Simpich writes: "That's the deepest reason for the beheadings and that terrible fire - the Islamic State wants our country in the game. Let's not rise to the bait. Let's rise up against the war machine."
'Obama's #ISIS #AUMF will shape his legacy.' (Illustration: @WinWithoutWar)
15 February 15
request to authorize military force in Syria was delivered to Congress by President Obama on February 11.
This is the moment for a great debate that can change the course of history.
When the American people rose up against war in Syria two years ago, Obama backed down and we won. Even the British Parliament stood up on its hind legs and voted against any military action.
In the midst of furious public outcry, it turned out that American military leaders lacked confidence that the Syrian government was responsible for the recent chemical weapons attacks. The award-winning journalist Seymour Hersh suggested that Syrian rebels used the sarin gas. MIT professor Theodore Postol, esteemed in national security matters, wrote a letter last summer stating that there is “substantial evidence” to support such a claim.
This time, the Islamic State is using the U.S. military as its main tool for recruiting young people. Without the U.S. as an enemy that unites their ranks, the Islamic State will fall apart. The IS leaders’ decision to embrace new members ensures that the group is now packed with spies and provocateurs from all over the world. Its center will not hold.
That’s the deepest reason for the beheadings and that terrible fire – the Islamic State wants our country in the game. Let’s not rise to the bait. Let’s rise up against the war machine.
Congress is going to be debating the war in the Middle East for weeks, maybe months. This is the moment to ask: “Why would the USA continue to paint a target on its back?”
That’s why Osama bin Laden launched the 9/11 attacks in the first place. He wanted the Americans trapped in the quagmire of war, just like the Soviets before them.
How many times are we going to make the same stupid mistake?
The Democrats are not united for this war. Neither are the Republicans. There is no convincing evidence that even Obama believes in it. Senator Tim Kaine basically shamed him into submitting this Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to Congress, arguing that the earlier AUMFs are basically outdated and that Congress was abdicating its responsibility. No one can even muster a “patriotic” call for ground troops, except for the perennially traumatized walking wounded like Senator John McCain.
Even if you support limited strikes against the Islamic State, you have to oppose this AUMF against Syria that Obama just sent to Congress, simply because it’s a blank check for war.
If the American people unite in large numbers against this war, we can tie the hands of Congress. We have more allies on Capitol Hill than we think. It is hard to imagine that dysfunctional body agreeing on anything.
Who is going to lead the effort?
The 70-member Congressional Progressive Caucus said “no” to the AUMF on Friday, saying it was “too broad.” Count on Speaker John Boehner to retort that the proposed AUMF is “too restrictive.” But there is no guarantee that Boehner can deliver his splintered party. U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that the Islamic State presently poses no threat to the U.S. homeland.
The prospective presidential candidates are going to seize on the war issue. Candidates who want to break out of the pack will have to consider the number of Americans who are sick of endless war. It wlll be intriguing to see the fortunes of Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul in the coming months.
There is also leadership from groups on the ground ranging from the nimble Just Foreign Policy to the eight-million-member MoveOn. Peter Certo at Foreign Policy in Focus offers five reasons to oppose the new request for military force:
Certo says that “a better strategy might focus on humanitarian assistance, strictly conditioned aid, and renewed diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and power-sharing agreement in Syria, equal rights for minority populations in Iraq, and a regional arms embargo among the foreign powers fueling the conflict from all sides.”
The antiwar organizations United for Peace and Justice and ANSWER have been weakened over the years and may not be able to rise to the occasion. All the more reason for the newly invigorated social movements to find common ground and act in unison. The U.S. spends more on its military budget than the next 13 nations combined.
The spectre of the Islamic State has nothing to do with 9/11.
It has everything to do with the latest attempt to convince Americans to take action against their own best interests and to provide a common enemy for ambitious terrorist leaders.
It’s hard to imagine a better time to make better choices. We have to rise up in every walk of life and say loud and clear what has to be done.
The American war machine has to be stopped in its tracks.
"Bill Simpich is an Oakland attorney who knows that it doesn't have to be like this. He was part of the legal team chosen by Public Justice as Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2003 for winning a jury verdict of 4.4 million in Judi Bari's lawsuit against the FBI and the Oakland police."
