Undeclared Wars

In American history we have had five declared wars.

The War of Eighteen-Twelve (1812-14)
The Mexican-American War (1846-48)
The Spanish American War (1898)

World War I (1917-18)

World War II (1941-45)

 

Thus America has only been in a state of declared war for a total of 14 years.

Or has it? In the above list there is no mention of the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, the Gulf War, or the Present War. As well as dozens of other “police” actions.

The Constitution gives Congress the sole power To declare War.¹ However, to declare war looks bad on a voting record, if you are the one to vote for young boys to die, no matter how necessary the war, it will still costs you votes.

So the power is given for Police Actions, or some such name. The peaceful nation of the United States has lost, in the Vietnam and the Korean wars alone over 100,000 in a time of “non-war.”²

That is not to mention the other wars above, as well as many, many other foreign “police actions” and deployments. However, these were not wars. Attempt to tell that to hundreds of thousands of grieving relatives. Then tell them what business it was of ours. If in the city of New York there are crimes, the NYPD takes care of it. They do not try to take care of crimes in Baghdad. They were wars, not police action-in the end they were wars on liberty.

Rome, for hundreds of years fought wars against foreign countries for the sake of conquest, to build the empire-to build their power. However, Rome collapsed, Rome fell because it could no longer be sustained. America is stretched, and stretched thin. Monetarily, bailing out other countries, and militarily, with bases in over a hundred countries-including South Korea.

If there is an attack by North Korea, will there be a declaration of war? No. It looks bad on a voting record. Power is too important to lose for some. A reformation will only come when principle is worth more than power.

Through His Strength We Will Conquer,

Andrew C. Abbott

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Notes:

1: Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution.

2: Report from: America’s Wars Department of Veteran’s Affairs: America’s Wars, Nov 2011