Populist #24 - More on the Executive and War Powers
by Franklin
The founders were absolutely clear in their demand that the country would only go to war upon the collective decision of the representatives of the People.  Additionally, as has been shown in previous papers, a primary reason for creating a system of representation was due to exigencies of the day that made it impossible for the People to meet and decide their fate in person.  Thus, the true reason for entrusting the Legislature with the power to declare war was to ensure that the People would be involved in the decision as much as was physically possible.  What the Framers did not imagine was a weak and ineffectual Congress that failed to claim its rightful authority in deciding when the nation would go to war, or a power-hungry President that wouldn't refuse an extra-constitutional transfer of such power from Congress.

The typical statist response to this argument is to claim that previous Presidents have sent troops into battle "hundreds of times" without a Congressional declaration of war.  Thus, the favorite Presidential excuse for claiming the right to initiate war unilaterally is nothing more than the reasoning of a child: Everybody does it.  But, the Constitution remains valid even after Presidents violate it.
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Satan is Resting Easy: The Power of Christ "Propels" Them
by Jason Miller
To George Bush, Dick Cheney, Daniel Pipes, and their soulless war-mongering compadres, I proudly admit that I support the Palestinians (and their democratically elected Hamas leaders) in their struggle against their brutal Israeli oppressors. In fact, consider me a member of the so-called Fifth Column identified by Pipes. I abhor virtually all of the foreign and domestic policies the Machiavellian disciples of Strauss have implemented through wielding their ill-gotten power and influence. However, the United States is as much my country as it is theirs. I fully intend to remain here and work persistently against them by continuing to tenaciously pursue human rights and social justice for humanity, not simply for a select few in the United States and Israel.
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Can America go "private," or is it too late?
by Ben Tanosborn
It was a swift bi-partisan revolution, although resolution might be a more appropriate term that put an end to a controversy which came to save the day for many a politician, particularly Democrats. Flying the nativist colors, and reassured by the idea, whether fact or factoid, that 3 of 4 among those who vote are Arabophobic; all the politicians marched to battle knowing that the issue was politically safe, a no-brainer. This became a godsend opportunity for them to side with the basest in base populism. And so, the lynching came to pass without much fanfare, and not an ounce of embarrassment or shame.  But, wasn't it Dubai Ports that asked to be disrobed of the six US ports in favor of an American entity? Yes, but after the fact. The deal was already hanging from the noose, neck broken, after it became evident that any anti-DP World legislation by Congress would withstand the promised presidential veto by Bush.
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George Orwell, Novelist or Prophet?
by Steve Osborn
GEORGE Orwell wrote his book, 1984, in the 1940's. The year, 1984, was a long way off then, but what he foresaw as a possibility seemed much closer. We approached it during the McCarthy years in the fifties, but sanity reasserted itself.  When Nixon came to power, it looked like Orwell's fears might come to pass, but Nixon and his cronies overreached themselves and we were saved again. Reagan and Bush I came fairly close also. They refined a lot of the techniques, but the time was not right. It is beginning to look like the Regime of Bush II might turn Orwell from a novelist into a prophet.
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Night Vision
by Lonnie D. Story
One of my pet peeves is the former INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service.) I look and try to calculate why our country so desires to "elect" who will, and will not, enter this country.  I have traveled 42 States and 12 Countries and our system of selection overwhelms me.  Where, exactly, is our moral vision?  We permit a country that we have battled to become a partner in trade ( one that so desperates our economy and jobs of our own countrymen) to freely move across unseen borders.  Yet, we reject the dire thought of integrating the populace of a foreign country so dear to America that it was the ONLY colony this company ever had: the Philippines.
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The Hypocrite and the Patriot
by James Rothenberg
A grieving Iraqi father cried, upon losing his son at the beginning of the US invasion, "Why didn't the British and American people stop their leaders from doing this?"  For those who find themselves unable to answer his most fair question, then or now, is to hint at the enormous power of the leadership to marshal events in its own way. To eliminate an entire party of opposition, what could have been the anti-war party but for its desire to preserve itself in the comfort of the flag. Salute that flag, stand up for it when it passes, challenge those who would rip and burn it and hymns will be written for you. But who will answer that Iraqi father's question?
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