ARE WE REALLY A NATION OF LAWS?

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 457

Okay, it is time to take off the gloves. Are we really a nation of laws or not? Our Executive Department now initiating its own war with Iran is yet another example of our President usurping congressional power, just like the situation with the tariffs. As Republican Congressman Warren Davidson recently responded: “I mean, look, America is a Republic, not an empire!” In fact, I deeply believe that each and every one of our Founders would lead the charge to combat what our Executive Department has been doing in these areas! Yes, I agree that the prior bombing of Iran’s nuclear weapons production facility was beneficial to the peace of the world. And, yes, I agree that Venezuela and the world are better places now that Maduro has been removed by us from the presidency. But let me put it this way, I think we would all agree that Vladimir Putin is a thug who has caused the Russian government to do many things that have violated international laws. So I suggest that we send our special military forces to kidnap him from his home in Moscow and bring him to New York for trial! That is no different than what we did to Maduro in Venezuela, except that Russia is a much stronger force. So once again we say that just because we can does not make it legal! And now there is talk that if Latin American countries do not take “a more aggressive approach against their own drug cartels” we may “go on the offensive alone, if necessary.” But if we bomb or send our troops into any country without that country’s consent, that would be an act of war, and then I would condemn every member of Congress for allowing it to happen without holding those accountable who were responsible for those actions!

But there are practical reasons as well for the provision in our Constitution for us not to go to war without congressional action and aproval. For example, before such action should be taken there would have to be a convincing argument made that a serious threat existed to our country. (Maybe so here from Iran?) But, of equal importance, what are the goals and what are the risks, and how will we know when those goals have been accomplished so we can bring the war to an end? A perfect example of the lack of asking and answering those questions can be seen in our lack of attainable goals in our many years-long fighting in Afghanistan! So not only stand up for us being a Nation of Laws, but also for the practical reason that we recognize that there are limits to what we can beneficially accomplish in most every situation. And this is done because we are a nation of laws!

(Quote for the week from Herbert Hoover: “National character cannot be built by law. It is the sum of the moral fiber of its individuals.”)