• US Army captain is suing Obama on the legality of fighting the Islamic State; claims Obama does not
    50 replies, posted
[quote]An Army captain filed suit against President Obama on Wednesday, claiming that the president is engaged in an “illegal war” against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Nathan Michael Smith, who is deployed to Kuwait as an intelligence officer at Camp Arifjan, argues in the lawsuit that the president lacks the proper authorization for his campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, because he failed to get congressional authorization under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. “In waging war against ISIS, President Obama is misusing limited congressional authorizations for the use of military force as a blank check to conduct a war against enemies of his own choosing, without geographical or temporal boundaries,” reads the lawsuit, filed by Smith and his counsel, human rights lawyer David Remes. Yale Law School professor Bruce Ackerman is a consultant in the suit.[/quote] [url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/05/04/my-conscience-bothered-me-army-captain-sues-obama-over-illegal-war-on-isis/[/url]
I guess I can see his point, if we've been over there for over 60 days, but I always wondered when it comes to campaigns like these which are almost entirely airbased, why can't you conduct airstrikes for 59 days, leave, wait a week, and then go back and resume, so you never declare war and just use the alloted 60 days the President is given.
I'm pretty sure this is quite easily gotten around by Obama through the usual excuse used that it isn't technically a war therefore it doesn't need the permission of congress.
Yeah, say goodbye to your career.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;50266577]I'm pretty sure this is quite easily gotten around by Obama through the usual excuse used that it isn't technically a war therefore it doesn't need the permission of congress.[/QUOTE] We haven't "technically" been at war since 1945 so I'm not sure how much that can hold water when you have Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Gulf War I & II to account for.
How to ruin your career at OSS 101 First lesson: suing the commander in chief
Pretty certain he's fully aware of the ramifications of this on his career. Also pretty certain he's not caring.
Good on him.
Sorry, since when was the Islamic State a country? Why would we declare war on a bunch of former goat herders turned barbarians in the middle of a desert?
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266704]Sorry, since when was the Islamic State a country? Why would we declare war on a bunch of former goat herders turned barbarians in the middle of a desert?[/QUOTE] Mongolians
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266704]Sorry, since when was the Islamic State a country? Why would we declare war on a bunch of former goat herders turned barbarians in the middle of a desert?[/QUOTE] Technically a 'war' doesn't need to be against a country to be classified as a war, so really it should actually be a war. A war isn't limited to country vs country, it can include groups/factions
[QUOTE=Boilrig;50266721]Technically a 'war' doesn't need to be against a country to be classified as a war, so really it should actually be a war. A war isn't limited to country vs country, it can include groups/factions[/QUOTE] I feel like by declaring war on them you legitimize them in some fashion.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266727]I feel like by declaring war on them you legitimize them in some fashion.[/QUOTE] I mean I guess we already did since the whole "Global War on Terror" thing is still around.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266727]I feel like by declaring war on them you legitimize them in some fashion.[/QUOTE] We've been to war with non-countries several times, especially in early American history. This is by far not a new thing.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;50266749]We've been to war with non-countries several times, especially in early American history. This is by far not a new thing.[/QUOTE] Only 5 Declared US Wars. War of 1812 Mexican–American War Spanish–American War World War I World War II We don't actually declare war on rebels.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266754]Only 5 Declared US Wars. War of 1812 Mexican–American War Spanish–American War World War I World War II We don't actually declare war on rebels.[/QUOTE] See, I feel like the point is that it is labeled as a war. Vietnam was a war, but perhaps not declared as such under official technical language. It was, however, refered to as such by the population at large. That is not the case with the conflict with ISIS, so far.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266754]Only 5 Declared US Wars. War of 1812 Mexican–American War Spanish–American War World War I World War II We don't actually declare war on rebels.[/QUOTE] What exactly was Korea, then? Vietnam? Gulf War I & II?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;50266772]What exactly was Korea, then? Vietnam? Gulf War I & II?[/QUOTE] UN Security Resolutions and Interventions.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266773]Interventions.[/QUOTE] Okay, you're just arguing semantics. [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] Also, please explain the American Civil War?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;50266778]Okay, you're just arguing semantics. [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] Also, please explain the American Civil War?[/QUOTE] Like I said, you don't declare war on rebels otherwise you legitimize them.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266784]Like I said, you don't declare war on rebels otherwise you legitimize them.[/QUOTE] They already think they're legitimate so I don't really understand what you're trying to achieve here?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;50266793]They already think they're legitimate so I don't really understand what you're trying to achieve here?[/QUOTE] Yeah but no one else does.
They don't acknowledge their own existence by the standards of the US recognizing them on some perceived declaration of war.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266796]Yeah but no one else does.[/QUOTE] So fucking what. This literally has no impact on anything, whether we attack them and "go to war" with them or not.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;50266799]So fucking what. This literally has no impact on anything, whether we attack them and "go to war" with them or not.[/QUOTE] Because a formal declaration of war has certain legalities behind it that recognizes the other party as a sovereign entity. [editline]6th May 2016[/editline] This lawsuits stupid anyway. Obama kills ISIS Congress says he's not killing em' enough We have a do nothing congress that's to lazy to pass any authorizations People say Obama is violating his presidential rights ???
Did the US declare war on the Barbary pirates? I think this ISIS situation is similar. If yes, US needs to have congress formally declare war. If no, then America should not need to declare war. Did ISIS declare war upon the US? What are the legal requirements if this is the situation?
[QUOTE=InvaderNouga;50266585]Yeah, say goodbye to your career.[/QUOTE] Sounds like you're happy to see a man's career get destroyed.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266833]Because a formal declaration of war has certain legalities behind it that recognizes the other party as a sovereign entity. [/QUOTE] Okay, let's pretend for a short moment that that "legality" is somehow relevant to anything; what's it matter if we impromptu recognize it as a sovereign entity? We're going to war to wipe it off the map anyway.
[QUOTE=Reshy;50266890]Sounds like you're happy to see a man's career get destroyed.[/QUOTE] 99% chance he's just some republican trying to stick it to the big bad negro president. If he's actually doing this because of his conscious then I can respect that at least.
[QUOTE=Richoxen;50266903]99% chance he's just some republican trying to stick it to the big bad negro president. If he's actually doing this because of his conscious then I can respect that at least.[/QUOTE] way2generalize
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