Armenian Martyr Day

Tomorrow marks the observance of the 97th anniversary of the massacre of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).  As yet, if Turkey has ever even acknowledged it, let alone apologized for it, I have yet to hear about it.

Starting in 1915, the Ottoman Empire began murdering and deporting Armenians who lived in Turkey.  The method of deportation was forced march, under conditions specifically and intentionally designed to bring suffering and death to the people being moved.  Marching through the desert with no water isn’t good for anyone.  I’ve seen estimates ranging from 600,000 to 3 million Armenians died during the events of this 8 year period of time. 

Other ethnic groups were targeted for this genocide as well, including Greeks and Assyrians.  Turkey continues to deny that these events were genocidal in nature, despite the fact that genocide scholars, historians, and many nations have officially stated their position that it was an act of genocide on the part of the Ottoman Empire. 

I can’t help but wonder how many of my ancestors died during that time.  The entire population of the Republic of Armenia is now roughly 3 million.  That means that nearly 100 years ago, the Turks wiped out anywhere from 25% to 100% of the current national population of Armenia. 

In 3 years, we will observe the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the wholesale slaughter of my people.  It would be nice if the nation of Turkey could be bothered to stand and at least admit to the actions of their forefathers.  Maybe even an apology. A nod?  A smile?

Or as usual, nothing more than contempt.  We’ve come to expect no less from the Turks.  Some things will never change.  Armenians have a long memory.  100 years is but a drop in the bucket.

US Involvement in the Middle East

Why are we still in the Middle East? 

We went into Afghanistan to hunt for terrorists, specifically Osama bin Laden.  He is dead now, thanks to Seal Team 6.  No thanks to Pakistan’s useless government.  So that reason is gone.

We went into Iraq because “they have weapons of mass destruction” and Saddam Husain was a nutty SOB who wouldn’t hesitate to kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.  So we went in, found no weapons, hunted his but down in a hole somewhere….  Hell, he was tried, convicted, and executed several years ago now, so that reason is gone, too.

There were rumblings in Libya, so Obama decided we needed to “help”.  So we shot some missiles around the countryside.  Of course, since he didn’t sent in any ground troops, he said he didn’t have to take it to Congress for approval, which is complete horse dung any way you slice it.  He took military action foreign controlled areas.  The War Powers Act, where he drew the authority to command our forces to take that action, also requires him to get a justification ready to present to Congress as to why he believed those actions were necessary, and allow them to vote on whether or not to continue those or further actions.  Congress has the power to declare war, not the President.

Then there’s the freak shows running around in various African nations, killing entire villages in the name of Christ.  So we send troops in there, but not to do anything.  No, we sent troops in the train their people.  What?  Our armed forces are now training other nations armed forces? 

Who’s paying for all this adventurism to far off places?  We, we are, of course, by printing more money that’s nearly useless now.  $15 TRILLION in debt.  That’s $15,000,000,000,000.  That’s a hell of a load of zeros, don’tcha think?  But we’re still printing more money, blowing crap up in other countries, and telling them how to manage their affairs.

Since we helped the Brits overthrow the Democratically Elected leader of Iran in 1953, we haven’t kept our hands out of the Middle East for a single year.  That makes it extremely easy for people there to decide to hate us.  They are urged to hate us by their governments and political groups repeatedly.  Daily.  They are suffering because we put sanctions on nations in the Middle East that don’t run things the way we tell them too, but the people in power won’t go without, so it trickles down.  The average person in many places are so dirt poor that they would kill to come here and live life like one of our homeless. 

Yet we continue the sanctions against these nations, because they don’t do exactly what we tell them.  We cause their people to suffer and to hate us.  We maintain an armed, threatening presence at their borders, if not right smack dab in the middle of their nation.  We say we’re there to help them, and we try to “win the hearts of the people” by handing out bottled water.  Then shooting at them.  We are putting our own sons and daughters in danger to force another nation to do what they don’t want to do.  We lose loved ones every day, and we talk about how they died “defending” our nation.

Defending against what?  A nation that wanted to rule itself? A people that were dirt poor and starving because of our sanctions?

We send out troops out to die because our government wants to play power games with other nations and tell them how to live.  Our troops, our citizens, Middle Eastern residents, and freedom suffer the consequences of our leaders lust for power and control. 

Presidential War Powers

In 1941, the First War Powers Act was passed, which granted the President a great deal of additional power.  This was deemed necessary at the time because of the threat of Germany and Japan.  It was passed less than two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and gave the President extensive power, including the right to claim just about any property that the Federal Government might decide they need for a military or naval base, as well as giving him a lot of power to reorganize, create, move, and control Federal Departments that now reported directly to the Executive Branch. 

Just a few months later, the Second War Powers Act was passed.  This act was even worst.  It suspended some of the rights of foreign born citizens that had been granted just a couple years earlier, in 1939, by the Hatch Act, and made confidential census data available to the FBI, which eventually lead to the imprisonment of thousands of American Citizens of Japanese decent being locked away in “internment camps” to prevent sabotage and terroristic acts on US soil. 

Fast forward to 1973.  After many, many, many military “encounters” through the intervening decades, Congress decides it is time to try to rope in the President a little so he can’t just be a cowboy whenever he feels like it.  So they pass the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which Nixon promptly vetoes.  That didn’t sit well with a Congress who was sick and tired of war, and looking to regain a little control over the matter.  The veto was tossed out by the House, then by the Senate, and the bill was passed into law by the override of Congress. 

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 limits the President to only taking military actions at the direction of Congress (remember, according to the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war, raise and fund and army, control funding for the war or military action, and pass any laws regarding the manner in which the war is to be Conducted – the President commands the military, and is the de-facto head of the Armed Forces – the Congress is in charge of what constitutes a legal order from the President) OR during a “national emergency created by an attack against the United States, its territories or possessions, or its military forces”.  Therefore, unless we are attacked, the President cannot order military action without the Congress authorizing it. 

Additionally, the President is required to notify Congress within 48 hours of any action that he orders taken, and no military action may last longer than 60 days, with an additional 30 days granted for an orderly withdrawal, without the authorization of Congress.  All of these are well within the Constitutional constraints that Congress (supposedly) operates under.

Regardless, every President since Nixon has declared the constraints to be unconstitutional, and there is, of course, some argument about it. Of course, that’s immaterial, as it’s still the law, and unless someone would like to challenge it before the Supreme Court, it’s not likely to ever be slackened.  That won’t stop a determined President from doing as he damned well pleased, thought.  Clinton ignored it when he bombed Kosovo in 1999, GW Bush ignored it when he ordered drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen, and naturally Dear Ruler Obama ignored it in 2011 when he decided to enforce a UN no-fly zone over Libya without Congressional approval.

So what is the purpose of Congress making laws reinforcing their Constitutional powers, limiting the actions that President can take to what is is supposed to be under the Constitution, and then not bothering to enforce those laws against the President when he decides to ignore them?  The law was passed for a reason.  If the President chooses to ignore it, he should be impeached, immediately for breaking the law, failure to uphold his oath of office, failure to defend the Constitution, and Treason against the citizens and States of the United States of America.

Why do we have laws that limit the power or Presidents if they can ignore those laws and do as they wish?  That’s not a President, that’s a Dictator.  Benevolent or not, that’s evil.