War is a serious thing and all intentions to start a war should be very carefully considered. Once the first rallies occur it becomes exceedingly difficult to put the genie back in the bottle. History has shown us again and again that war is terrible for everyone even as there have been times when war was the only solution for stopping tyrants. 

In particular stopping the march of Adolf Hitler through Europe was only going to be accomplished by fighting after he had started the takeover of nations. It was ugly and the aftermath left much of Europe in ashes that took decades to overcome. War is never something to be taken lightly and must always be agreed upon by the representatives that the people have sent to Congress as voices for us. War should be carefully planned and thought out lest we open a Pandora’s Box the leads only to death and destruction rather than progress. 

My father-in-law fought in the Korean War with other soldiers from Puerto Rico. He was happy to give his service but he is always the first to proclaim that war should never be taken lightly. To this very day he is unable to speak of what he saw on the battlefield. It is not a source of boasting for him but rather a somber time to remember silently. Our efforts in Korea did little to stop the Communist regime in the north of that country. Perhaps its best outcome was at least giving the southern portion of the nation the freedoms that my father-in-law wanted them to have. 

We went to war in Vietnam once again hoping to stop the spread of communism. It seemed like a noble cause but all of the efforts to free the nation ended up being for naught as the democracy collapsed and the north Vietnamese ultimately won. So many young men on both sides of the fight ended their lives early for a cause that most probably was never going to turn out the way we had all hoped. 

And so it went in Afghanistan and Iraq. We think that if we just free the people from the tyrants that they will eagerly work to set up democratic systems that bring freedom and harmony. Sadly none of those things happened. Once again we found ourselves wondering why we had sent the treasure of our young men and women to die. 

It should be obvious that we cannot project our will on other cultures or other people who do not think the same way that we do. It is tempting to believe that we are the good guys only trying to help those suffering under the thumbs of dictators but the situations are far more complex than that. No plan so far has worked to rebuild a nation by eliminating the authoritarians who run them. Thinking that they will be able to rise up, pull themselves together and topple the oppressive government without a plan and leaders is naive at best. 

Our nation came about with a declaration of independence that outlined the beliefs of representatives from the colonies. Theirs was a plan even as it seemed absurd to challenge one of the strongest armies in the world. There was a determination that kept things going and all of it was homegrown, not the interference of a foreign government. The uprising has to come from the people, not from the outside with advice that may or may not ring true to those who live in horrific places. 

Iran like much of a Middle East has been a kind of powder keg for decades. For more than a century outside governments have tried their hands at influencing the governing bodies. Many nations have tried and failed to artificially create democracies in places with cultures and religions very different from our own. Often the rationale for such interference has had more to do with gaining access to oil and other treasures than from concern for the people of those nations. In fact, a good argument can be made that much of the chaos that we presently see in the Middle East has resulted from imperialist efforts to shape the world according to the needs of outside nations. 

Nobody asked the American people if we wanted to go to war with Iran. Nobody took the time to discuss the possibilities of war with the Congress. We only recently ended our years of battling in Afghanistan and Iraq and I suspect that most Americans are weary of the whole idea of stirring the pot in Iran. Besides there were ongoing talks that might have led to an agreement if given a bit more time. 

It is the right of Congress to declare war, not the president. That is written in the Constitution because the Founding Fathers were disturbed by the idea that a single person would have the authority to embark on war without discussion of the pros and cons. What Trump has done is wrong and at least for now seems without merit. 

We are cutting back on all kinds of programs for Americans presumably to balance the budget but now we miraculously have the funds to spend on a war with Iran that nobody voted on? Do we really want our taxes to be used for such a thing or does this seem to be only an effort by the president to take our attention away from inflation, the Epstein files and other real problems that we now face? Do we really want to send our young people to a faraway land that may actually resent our presences Why would we want to make our nation less safe by provoking Iran? Does anyone actually believe that this move will lead to positive change with little or no effort?

At the age of seventy seven I have little to lose so I am angry that old men are so blithely deciding to put our young people in harm’s way. How can we sit still when a draft dodging president says that some of our young people will die? Does he plan to send his son to the fight?

I do not like the Iranian government but I am a realist and the odds are slim to none that bombing them will bring about a glorious revolution. If we want to help someone we have a better chance of good result by sticking by Ukraine and our European allies. This move in Iran will not go well and it will be our young who will once again suffer the most. When will we learn that lesson?