LA County Supervisors Resolution to Condemn ISIS

I am posting a letter of thanks to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich for his resolution to condemn the genocidal actions of ISIS. The letter is signed by Jozef Thomas Essavi on behalf of the Assyrian American community in Los Angeles County.

Dear Supervisor Antonovich,

I would like to thank you on behalf of the Assyrian Americans living in the County of LA and Across this great nation for your steadfast and caring support for the Assyrians, other Christians, and other afflicted minorities of the middle east. As your appointed Commissioner and first Assyrian American appointed by you to 2 different County Commissions, I can extend the thanks of our Community to you and to your office.  I am a witness to your continued leadership in this matter from the first day. You have my full support on this very important motion and I know how much care and thought and prayer has gone into your support of our endangered communities. The "Cradle of Civilization" and the land of biblical Patriarchs and their descendents is under attack by an evil force. You are a great and close friend of the Assyrian American Community and we proudly call you "KHORA" friend in Assyrian Language.

Los Angeles County has a national and international importance and as such this motion and consequent lobbying in D.C. will help insure that the sufferings of our fellow Assyrian Christians and other minorities of Iraq can be heard and acted upon.   

I invite all Assyrian Leaders to join me in support of your motion on Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 at 9:00 am at Los Angeles County Hall of Administration. 

500 W. Temple St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sincerely, 

Jozef Thomas Essavi

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Here is the text of the resolution:

MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MICHAEL D. ANTONOVICH August 19, 2014
DENOUNCE THE ACTIONS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND AL SHAM(ISIS)
In the last 60 days the world has witnessed a startling advance through eastern Syria and western Iraq by a terrorist organization known as the Islamic State, OR ISIS.
ISIS has embarked upon a systematic campaign of genocide against those under their control who do not practice their brand of Sunni Islam including the slaughter of
tens of thousands of members of religious minorities including Christians, Muslims,  especially members of the Yadizi sect. ISIS has beheaded hundreds of men, women and children, buried them alive, shot them dead, and herded hundreds of Yadizi women under the age of 35 into schools and other community buildings as captives and announced they will be sold or gifted to Islamic State “fighters” as sex slaves.
Pope Francis, Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam, President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francoise Hollande, Assyrian Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV, and a multitude of religious,  civic and political leaders around the globe have condemned the slaughter of the innocents by the Islamic State terrorists. 
Finally, over 50,000 Yadizis have fled to the mountains of northern Iraq after being told to “convert or die” by Islamic State and tens of thousands have died there of starvation and thirst.  It is time for our Board to head the famous quote from Edmond Burke, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
1) That our Board condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal savagery of the terrorist group Islamic State and their commission of genocide against religious minorities in territories under their control.
2) Direct our Washington DC advocates to send a 5 signature letter to the President expressing our support in using American diplomatic and military resources to assist those religious minorities struggling to survive.