\nThe essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n\u2013 From George Orwell\u2019s, 1984<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This morning, I came across an extremely important story with tremendous long-term negative implications for freedom in\u00a0these United States. It relates to the fact that the\u00a0always shady Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell<\/a><\/strong> is moving to fast track an Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) for the President that would allow for unrestricted warfare against ISIS. There would be no time or geographic restrictions on this\u00a0authorization.<\/strong>\u00a0Rather than being a favor to\u00a0President Obama, this is primarily\u00a0a means to ensure that whoever takes control in 2017 receives a blank check for unrestrained militarism with no expiration date. This is terrifying.<\/p>\n
Before I get into the issue at hand, some background is necessary. Many legal scholars, and indeed, even many members of Congress have admitted that Obama\u2019s war against ISIS is illegal and unconstitutional. One of the best articles I\u2019ve read on why this is the case, was published in the New York Times<\/em>\u00a0in 2014, which\u00a0I covered in the post,\u00a0Obama\u2019s ISIS War is Not Only Illegal, it Makes George W. Bush Look Like a Constitutional Scholar<\/a><\/strong>. Here are a few excerpts:<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nPresident Obama\u2019s\u00a0declaration of war<\/a>\u00a0against the terrorist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria marks a decisive break in the American constitutional tradition. Nothing attempted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, remotely compares in imperial hubris.<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
\nMr. Bush gained explicit congressional consent for his invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In contrast, the Obama administration has not even published a legal opinion attempting to justify the president\u2019s assertion of unilateral war-making authority. This is because no serious opinion can be written.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nThis became clear when White House officials briefed reporters before Mr. Obama\u2019s speech to the nation on Wednesday evening. They said a war against ISIS was justified by Congress\u2019s authorization of force against Al Qaeda after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that\u00a0no new approval was needed<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
But the 2001\u00a0authorization for the use of military force<\/a>\u00a0does not apply here. That resolution \u2014 scaled back from what Mr. Bush initially wanted \u2014 extended only to nations and organizations that \u201cplanned, authorized, committed or aided\u201d the 9\/11 attacks.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Not only was ISIS created long after 2001, but Al Qaeda publicly\u00a0disavowed<\/a>\u00a0it earlier this year. It is Al Qaeda\u2019s competitor, not its affiliate.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Mr. Obama may rightly be frustrated by gridlock in Washington, but his assault on the rule of law is a devastating setback for our constitutional order. His refusal even to ask the J<\/em>ustice Department to provide a formal legal pretext for the war on ISIS is astonishing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s been almost two years since that Op-ed was written, and Obama is still\u00a0carrying out his illegal war on ISIS with barely a peep from our incredibly corrupt and useless Congress. Indeed, the only thing Congress is scheming to do is to ensure the next President receives a blank check for perpetual war.<\/p>\n
From the National Journal<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n
\nSen\u00adate Ma\u00adjor\u00adity Lead\u00ader Mitch Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell offered mem\u00adbers a snow-week\u00adend sur\u00adprise late Wed\u00adnes\u00adday night: Quietly tee\u00ading up a po\u00adten\u00adtial de\u00adbate on the leg\u00adal un\u00adder\u00adpin\u00adning for the fight against IS\u00adIS.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\nAfter months of wor\u00adry\u00ading that such a res\u00adol\u00adu\u00adtion\u2014known as an au\u00adthor\u00adiz\u00ada\u00adtion for the use of mil\u00adit\u00adary force\u2014would tie the next pres\u00adid\u00adent\u2019s hands, Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell\u2019s move to fast-track the meas\u00adure sur\u00adprised even his top deputy, Sen\u00adate Ma\u00adjor\u00adity Whip John Cornyn, who was un\u00adaware that Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell had set up the au\u00adthor\u00adiz\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/em><\/p>\n
The AUMF put for\u00adward by Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell would not re\u00adstrict the pres\u00adid\u00adent\u2019s use of ground troops, nor have any lim\u00adits re\u00adlated to time or geo\u00adgraphy.<\/strong> Nor would it touch on the is\u00adsue of what to do with the 2001 AUMF, which the Obama ad\u00admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion has used to at\u00adtack IS\u00adIS des\u00adpite that au\u00adthor\u00adiz\u00ada\u00adtion\u2019s in\u00adstruc\u00adtions to use force against those who planned the 9\/11 ter\u00adror\u00adist at\u00adtacks. By con\u00adtrast, the leg\u00adal au\u00adthor\u00adity put for\u00adward by the ad\u00admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion last Feb\u00adru\u00adary wouldn\u2019t au\u00adthor\u00adize \u201cen\u00addur\u00ading of\u00adfens\u00adive ground com\u00adbat op\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions\u201d and would have ended three years after en\u00adact\u00adment, un\u00adless reau\u00adthor\u00adized.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read that over and over and over until you get how incredibly dangerous it is.<\/p>\n
