Just a little over a year ago during his speech at the National Defense University here in Washington, DC, President Obama talked about winding down Bush’s war on terror.
But as US bombers continue to strike against ISIS in Iraq and now Syria, it now looks like the war on terror will be with us for years to come.
And that’s a really dangerous thing for our democracy.
You see, aside from the return of the British Empire, there was nothing that scared our founding fathers more than multigenerational war – essentially, war without end.
The founders were scholars of classical history, and they knew that when given too much power, armies, like the armies ancient Rome, would push for more and more war, regardless of whether or not it was actually necessary for the safety of the people.
This threatened the very core of our system of government. As James Madison told the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in 1787:
“A standing military force … will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.”
This idea that a standing army made powerful by war would one day “enslave” the people through perpetual war scared revolutionaries like Madison so much that they devoted a whole section of the Constitution towards preventing it from ever happening.
In Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, they gave Congress – the elected representatives of “we the people” – the sole power to raise and support armies, but – unlike any other appropriations – they limited the amount of time Congress could finance the army to a maximum of two years.
And with the Second Amendment, the Founders tried to create a militia system that could make a standing army during peacetime unnecessary.
Obviously, today the military-industrial complex has found ways to work around the founders’ checks and balances to create a standing army that is the most powerful in the world.
But still, with President Obama’s decision to strike ISIS in Iraq and Syria, now is a vital time to listen to the founders’ warnings about war without end, and the dangers it poses to our democracy.
That’s because whatever you think about the threat we face from groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, there is no debate about the fact that the past 13 years of “forever war” have turned our country into something that would absolutely terrify our founders.
We now have a surveillance state to rival anything created by the East Germans during the Cold War, and our Justice Department regularly talks about how the government has the authority to execute US citizens without trial both here in the United States and anywhere in the world.
If that doesn’t prove Madison’s quote about how “No nation [can] preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare,” nothing does.
Given what’s happened over the past decade, it’s easy to be cynical about whether or not “we the people” can stand up for what the founders believed in and stop “continual warfare” before it’s too late.
But there is a solution to stop this insanity: all it takes is an act of Congress.
According to the White House, President Obama has the authority to bomb ISIS in Iraq and Syria because Congress gave him that authority when it passed an authorization to use military force (AUMF) against Al-Qaeda in 2001 and when it passed an authorization to use force against Iraq in 2002.
And because President Obama says his authority to wage war without end comes from two acts of Congress, Congress has the power to repeal both of those acts and pass a new authorization for use of force, one that could limit – both in time and scope – the president from fighting ISIS forever.
Our elected representatives simply need to listen to our nation’s founders and put real checks on the ability of the president and the military.
War without end poses a very real threat to our democracy. And if Congress is serious about protecting our way of life, they’ll pass a new, limited AUMF before we go the way of ancient Rome.
After all, it’s what the founders would have done.
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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