Last night, much as Hitler had Joachim von Ribbentrop deliver an ultimatum to Poland before the September 1, 1939 invasion, Donald Trump delivered his own ultimatum to Venezuela.
I was moved to write my Congressman, Lloyd Smucker. No state of war exists between the United States and Venezuela. There is no causus belli, no legal justification. The power to declare war resides in Congress, not the president. What I wrote follows below:
I am deeply concerned about the naval buildup in the Caribbean that last night President Trump called an “armada” aimed at Venezuela.
No state of war exists between the United States and Venezuela. The power to declare war belongs exclusively to Congress, and neither the House nor the Senate has voted on a declaration of war. Nor has an “Authorization to Use Military Force,” as happened with Iraq, been voted on. The president is threatening a sovereign nation, and for what? Regime change?
I agree with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who wrote on Twitter, “The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders–so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
When and if the president asks for a declaration of war or an authorization to use military force is presented for a vote in the House, I ask that you vote against it. And if the president orders an attack on Venezuela without Congressional authorization, I ask that you denounce this brazan attack as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and international law.
The United States has no beef with Venezuela. They are o major trading partner and a source for oil on which our economy depends. The administration has not made a case for war with Venezuela, nor does the American public support a war with Venezuela. To repeat what DNI Gabbard wrote, “The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela.” I hope you feel the same.
Will Britain and France respond as they did in 1939 and support the threatened country against the imperialist aggression?
Donald Trump desperately wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but he’s nothing more than an aggressive, ill-tempered bully.
Do I need to dig out my vintage 2002-3 “No Blood for Oil” t-shirts? Because I will.