An Appeal to General Dempsey on Syria

"We refer to your acknowledgment, in your letter of July 19 to Sen. Carl Levin on Syria, that a “decision to use force is not one that any of us takes lightly. It is no less than an act of war.” It appears that the President may order such an act of war without proper Congressional authorization. As seasoned intelligence and military professionals solemnly sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, we have long been aware that – from private to general – it is one’s duty not to obey an illegal order. If such were given, the honorable thing would be to resign, rather than be complicit. "  Letter to General Dempsey  

http://consortiumnews.com/2013/08/30/an-appeal-to-gen-dempsey-on-syria/

 

Comments

[Babak Makkinejad]

Col. Lang:

I humbly salute your moral courage.

[The Twisted Genius]

Bravo, sir! This is something I would gladly and proudly have signed in my true name.

[seydlitz89]

Col. Lang-

Sir, a fateful step, but a necessary one . . .

If I may share a thought with you sir. This is the best approach . . . given the time considerations. Approaching General Dempsey at this point in time is perhaps the only option. Maybe induce the "kick the can" alternative afterall? . . . we can only hope. That's half the idea, the other concerns the nature of this whole interaction, what it was that led to where we are now . . . it comes across most of all as a favor, one satrap to another? . . . Is that really how they see themselves?

[Walrus]

Thank you for your good work Col. Lang, I salute you.

[turcopolier]

TTG

No. You must save yourself for a future fight. pl

[WP]

It is an outrage that the cowardly Congress is not in session to assert its duty and responsibility over war! The American military should never, never be placed in such a bind.

Congress should reconvene in special session on Tuesday to put a stop to this usurpation of its power and either decide to war or not, but to decide, openly and with measured intent.

If this Republic is to survive, the People, acting through Congress, must reassert itself and throttle the emerging trend toward presidential dictatorship.

Colonel, thank you for seeking to hold those who serve true to their Oath.

[Jose]

Obama is at near historic lows in the polls, ObamaCare is a mess, and his administration is entering lame duck and radioactive status. So Gen. Dempsey can not stop this Wag the Dog moment no matter what. Game over.

[optimax]

Thank you, Col, and the other signatories for this honorable petition based on your patriotic love of country.

[WP]

Members of the Committee of Correspondence, call, write, email, and fax your Senators and Representatives to recall Congress into session on Tuesday. Congress needs to make it clear to all who has the prerogative to declare war.

It is wrong and unfair to place our brave good soldiers in jeopardy of having to decide whether the order to war is legal or not because our Congress is too cowardly to act.

It is far better that Congress return to Washington than for General Dempsey to be forced by his conscience to resign.

[SAC Brat]

I don't have the time to edit a Forrest Pogue/George Marshall interview to retrieve Marshall's account of telling FDR that he didn't agree "atall". (Marshall had a distinct way of saying "at all")

Thanks to all for signing that letter.

[zanzibar]

Bravo, Pat! You are a true American patriot.

[Augustin L]

The rebels admit responsibility for chemical attack !!! http://www.infowars.com/rebels-admit-responsibility-for-chemical-weapons-attack/

[Mongoose]

Well done Colonel Lang. Last major public figure I recall resigning over a major foreign policy crisis was one Cy Vance under Carter in '79 after the fiasco in the desert. Wish Powell had resigned in 2003 after that awful U.N. Security Council speech. Looks as if General Dempsey may have a decision to make soon.

[bob randolph]

Thank you for reminding us all, including General Dempsey and the Commander in Chief,
that every officer and governmental official takes the oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States, not the President or the government of the day.

[stanley henning]

I'm sorry, but I do not see any value in attacking the Assad regime to make it easier for the Al Kaida terrorists who we definitely will not get along with. This is an imploding "country" and we will not prove anything by hitting the Assad regime. If they survive we should support their being identified as international criminals subject to arrest if they try to travel
(assuming it really was Assad's men who used gas). Otherwise, we need to think how we might face an Al Kaida takeover - none of this is meaningful.

[Norbert M. Salamon]

It is most refreshing after reading some comments by you*, Colonel, that in the final analysis you are a true patriot, and courageously assert the first principle of the Nurnberg trials, illegal orders are not to be followed.

My faith in you and TTG among others is greatly increased, not being either a soldier nor a vet , I raise my hat to you, Sir.

Once we had a discussion on whether you would follow an order, I would have adjudged to be contrary to the Nurnberg Principles.

Best wishes, and I hope there are no repercussions.
Cordially yours: NMS

[turcopolier]

N Salomon

This has nothong to do with Nuremberg and everything to do with the US Constitution. pl

[Castellio]

Please accept my deep expression of respect for you and the other signers.

[Tyler]

Sir,

Perhaps sounder heads will prevail in this. I hope it works.

[Ingolf]

Colonel,

Bravo indeed.

[Ingolf]

Mongoose,

Agreed, although it would have been even better had Powell resigned before the speech.

[ISL]

That was a truly moving letter, I pray it moves (or is not needed).

The framers were adamant about forcing war to be the purvey of congress and debate and deliberation to avoid the incessant meat grinder of European wars that beggared states and destroyed freedom. Sadly, 911 allowed the US to rapidly beggar itself in many pointless wars In 2001, China was a $1.1 trillion economy a decade ago, a tenth the size of the US, now, it is nearing parity with the US - proving the wisdom of the framers. That Obama is blind to this - a pox on his house.

[SteveG]

Col Lang
I too join the chorus to applaud you and the
other signatories in regards to this matter of
utmost constitutional importance. Pray that
your collective wisdom and advice is heeded.

[Patrick D]

Colonel,

Thank you and the rest of the Veterans of Intelligence for Sanity for that letter.

I suggest everyone do an internet search for the group and read their previous statements.

[JerseyJeffersonian]

Respect to you and all of the other signatories of this letter.

I fear that this, along with all of the expressions of opposition to this intolerable power grab by the increasingly consolidated Unitary Executive will not be efficacious.

But let history record that some tried to halt the onrush toward this fateful error. May the oath breakers in Congress who failed to honor their duty to defend the Constitution live to rue the day. Maybe the money is too good to trouble themselves with such trivialities as "their sacred honor". Perhaps they have forgotten - or worse yet, never learned - the meaning of that phrase. Moral pygmies...

"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right."

Carl Schurz