Why America Is Wrong In North Korea

First let me assure you that I am a real America who embraces the Constitution and the founding ideals of this country. I believe in a constitutionally limited government and unalienable rights. I believe in our common law heritage which states that no crime can occur unless someone’s rights have been violated. I am a no holds barred supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I also support our military.

It is this support of our military that drives me to speak out against this perpetual state of war America has been saddled with for decades. It is time that our country return to its roots of liberty and prosperity. It is time we obeyed the law. It is time we stopped being the “policeman” to the world and understand the ideals upon which our country was founded. It is time we stop sacrificing American lives for efforts which fall short of moral.

North Korea recently fired a rocket in what is being describes as an “ICBM test”. This rocket got higher than any previous and has some speculating that these rockets could hit our country. This is not good news but it is not any of our business. None. We have no moral authority to tell other nations how to run their country. We have no constitutional authority to invade or start a war with another country without a declaration of war from Congress. There is no justification for interfering with any other countries across the world when they are not a threat to our security. But that is exactly what we have done for the last 60 years.

Let’s remember some facts about Korea and the “war” we waged there. Who remembers that the US and USSR made an agreement in 1945, after the end of World War II, to divide Korea (one nation at the time) into North and South? The reason given at the time was this was done for “administrative purposes”. Remember the 38th parallel?

The United States entry into the “war” occurred after a North Korean attack across the 38th parallel in 1950. We supplied munitions and air support to the south. That quickly escalated into troops being mobilized and sent to the Korean peninsula. How many remember that Truman didn’t get a declaration of war from Congress but relied on a UN resolutions to justify sending troops into battle? The Constitution gives a different accounting of how war should occur. This is only one of the many illegal “wars” the United States has participated in the last 60+ years. Who also else remembers that 90% of the troops fighting in the “coalition” for the South were American? Were you ever taught that over 36,000 Americans were killed and over 100,000 were wounded in action? Or that over 2 million Koreans lost their lives during the conflict?

We currently support South Korea with troops, hardware, ammunition and supplies, We still have American troops stationed along the DMZ. Our deployment of 3 carrier groups to the region to conduct “naval exercises” when Trump went to speak in China is obviously a ploy to antagonize North Korea. Did you know that the Ronald Reagan carrier group staged naval exercises off the Korean peninsula previous to that? How would Americans like Chinese ships off our coast performing military exercises? Is it any wonder that North Korea harbors ill feelings?

How about the economic sanctions the United States has championed? We have led the charge to isolate North Korea from the rest of the world by banning their export of precious metals, coal, oil, iron, zinc and other base metals. North Korea has been excluded from the international banking system. The United States has laws on the books which restrict anyone who deals in the United States from doing any business with North Korea. it is us or them. We exercise the right to board any ship on the way to North Korea and inspect it. If anything is being shipped that is against our laws we confiscate or destroy those items. Food is one of the many items banned, by the way. Check out the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” and Public Law 114-122- An act “to improve the enforcement of sanctions against the Government of North Korea, and for other purposes”. How would Americans react if another country tried to isolate us like this from the rest of the world?

This is just a symptom of the problem. The United States has over 600 bases in over 120 countries worldwide in defiance of our Constitution, The United States has invaded, bombed or attempted government overthrow in many countries since World War II in further defiance. We have become the “policeman to the world” by allowing our Congress to break the law. This is not the course our founders charted when we created our country. This is what we fought against.

But at least our government is consistent. The feds ignore the Constitution nationally, why shouldn’t they ignore it internationally? Our government is out of control and the rest of the world is waking up to the fact just as more and more Americans are. Washington DC and the corrupt cadre that too much influences its actions are once again creating strife where there should be none. Support our troops, our Constitution and our integrity as a nation and speak out against this vile behavior by our government. We should not be spending any money nor sacrificing American troops for actions like this. This is what Eisenhower warned us about. Support America, support liberty and stop the war mongering.

Join me at Constitutional Cappuccino to get plugged into a website that is all about the education Americans need to move our country back to its proper trajectory. My new book “Patriot Ammo: The Words Behind Our Flag” is also available and teaches of our founding documents and principles. The book would make a great present for anybody 16 and up.

 

A Way Support Our Troops

Many people claim to support our troops. They admire the sacrifice our service men and women have made to serve this country. These heroes realize that when they sign up, they are putting their lives on the line to keep us a free nation, and we honor them for that.

Most people will defend them when they are erroneously smeared, and we mourn when they are killed. I believe peoples’ sincerity when they state these beliefs. But there is something we the people can do, and do right now, that would truly be supportive of our men and women in the armed forces—  we could bring them home.

These brave men and women put their lives into others peoples’ hands to protect our country. They take an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies—  foreign and domestic. That is their charge.

The people who put them in harm’s way, Congress and the President, also take the same oath.  A big problem we have today is Washington sending Americans to various destinations around the world illegally. These politicians are breaking their oath. Invariably, some Americans are killed because their jobs are dangerous. I would think that sending troops around the world to be put into danger and possibly die which is not supported by our laws would upset more people that it does.