\n\nDon Stew\u00adart, Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell\u2019s spokes\u00adman, said Thursday in an email that the new AUMF \u201cis not the one the [p]res\u00adid\u00adent asked for\u201d and \u201cnot one that would tie the [p]res\u00adid\u00adent\u2019s hands.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\nExactly. It\u2019s not the one the President asked for, it\u2019s far more aggressive and dangerous.<\/p>\n
\nStew\u00adart ad\u00added that the pro\u00adcess Mc\u00adCon\u00adnell used to set up the AUMF, known as \u201cRule XIV,\u201d merely sets up the au\u00adthor\u00adiz\u00ada\u00adtion for a fu\u00adture vote, but does not put it on the cal\u00aden\u00addar\u2014mean\u00ading a vote could come at any time, or not at all. The res\u00adol\u00adu\u00adtion already has four Re\u00adpub\u00adlic\u00adan\u00a0co\u00adspon\u00adsors<\/a>: Sens. Lind\u00adsey Gra\u00adham, Daniel Coats, Joni Ernst, and Or\u00adrin Hatch.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf war monger Lindsey Graham is a co-sponsor you know for sure it\u2019s an unmitigated disaster for liberty.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\nSen\u00adate For\u00adeign Re\u00adla\u00adtions Chair\u00adman Bob Cork\u00ader said that there is still a \u201cwide di\u00adversity\u201d of opin\u00adions on the is\u00adsue. Some Demo\u00adcrats were crit\u00adic\u00adal of even the pres\u00adid\u00adent\u2019s own draft AUMF, warn\u00ading that they\u2019d need ad\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal re\u00adstric\u00adtions from the ad\u00admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion on troop levels and geo\u00adgraph\u00adic bound\u00adar\u00adies be\u00adfore they could sup\u00adport any au\u00adthor\u00adiz\u00ada\u00adtion. Re\u00adpub\u00adlic\u00adans, mean\u00adwhile, wor\u00adried deeply about re\u00adstrict\u00ading the pres\u00adid\u00adent as this ad\u00admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, and the next one, work to com\u00adbat IS\u00adIS.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n\n\u201cThis is the right thing,\u201d said Gra\u00adham, a co\u00adspon\u00adsor on the new AUMF res\u00adol\u00adu\u00adtion. \u201cThis is the right in\u00adfra\u00adstruc\u00adture\u00a0to have.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cIf our Demo\u00adcrat\u00adic friends don\u2019t want to give this pres\u00adid\u00adent and oth\u00ader pres\u00adid\u00adents the abil\u00adity to go after IS\u00adIS without lim\u00adit\u00ada\u00adtion to geo\u00adgraphy, time and means\u2014be on the re\u00adcord,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n\nIndeed, I\u2019d like to see every member of Congress go on the record as to the issue of perpetual war to fight an enemy created by our government\u2019s own foreign policy and our \u201callies\u2019\u201d funding and armaments<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\nKaine said that al\u00adthough he and the vast ma\u00adjor\u00adity of Con\u00adgress sup\u00adport com\u00adbatting IS\u00adIS, he dis\u00adagrees with the ad\u00admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion that the pres\u00adid\u00adent is with\u00adin his au\u00adthor\u00adity to do so. \u201cI be\u00adlieve the war is il\u00adleg\u00adal,\u201d Kaine said Thursday. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a leg\u00adal jus\u00adti\u00adfic\u00ada\u00adtion for it. And I think the greatest danger we end up do\u00ading is al\u00adlow\u00ading the pres\u00adid\u00adent to wage a war without Con\u00adgress weigh\u00ading in.\u201d<\/em><\/div>\n\nCornyn, who in Decem\u00adber said that Re\u00adpub\u00adlic\u00adans would not present an AUMF of their own un\u00adtil the pres\u00adid\u00adent out\u00adlined a strategy, said that he non\u00adethe\u00adless wel\u00adcomed de\u00adbate on the is\u00adsue.<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we should be afraid of that de\u00adbate, but we need a co\u00adher\u00adent strategy from the pres\u00adid\u00adent which we still don\u2019t have and we also don\u2019t need to tie the hands of the next pres\u00adid\u00adent by re\u00adstrict\u00ading what the pres\u00adid\u00adent can do,\u201d Cornyn said.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Sorry, but wasn\u2019t the entire idea of a legislative branch to precisely restrict what the President can do. Congress is purely ceremonial at this point. What an utter embarrassment.<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"WASHINGTON,](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/141105_mcconnell_obama_gty_605.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n
Obama’s War on ISIS May Be Waged Right Here in the Homeland\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nSOTN<\/a> Editor’s Note:
