On the Precipice of War: The President Continues to Violate the Constitution
Well...that certainly didn’t take long. Despite running as the ‘anti-war’ president, it only took five months for him to put us on the precipice of war by bombing Iran this week. Never mind the hypocrisy here, we’re used to that from him, I’m more interested in the fact that this military action is unconstitutional and probably illegal.
Just in the last month, we have seen several egregious examples of the President’s ignorance of, and disregard for the Constitution. From letting ICE run around in masks abducting people without cause or due process; to unleashing the National Guard (and Marines) on a peaceful protest in California; and now bombing Iran without provocation, and without obtaining permission from Congress: which is his constitutional duty.
I feel that the actions of our government no longer reflect the values and ideals of our (once) great nation. Our country now looks like something from a fever dream dominated by hate, cruelty and inhumanity. The president’s immoral and bellicose nature seems to have overtaken our entire government. How do we stop this? How can we take this clearly un-American behavior and make things better for all people who live in our (formerly) great nation?
And that’s just it...I'm not sure we can continue to call ourselves a great nation much longer. How is it great to deport a 4-year-old citizen of the US? How can we have a US senator attacked and handcuffed (in his own state) while only asking questions on behalf of his constituents? How can there be politically motivated assassinations of Democrats, and very little acknowledgement (or dare I say, outrage) from the president or other Republicans.
One recent way the president has acted unconstitutionally is how he justified his order for the National Guard to occupy Los Angeles. He made the (racist) claim there was a “Migrant Invasion” [sic] in the city, that needed the aid of the National Guard and the Marines. He also seemed to want to usurp the authority of the Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom. Yet, the president never received a request from the governor for any troops to be sent, which is standard procedure. The president also referred to (the peaceful) protesters as “foreign enemies” and “animals”. Clearly it wasn’t the act of protesting, but the dark complexion of many of the protesters’ skin color, and the waving of Mexican flags, that influenced these remarks.
One of the most disheartening recent examples of the president’s continued apathy towards to the constitution, is the grabbing and handcuffing of Senator Alex Padilla, the senior senator from California. While in his home state, after a meeting in the same government building, he entered the Immigration press conference while Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem was speaking. He identified himself, and attempted to ask a question, when federal agents grabbed him, forcibly removed him from the room, and handcuffed him.
When asked about the incident right after the press conference, Noem said that he didn’t identify himself and that he ‘lunged’ at her behind the podium-neither of which is true. She didn’t know that one of the senator’s staff members caught the whole incident on camera. It seems to me that the senator’s only crime was being a brown man. The president’s (racist) response to the incident was: “He looked like an illegal”. About a week later, VP Vance (also racistly) refers to him as “José Padilla”.
The most horrifying of the president’s recent actions though is his response to the politically motivated assassination of Democratic Minnesota state representative, Melissa Hortman, and her husband. Another Democratic lawmaker, state senator John Hoffman and his wife also were attacked, but survived the attempted assassination. The MAGA killer, Vance Boelter, (who dressed up as a cop) seems to have made a hit list with dozens of Democratic politicians’ names.
It seems like this domestic terrorist was fomented by the president’s violent rhetoric, but the president barely acknowledged the event. He did make a quick, bland statement about the incident, sharing: “[s]uch horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America” and “[t]hey will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law”.
Given the scope of the murderer’s plan and that it was politically motivated, this response is quite underwhelming. Yet, the president’s most notable comments to this shocking crime (made on a few different occasions) was that he wasn’t going to call Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, because he didn’t want to, and that the governor was “a mess” and “whacked out”.
Finally, this latest example of the president’s lawlessness is his bombing Saturday of three targets in Iran’s (supposed) nuclear arsenal. This seems like a dramatic action, which no doubt will bear significant consequences from Iran. It seems like it was motivated either to show allegiance to Israel and Netanyahu, or to distract the American people from all of the ways he is failing our country.
It’s probably a little of both, but there absolutely is no excuse considering his attack has now placed us on the brink of war. The distraction of a war in the Middle East (started for questionable reasons) is not a new story, especially for Republican presidents. Some people already are touting this as possible World War III, and several politicians already are calling for his impeachment.
However, as demoralizing as all of this seems, I am happy to report that there is good still happening around the world. The ‘No Kings’ protest last weekend may have become the largest US protest ever, as the attendance estimates are around 5 million people attending about 2,000 individual events in all 50 states and internationally.
Additionally, it seems that more politicians, mostly Democrats (but a few Republicans here and there) are vocally starting to push back on most of the president’s unconstitutional actions. Many are also trying to hold the president accountable for his actions: by filing lawsuits or demanding Congressional hearings. And it seems like the majority of the lawsuits being heard are not being decided the president’s way. So, the Judiciary seems to be pushing back as well.
One of my favorite developments is that Pope Leo XIV announced that he has asked priests and bishops to attend immigration meetings with immigrants, to help deter ICE and DHS abducting people after their hearings. I think it is wonderful of the pope to initiate this, and I do hope it works in reducing the number of immigrants (even children) who are snatched from hearings where they have shown up because they are working toward their legal status. The new pontiff also has spoken out against this impending war.
May we all pray that our country is able to avoid war and bring relief to all those who have been forgotten and marginalized in our society. We pray for peace and justice!
