Twice now the President has conducted military operations outside the permission of Congress. First, in Venezuela, where we deposed the leader and blockaded the country. Second, in Iran where we assisted Israel in bombing the Ayatollah and senior members of his government.
These are acts of war. Perpetrated by a President who shows total disregard for the limitations of power designed in our Constitution. While Venezuela did not retaliate, Iran has and American lives have been lost.
These acts of war have happened. It’s no use debating whether they should have happened, they did, and now we are left with the consequences.
What will the consequences be? On the best-case-scenario side are: both nations establish better governance, including freedom and liberty for their respective people, and economic success and prosperity for their nations and the surrounding region. Think rainbows and kumbaya circles.
That’s the best case scenario. It doesn’t include anyone clapping us on the back for our interventions, congratulating us on being right all along. That will never happen. Best case scenario doesn’t even include a positive note in the history books that reads: American interventionism wins again! Which, of course, would be obligatory were we to score another huge win like in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Oh. Wait.
Worst case scenario includes World War III erupting in response to American aggression. An almost-as-bad scenario is where President Trump assembles a Board of Peace, dozens of countries line up to praise his visionary efforts, and then two weeks later, he bombs Iran.
Peace. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
How is this peace? How is this legal? How does this keep happening
Nevertheless, we’re in it now. And the consequences will be ours to bear.
Here is what we know to be true about American interventionism: someone is getting rich. There is money at play here, maybe even multiple parties benefitting from these acts of war. Whether it’s access to natural resources like oil, or lucrative contracts for security, military, or reconstruction, there’s money to be made in war.
While most of the miseries of the world are caused by war, someone is always getting rich.
What can regular citizens do about it?
Support our troops. They’re volunteers who do the work we ask them to do without complaint. Hug your service members and tell them you’re proud of them.
Call your Congressman. Tell them to take back their authority. Only Congress can declare war and the President has now committed two acts of war without authorization. Do something about it or it will only happen again. And again. We have three more years in this presidency. The potential for further recklessness is unlimited. Someone is already talking about Cuba.
Check on your neighbors. We have Venezuelan and Iranian refugees living among us, people who are grateful to see their homelands liberated, but who worry about the future. We have Israeli and Jewish people in our community who worry about their safety in the Middle East but also in the U.S. as anti-semitism surges worldwide. These are our neighbors. We go to school and church and July 4th fireworks celebrations with them. We should love them though this.
Vote for something different. When we keep doing what we’ve always done, we keep getting what we’ve always gotten: a political machine that wields a war machine. A duopoly happy to make some people rich and other people dead.
Ask yourself do the ends really justify the means? Does the removal of a nuclear threat justify bombing a sovereign nation? Does another nation’s corruption justify kidnapping its leader? Would it be justified if another nation did it to us? Really think about the results of American interventions overseas. Decide for yourself if you believe the machine when it says this was necessary. That it was justified. Decide if this is who you want America to be: the country that goes around, unprovoked, punching other countries in the face.
In the Libertarian Party, we believe in the non-aggression principle. Initiation of physical force, violence, or fraud against another person or their property is wrong. Always.
As the United States was not attacked by Venezuela or Iran, I oppose the use of force in both circumstances.
Presidents cannot be allowed to go to war at will or on whims. We are not the world’s policemen. We are not playground bullies. Unprovoked violence leads to just one thing: more violence.
I support our troops. I am checking on and loving my neighbors. And as your Senator, I will condemn the initiation of violence in any theater, in any capacity. Always.
One million South Carolinians know the government isn’t working for us. So let’s do something about it.
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