At first glance Trump’s “not a war” in Iran seems simple. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution is clear: “The Congress shall have Power...To declare War.” Not the President. Not the Pentagon. Not the CIA. Congress. Our US Congress has not declared war against Iran. Therefore this “not a war” is illegal.
All true.
Reality, however, is far more complicated. The United States’ bombing of Iran is the culmination of decades of lies and manipulation perpetrated on the American people and on the US Congress.
A quick refresher of a few important events:
Vietnam
In 1964 Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave Lyndon Johnson the power to take military action in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war. Later the public learned the alleged incident inspiring the resolution never happened. Although Congress repealed the resolution in 1971, the war in Vietnam continued until 1975. Government lies and Presidential disregard for the law erode the power of Congress.
Gulf War
In the wake of the September 11 attacks on the US, Congress passed the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which once again gave the President power to wage war without Congress’ formal declaration – this time, to pursue the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. The AUMF had no specific end date and has been used to justify a slew of US military actions since. In 2002 Congress passed a second resolution allowing the US to continue the undeclared war against Iraq based on the premise that Iraq was building and holding “weapons of mass destruction.” This claim, as we now know, was a lie. Again, lies were used to manipulate Congress into compliance, further eroding Congressional power.
Venezuela
Based on flimsy reports of Venezuelan fentanyl trafficking, the US began bombing Venezuelan fishing boats and then arrested Venezuelan President Maduro. A tortured legal argument (narcotics are a form of terrorism) justified the bombings under the AUMF. Real data shows little, if any, connection between Venezuela and fentanyl. So the big lie triumphs again while this time, Congress remains silently complicit. Side note: while there may not be a lot of fentanyl in Venezuela, there IS a heck of a lot of oil.
And now, into the present – Trump’s undeclared war in Iran – the latest in a series of “not wars” beginning with the Korean War that’s continued unchecked ever since. Inarguably illegal? Yes. Unchallenged by a weak and complicit Congress? Absolutely!
So our message of NO KINGS isn’t only for the shambling old man who’s gotten us into this shameful, wasteful and stupid war. Our message is also for the shamefully weak and incompetent Congress that has over decades ceded its power to the executive branch. Our US Congress, along with the Supreme Court, has crowned this king. We must protest – and reject – ALL the actors in this continued power grab on all fronts.
Join us as we raise our voices on Saturday, 11 am – 1 pm at Rotary Park!