\nFor the second time this month the U.S. Senate has conspired with President Barack Obama to flagrantly subvert the Constitution. \u00a0The first instance of outright treason was the January vote that effectively terminated Rand Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\nTREASON IN THE SENATE<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nNow we are witness to another traitorous scheme by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in his furtive endeavor to grant unlimited war powers to the already out-of-control Obama. McConnell is secretly trying to “fast track an Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) for the President that would allow for unrestricted warfare against ISIS. There would be no time or geographic restrictions on this\u00a0authorization.<\/strong>“<\/em> (See article posted below)<\/p>\nThe Republican leadership has proven time and again that they pose no real opposition to Obama’s never-ending power grabs. \u00a0The GOP leaders in the House and the Senate have been specifically chosen because of their backroom promises to support Obama’s agenda, no matter how profound the betrayal of the American people. \u00a0 The last budget deal ushered though by the new House speaker Paul Ryan is another egregious example of how the “power of the purse” has been relinquished by the House of Representatives and unconstitutionally given to the President.<\/p>\n
Congress Just Guaranteed the Bankruptcy of the U.S. Government, Inc.<\/a><\/p>\nBoth McConnell and Ryan have demonstrated their clandestine fealty to King Obama. There is no legislation which serves to further aggrandize the office of the president that they or their predecessors have genuinely opposed. \u00a0The entire Congressional leadership has surreptitiously worked to approve legislation which grants unchecked executive powers to the presidency. \u00a0Any expressed disagreement by the GOP leadership has been publicly declared only for the consumption of the electorate.<\/p>\n
The real problem with this worsening predicament is that there are only foxes now living in the hen-house. \u00a0Not only have all the hens been eaten, but only foxes inhabit the Capital looking for any law that can be passed which grants the U.S. Federal Government more unconstitutional powers and unlawful authority. \u00a0The U.S. Government under Obama’s dictatorship will go down in history as having arrogated more power unto itself than any previous Administration.<\/p>\n
NDAA spells disaster for the American people<\/strong><\/p>\nThe NDAA actually ‘permits’, illegally of course, the Executive Branch to fabricate purposeful propaganda — via false flag operations — to be explicitly fed to the American people through all the major mainstream media (MSM) outlets. \u00a0In other words, the most recently approved version of NDAA contains language that empowers (falsely legitimizes) the government to implement false flag shootings and bombings against the U.S. citizenry. The ensuing propaganda campaigns are then hyped by the MSM which are used to further traumatize\u00a0the populace and mold their collective reactions.<\/p>\n
\nFor the second time this month the U.S. Senate has conspired with President Barack Obama to flagrantly subvert the Constitution. \u00a0The first instance of outright treason was the January vote that effectively terminated Rand Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\n
TREASON IN THE SENATE<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Now we are witness to another traitorous scheme by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in his furtive endeavor to grant unlimited war powers to the already out-of-control Obama. McConnell is secretly trying to “fast track an Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) for the President that would allow for unrestricted warfare against ISIS. There would be no time or geographic restrictions on this\u00a0authorization.<\/strong>“<\/em> (See article posted below)<\/p>\n The Republican leadership has proven time and again that they pose no real opposition to Obama’s never-ending power grabs. \u00a0The GOP leaders in the House and the Senate have been specifically chosen because of their backroom promises to support Obama’s agenda, no matter how profound the betrayal of the American people. \u00a0 The last budget deal ushered though by the new House speaker Paul Ryan is another egregious example of how the “power of the purse” has been relinquished by the House of Representatives and unconstitutionally given to the President.<\/p>\n Congress Just Guaranteed the Bankruptcy of the U.S. Government, Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n Both McConnell and Ryan have demonstrated their clandestine fealty to King Obama. There is no legislation which serves to further aggrandize the office of the president that they or their predecessors have genuinely opposed. \u00a0The entire Congressional leadership has surreptitiously worked to approve legislation which grants unchecked executive powers to the presidency. \u00a0Any expressed disagreement by the GOP leadership has been publicly declared only for the consumption of the electorate.<\/p>\n The real problem with this worsening predicament is that there are only foxes now living in the hen-house. \u00a0Not only have all the hens been eaten, but only foxes inhabit the Capital looking for any law that can be passed which grants the U.S. Federal Government more unconstitutional powers and unlawful authority. \u00a0The U.S. Government under Obama’s dictatorship will go down in history as having arrogated more power unto itself than any previous Administration.<\/p>\n NDAA spells disaster for the American people<\/strong><\/p>\n The NDAA actually ‘permits’, illegally of course, the Executive Branch to fabricate purposeful propaganda — via false flag operations — to be explicitly fed to the American people through all the major mainstream media (MSM) outlets. \u00a0In other words, the most recently approved version of NDAA contains language that empowers (falsely legitimizes) the government to implement false flag shootings and bombings against the U.S. citizenry. The ensuing propaganda campaigns are then hyped by the MSM which are used to further traumatize\u00a0the populace and mold their collective reactions.<\/p>\n