legitimate voice in their government. For these actions, their murderous dictator vowed to hunt them down like ``rats and cockroaches.'' Chilling words as Muammar el-Qaddafi is no stranger to taking the lives of the innocent. He has more American blood on his hands than any terrorist other than Osama bin Laden. The international community sought our help in Libya. The Arab League supports the NATO mission and this is historic, as it is the first time the organization has supported an international intervention in an Arab country. The United States' role can make a difference in Libya. To say otherwise is to question the very values our own nation was founded upon. I believe that our limited mission in Libya is needed and I stand with President Obama. Let's remember two things. The movement to overthrow longtime Libyan dictator Colonel Qaddafi began with the Libyan people. The United States should stand with the people of Libya and their fight for freedom and human rights. We must also remember that under Colonel Qaddafi, Libya was involved in aircraft hijackings, extraterritorial assassinations, bombings at European airports, and the 1986 bombing of a Berlin nightclub popular with American Armed Forces.…
Share
More from Mazie Hirono
With Republicans and their allies on the Court hell bent on rolling back that progress, it is more urgent than ever that Congress pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
That’s why Senate Democrats are here speaking out and fighting back. We know what’s at stake, and we refuse to stand by while Republicans undermine our democracy and our sacred right to vote.
I rise in recognition of educators in Hawaii as well as across the Nation who are dedicating--have dedicated--their lives to the benefit of the children of our country. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. And as this administration…
over the past 2 months, we have seen chaos unleashed across our country as Donald Trump and Elon Musk take a chain saw to our Federal Government, firing thousands of Federal workers en masse with no explanation and more firings to come. I…





