Trump unilaterally chooses war with Iran without Congressional input
Editor:
In a democracy the government derives its just powers with the consent of the people, as stated in our Declaration of Independence. One of the ways our Founding Fathers codified this principle is by giving our elected representatives the authority to declare war in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
President Trump violated U.S. law and the Constitution by starting a war with Iran without any consultation with Congress let alone a declaration of war.
Furthermore, Iran did not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. The U.S. intelligence officers assessed that there was no imminent threat from Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency says there is no evidence Iran has an active plan for creating nuclear weapons and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessed that if Iran tries to build an intercontinental ballistic missile it will take them at least ten years.
Clearly, there was time for negotiation and other measures, like economic sanctions, short of war. Mr. Trump unilaterally started this war with no clear justification, and no clear goals, stating it was to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon and later that it was for regime change.
Mr. Trump did not consult our allies, and he is violating the United Nation’s Charter. These actions have alienated us from our friends, leaving us isolated. Finally, Mr. Trump is a profiteer. After U.S. forces risked their lives to extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mr. Trump announced he controls the oil and the money from that oil. There is no reason to doubt that Mr. Trump started this war for his personal benefit.
Representatives Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy lavishly praise Mr. Trump, a convicted felon and sexual predator, for starting this war. Mr. Trump’s reckless illegal actions and Republican’s willing embrace of his actions threaten American lives. I pray our service men and women are not harmed, but I fear for their safety.
William Fine
Brockport
