The Authorization of Military Force, AUMF, and us.
This post is a bit of a mess, because I kept reposting it, and each time I posted, I complained about how many times I posted it. Yet, I am leaving it, because I continue to be appalled at how little peopel know and understand about this. The Authorization For The Use Of Military Force should be debated, and hopefully the new Democratic Congress will vote to open debate. We should have this discussion.
We are less than 30 days away from the mid-terms, and NOT ONCE have I heard the words, “Authorization For The Use of Military Force.” What has happened to the grunts who fight our wars is appalling beyond belief. That we are discussing Trump, and ourselves, and Indivisible this and Vote that, is absurd. Yet, we have to choose. So, choose wisely.
I am posting this for the 12th time. I give up. We as an electorate actually have the government and the President that we deserve.
This did not come up during any of the forums that we had for the Congressional race. No one who is running for Congress knows what this is, or cares. Damon Martinez actually knew what I was talking about. The others, zip.
Why can’t we fix the gun mess? We cannot fix it because WE, as voters, send 97% of incumbents back to Congress. WE ARE THE PROBLEM. I am going to show you this dysfunction, AGAIN, with my ever ready post about the AUMF, the Authorization For The Use Of Military Force. Read it, don’t read it, have dead kids across the country, or not.
Just letting you know that the Authorization for the Use Of Military Force is working beautifully, and people are being killed daily because of it, and not only don’t you know about it, you don’t care. Fine.
This is the 9th time I have posted this. 9 times.
I am posting this for a 4th time. In the wake of the Niger ambush, and the killing of 4 American soldiers, you must understand how this works. You have a responsibility to yourself, and your kids — it is complicated. Deal with it.
Let me try again. I am very dumb. I try to explain things so that they can be understood, mostly by me.
Everyone has their panties in a bunch, screeching that Donald Trump CANNOT take the country to war. This is not true. He can, and the people that you sent to Congress gave him that power, in your name.
In the wake of the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, Congress passed the Authorization For The Use of Military Force, the AUMF. It gives the President very wide powers to wage war. It says PRESIDENT, period. It is a law, it is on the books, and it has been used 40 times to authorize military actions. It has not changed.
The last update we had about this was 2 months ago. Here is where we are at:
If you care about how Congress works, about how your Representatives actually represent you, you should pay attention to this. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents the East Bay area in California, has been a Congresswoman since 1990. She has a seat on the House Appropriations Committee, and has worked tirelessly for years to revoke the blanket Authorization for the Use of Military Force, AUMF, passed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to send troops to Afghanistan. Congresswoman Lee, showing determination, persistence, and bi-paritisanship, convinced her colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to add an amendment to the Appropriations Bill that would force Congress to re-authorize the use of military force. Her colleagues gave her a standing ovation in the Appropriations Committee when her amendment passed last month.
But, then the Appropriations bill went to the Rules Committee, and the Congresswoman’s amendment disappeared. No vote. No explanation. It is outrageous, and it is wrong. This is Congress’s role, and you, as citizens, should be upset. The world is a tough place, there are threats from North Korea, instability in the Middle East, intrusions from Russia. Congress has given away their role to have a voice in this, and it is not only wrong, it is dangerous.
