Peace, not War

“The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.” - George Washington

America is at war, right now. We attacked Iran on February 28 with a massive bombing campaign. We destroyed military targets, killed people, and even killed their leaders. But we did not win. The Iranians responded. They attacked their neighbors destroying and/or damaging American military bases throughout the region and attacking our ships. We did not win. Then the Iranians did the obvious next move, something military advisors had predicted if the US attacked Iran: they blocked the Strait of Hormuz. At that point, we lost the war, but the war is not over. The constant claims and counter-claims of negotiations, many untrue, have made a quick end to the war unlikely. The war goes on. It is just one example of a pattern of American belligerence. 

•  Congress has the power to declare war. They were not consulted, but the Republican majority was too timid to try stopping the attacks. Eunice will work in Congress to re-assert the constitutional power of Congress.

• The Iranians do not trust Trump. They will not negotiate seriously until they see him brought under control. Congress needs to act and the world needs to see it.

• This war is part of a larger pattern:

  • Trump started his second term by announcing tariffs on most of the other countries in the world. Congress has the power to regulate tariffs. Congress needs to take that power back.

  • He sent our navy to destroy boats full of people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. On the face of it, this was both murder and a war crime. His justifications were flimsy and unsubstantiated, and the American public soon forgot about them. Congress needs to investigate and stop this aggression.

  • He sent our armed forces into Venezuela to decapitate the government there. He arrested the president and left the rest of the Venezuelan government untouched, except for some shady deals on oil revenues. Congress needs to find out where the money is going.

  • He has announced that he wants to annex Greenland, and has made veiled threats to do it by force. Right now, a company created by Trump insiders has moved drilling equipment to Greenland, preparing to start mineral exploration without legal permission.

  • Emergencies? The Trump Administration has declared emergencies for the sudden wave of tariffs, for the attacks on civilian boats, the attack on Venezuela, and the attack on Iran. The real emergency is in Washington. We need new people in Congress. Vote for Eunice Lehmacher on Nov. 3.

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower