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Pre-Emptive
Attack Iran Bill Active in US House
By Dan McAdams
January 30,
2017 "Information
Clearing House"
- You will
often see potentially important pieces of legislation
languish in the US House. A bill will remain active,
meaning that it can be brought to the Floor at any time.
But it flies just under the radar. Other times the
language floats around Washington for years until a
“crisis” necessitates its activation and passage. As we
know well, what eventually became the PATRIOT Act — one
of the single greatest attacks on civil liberties in US
history — started out and spent much of its early life
as a sugar-plumb fairy dancing in neocon fantasies. Then
came 9/11 and it was dusted off and imposed on the
American people. And the United States has never been —
and may never be — the same. Either way, these measures
are important if seldom seen.
So it may well
be with
H.J.Res. 10, introduced in the House just as the new
Congress began at the beginning of this month. The title
of the bill tells the tale: a bill “To authorize the use
of the United States Armed Forces to achieve the goal of
preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.” This
legislation, introduced by
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), is as it appears: an
authorization for the President to use military force
against Iran. But it is much worse than that.
Why so? Because
it specifically authorizes the president to launch a
pre-emptive war on Iran at any time of his choosing
and without any further Congressional oversight or
input. The operative sentence in the resolution reads,
“The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of
the United States as the President determines
necessary and appropriate in order to achieve
the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear
weapons.” (Emphasis added).
President Trump
— and, importantly, his entire national security team —
has been
extraordinarily aggressive toward Iran, repeatedly
threatening that country both at the negotiating table
and on the battlefield. H.J.Res 10 would be just the
blank check the Administration craves to realize such
threats.
And thanks to
ongoing US and allied sabre-rattling in the Persian
Gulf, tensions continue to escalate. At the end of this
month, the UK, US and allied military forces will take
part in operation “Unified Trident,” a joint exercise in
the Persian Gulf that will
simulate a military confrontation with Iran.
How would
Washington respond if a bill was active in the Iranian
parliament authorizing war on the United States and the
Iranian navy began conducting joint exercises with the
Chinese in the Gulf of Mexico simulating an attack on
the United States?
Reprinted from the
Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.
The views
expressed in this article are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Information Clearing House. |