Maybe it is ignorance of the Constitution. Maybe they have the erroneous idea that we need to be the policeman for the world. Maybe they haven’t put two and two together yet. Whatever the reason, it is misguided, and it needs to be corrected. The results are the loss hundreds and thousands of American lives to unlawful acts by our government— men and women we supposedly cherish.

To some of us, the Constitution is still the supreme law of the land. We believe that the structure of our government needs to return to its original size and intent. We realize that our politicians are breaking the law on a regular basis, and in this case, the sending of troops to foreign lands without a declaration of war is resulting in the deaths of servicemen.  It is unacceptable.

Every President and Congress since I have been alive has engaged in conflicts that are contrary to our Constitution. The last time we declared war was in 1941 when the United States entered into WW II. Ever since then, every “war” we have engaged in has been illegal and not supported by law.

Either we are a nation of laws or we are not. There is no middle ground.

According to my research, we have between 600-900 bases worldwide. Even one base overseas is too many. None of those are authorized by law. We put American personnel at risk for nothing. Well, not exactly nothing— people make a lot of money because of these deployments. When an ordinance is used, companies make money replacing it. Private contractors who do the jobs the military used to do are employed at exorbitant prices while their employers make even more money. A lot of what is destroyed is often rebuilt by American corporations who profit immensely. Americans overseas equate to large profits for huge corporations. This is another in a long line of unlawful redistributions of wealth, but this one invariably costs us American lives.

President Eisenhower warned us about this on January 17, 1961. In his farewell speech, he warned us of the military-industrial complex. He was very direct in his discussion on this topic. He warned that a large armament industry could lead us to abandon our “peaceful methods and goals.” “Only an alert and knowledgeable citizen can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense, with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty can prosper together.” That was the end of his speech. Powerful stuff coming from a President who was also the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Western Europe during WW II. Why don’t we heed his words?

So what I suggest is that we make it an issue. We need to confront politicians and let them know how we feel. Support the narrative. Bring our troops home. There is nothing of enough value overseas that is worth even one American life.

When more troops are killed, remember that it could have been avoided. That son or daughter, mother or father would be alive today if we abided by the law. Capitulating to the whims of war hawks and those who profit from our unlawful activities is no longer an option. If you truly support the military then do the right thing, support bringing our troops home. The unlawful and immoral actions of those who break their oaths of office to put these true Americans in harm’s way must be stopped. Support the Constitution and the young men and women who swear to protect it. Bring them home.

Article 2 Section 2: Why War is Necessary: Not What you Think

I have just seen another story that misrepresents the whole war powers argument. Both stories I read were from reputable sources and both stated that Article 1 Section 8 clause 11, which states “To declare War,Grant Letters of Marque and reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” under the enumerated powers of Congress was end all be all of war. That is not true. When people understand the whole truth it makes much more sense and reveals a lie that has been spread for decades.

Article 2 Section 2 tells the rest of the story. It reads: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States”. That means simply that the President is only the Commander in Chief when there is a war that is declared. The Congress is the one who declares war and they are in charge of the military the rest of the time.

The idea is simple. When there is no war the armed forces should not be deployed. They need no immediate leadership to guide them through important situations. This time would be used organizing and training the troops. But when war is declared, it must be one person who leads the military. War by committee has some awful drawbacks with the most serious being quick decisions that may be needed. It is not that the President was thought to be going to the front lines but there needs to be a civilian authority who oversees the big picture of what needs to be done. He is the one to make the decisions that affect the course of the war effort. The President is also checked by the Congress if he gets out of control. Congress can easily take back control of the military with a vote. This is a major check and balance.

The Founders never envisioned the President being the full time Commander in Chief. The whole idea of the War Powers Act and the use of AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) is in violation of the simple meaning of the Constitution. On this point the document is quite clear. It is not convenient for those who want aggressive actions taken, but that is how the Constitution is structured.

When war is declared a number of things change. Enemy combatants become a reality. Interactions with the declared enemy becomes illegal. The rules on the high seas change and many other lawful acts are initiated. There is much upheaval caused when a war is declared in addition to the actual fighting. One other interesting point,  it is recognized that after a declaration of war that the enemies are given a chance to make amends before hostilities can commence.

Washington DC wants it both ways. No declaration of war but a way to initiate hostilities when convenient. A President who is in full time control of the military, taking the burden off of Congress. The power to tell the President when he can go into battle without declaring a war. In this the press has been complicit. How many times have you heard the President referred to as the Commander in Chief? The United States has not declared war since 1941 initiating our entry into WW II. That is the last time a President has rightfully been the CIC.

I write this because President Trump has just taken the action of sending missiles against a sovereign country, Syria. There has been no declaration of war. The United States is supposed to take the high moral road but in this case like so many others as of late we are breaking our own laws to invade a sovereign country. Our blatant statements about regime change are repugnant to this American. Unless it is a threat to the security of our country then American lives nor resources should not be expended. In cases of true threat or where we need to engage in war then we declare war and fight accordingly. We should respect the sovereignty of other countries like we want our sovereignty respected.

Atrocities were committed in Syria. That is not being questioned. What is being questioned is how relevant the Constitution is anymore. I fear for our future if we continue to disregard the Constitution of the United States so often and so completely.