Once again, our president is threatening to bomb another country. This time it’s Syria. In the not-too-distant past it’s been North Korea, Iran and 
Russia. The New York Times reports (4/11/18) that President Trump now promises to launch a military strike against Syria and has threatened Russia not to intervene.
It’s one thing to be a bully in private life. (The numerous allegations of Trump’s sexual assault against women and his criminal business dealings have been amply documented for many years. [Read David Kay Johnson’s books, The Making of Donald Trump and It’s Even Worse Than You Think]).
It is another matter altogether to be a public, presidential bully who imagines the nation’s military, armaments and treasury to be his own personal play things.
We do not need a blustering businessman in the White House – can we finally bury this foolishness once and for all about the importance of electing business people into government?! We need a diplomat, an intelligent, well-educated person who understands the issues, or at least a leader who believes in the priority of diplomacy and detests war.
Tragically, Donald Trump is not that person. He is an extraordinarily undiplomatic war-monger.
I believe that every American who professes to follow the resurrected Jesus should take advantage of the democratic mechanisms at our disposal (at least, for the moment) and voice our opposition to our government’s love of war-making.
Here are several things we can do:
- Call your Congressional representatives (at 202-225-3121) and ask them to sign the bipartisan Lofgren-Amash letter, reminding the president that, according to the War Powers Act, he must receive congressional approval before authorizing a strike against Syria. No US president has the authority to use military force unilaterally.
- While you have them on the phone, tell your elected representatives that you vehemently oppose any further military action in Syria. In fact, urge them to tell the president to implement his earlier plan for withdrawing all US forces from Syria. As both Trump and Putin acknowledged last year,
there is no military solution to this conflict. Only a cease-fire and diplomacy will help the Syrian people. - Tell your representatives to insist on an independent investigation into the apparent gas attack in Syrian eastern Ghouta. Tell them that our U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley (another neoconservative always in favor of another war), must stop her pro-war saber
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley vetos an Egyptian-drafted resolution regarding recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem, during the United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid – RC19707F9890 rattling and cooperate with the UN Security Council’s desire to investigate these charges.
- Educate yourself, sharpen your critical thinking skills and hone your skepticism. For instance:
- Did you know that there is no solid, empirical evidence that Syrian president Assad or his troops had anything to do with the supposed “gas attack” in eastern Ghouta? Do not swallow the wall-to-wall reporting fed to us from the corporate media saying otherwise. For instance, here is an excerpt from a lengthy report from an independent journalist who visited the scene of this “attack”:
“I was told by people I spoke with, in Erbin (a city in eastern Ghouta), that the terrorist factions had carried out the attacks on civilians in that district in order to blame it on the Syrian government, army and Russia.
“While there is no way to fully verify these on the ground reports, it must raise the question – why do western media repeat the narrative fed to them by western backed & financed groups like the White Helmets who are proven to be closely affiliated to extremist groups including Al Qaeda…?”
- Israel has been lobbying the United States to go to war against Iran for many years. Israel has exploited the current situation in order unilaterally to attack Iranian forces in Syria. (By the way, Iranian troops are in Syria by invitation. Ours are not.)
- Iran is now threatening a counter strike against Israel. The only reason Israel has not continued its attacks is because of Vladimir Putin’s intervention, insisting on de-escalation. Yes, Russian is acting as the peace-maker in this situation.
- John Bolton, Trumps’ new National Security Adviser, is a psychopathic war-monger and a rapid pro-Zionist who has been doing Israel’s bidding for years, insisting on war with Iran. In fact, Bolton has “promised” that he will effect regime change in Iran before the end of this year!
- Russia has promised to “return fire” if American attacks Assad’s forces.
- With Syria, the United States, Russian, Israel and Iran (let’s not forget Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, if things fall apart) all fired up, feeling aggressive, threatened and defensive, we have a frightening stew of international ingredients for a major war.
It is long past time for American evangelicals to stand for peace not war. Please, make the call today.
Make your arguments. Demand an accounting.
Let them know that you will not vote for a senator or representative who supports anymore needless destruction in our fragile world.
