In April, the US fired a large number of missiles at multiple sites across Syria, supposedly in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack. The Justice Department told president Trump before the attacks that this would be perfectly legal.
New documents released on the matter told Trump that he didn’t need Congressional authorization to attack Syria in April because attacking them was “in the national interest,” and Syria was so unlikely to retaliate that it wasn’t technically a war.
A lot of this argument centers on an interpretation of what war “in a constitutional sense” actually means. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said the legal argument was largely nonsense, and had tried to “redefine war to exclude missile attacks” to further usurp Congressional authority.
Several recent administrations have argued that presidents can carry out unilateral military attacks without Congressional authorization, and this is just the continuation of the Justice Department signing off on this as legal.
While this has fueled some debate about the need for Congress to take back its war-making authority, the leadership has largely ignored the issue, and it is very rare for bills related to war powers even getting proper votes in either the House or Senate.
Fantastic! It is not a war if the attacked country is unlikely to retaliate!!!!
Fantastic!! It is not a war technically if one just fires off missiles at some people far away, and it is in our national interest! Whatever that means.
It is called collective madness.
So if we engage in aggression, attacking first, but they turn the other cheek, it wasn’t a war so it can’t be a war crime… plenty of harm but no foul.
Yeah, but look at what happened. They bombed empty buildings, no casualties. I think Don called Vlad: “Hey Vlad, I gotta bomb something in Syria, give me some coordinates.”
According to Seymour Hersh, before the first attack Trump had to be talked into giving Russia a heads up. Also, this argument gets old. Tossing some missiles at a sovereign country is wrong no matter how insignificant the results were. And checking with a third party before doing so is just as disgusting.
Oh is that right? I was just kidding. Well if it did happen, at least it’s better than killing people to prove political points.
I agree. So many games are being played. Dangerous times, and foolish, vane, selfish, childish, self-loving elite. What can go wrong?
Seymour Hersh has also authored articles indicating that those Syrian chemical weapon attacks were false flag ops, and that the most recent one that resulted in US bombing resulted from a terrorist depot being hit.
Yes, the article I referred to alluded to that along with Trump’s response.
Ok, let’s grant it to the exceptional people: when it comes to respecting and obeying int’l laws, we except our Superiors from the obligation of following the int’l laws.
After all there is no truth or wrong and right; there is as always before and will be forever after: Living, loving, fearing, life, eating, producing babies, feelings, wishes your property be not destroyed, needs to feel and be safe from any harm, need to know, need to be educated, wishes to survive/not to harm, etc.
All that is happening. It is real. People pursue it, but never i hope pursue the truth; for it cannot ever be found or ran into like blind people often say they do.
With that definition of war Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was not war but merely the necessary throwing of bombs and launching of torpedoes against threatening US warships. It was in Japan’s national interest.
But you are forgetting. The rules that apply to the exceptional, chosen, superior and supreme — fies not apply to others. Something about Iovus and Bovis comes to mind.
The DoJ telling the Government what it is doing, or planning to do ,is ‘legal’ doesn’t remove any responsibility for those actions.
It is probably unconstitutional for the Department of Justice is not the ‘Judicial Branch’ of Government – that is called the Supreme Court – which, under the Constitution, is a counterbalance to the Legislative and Executive branches of Government.
I guess it’s time to use some first strike nukes. If we completely obliterate a country to the point that they can’t fight back then it’s not a war.
And North Korea wants to make peace with US. You cant make this stuff up.
The Reichstag said Hitler’s bombing of Poland was legal too.
Since when does DOJ provide constitutional interpretation?
Or worse, interpretation of international law. We are fast descending into lawlessness on every level. Law is what pleases the clique called elite.
I am Swedish and not a citizen in the United States. Therefore, I have no opinion about Tramp acted under US laws when he ordered bombings of Syria. What I know, on the contrary, is that the United States violates international law when sending missiles to Syria. But what’s worse is the US whole operation in Syria is a war crime. The US has troops in northern Syria and has conducted a proxy war since 2011.
Who cares about the law. In our Hearts and Souls I believe must of us know what is right and what is wrong. Its clear to me that my government is corrupt both morally, ethically and on and on.
Right and Wrong, As if we need anyone to tell us these things.
So if the attack on Syria in response to the gas attacks against civilians was legal, were the gas attacks legal or illegal?