Dear MoveOn member,
No. War.
War is not the answer. Trump's illegal military strike on Syria last night did nothing to alleviate the wrenching devastation of the seven-year-old Syrian civil war. And MoveOn members cannot and will not allow more war to be the way Trump—struggling, isolated, reckless—tries to distract from the crises in his own White House and his floundering presidency.
Trump has been making moves to become a "war president"—from his obsession with a military parade to his recent picks of war hawks John Bolton as national security adviser and Mike Pompeo for secretary of state to last night's reckless and unconstitutional attack.
Some Democrats—including Senators Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders and Representatives Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee, and Jerry Nadler—have spoken up with a clear and compelling message, calling this attack unconstitutional, illegal, and destructive and demanding both congressional authority for any war-making and an investment in diplomacy instead of in missile strikes.
Here are a few ways MoveOn members are taking action to respond to last night:
- Demanding real solutions to alleviate the terrible suffering of the Syrian people—such as welcoming refugees whose lives have been destroyed by this war into the safety of the United States and sending aid to the 3.2 million people the U.N. says require urgent assistance. Syria is one of the banned countries on the Muslim Ban, which blocks all immigrant and non-immigrant visas.1 And one of the most shocking and telling statistics about this current moment is that the U.S. has only admitted 11—yes, 11—Syrian refugees in the past year.2 Add your name to demand that the U.S. welcome more Syrian refugees.
- Working to stop Mike Pompeo. This strike is unconstitutional and reckless—and every political leader should acknowledge that. While we can't reverse Trump's decision to launch missiles, and while John Bolton's appointment does not require confirmation hearings, we can stop the Islamophobic and anti-diplomacy hawk Mike Pompeo from becoming secretary of state. Eleven Senators and counting have already said they'll oppose his nomination—and if every Democrat and Independent unites with a handful of Republicans, we can stop Pompeo and confront Trump's war Cabinet. Sign the petition to call on the Senate to reject Donald Trump's nomination of Mike Pompeo for secretary of state.
- Getting ready for rapid-response protests in case of a major escalation of Trump's war-making. With allies, we are readying a rapid-response network that can launch anti-war events around the country should Trump escalate further. This network—anchored by dedicated MoveOn members, with 870 actions already prepared—has been in development for a year. Text UNITED to 668366 to get text updates from MoveOn, including invitations to rapid-response rallies and timely call alerts.
Thousands of MoveOn members, and our whole staff team, spent Thursday and Friday this week preparing our mobilizations if Trump fired Rosenstein or Mueller. That's still a very real threat, and for all we know, he's hoping to get a bump of international goodwill from this bombing escapade—and ride that to even more reckless action and a constitutional crisis.
The good news is we are prepared and mobilized. MoveOn members have been fighting unjust wars for years and combating the Trump presidency at every turn. And now is a time to speak up—because we are the leaders we need, and our actions can force politicians to follow.
Thanks for all you do.
—Jo, Gabby, Kate, Jadzia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Why Trump's latest travel ban included these eight countries," The Washington Post, January 19, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/37931?t=16&akid=203988%2E10220574%2EGmm06O
2. "The U.S. has welcomed only 11 Syrian refugees this year," NPR news, April 12, 2018 https://act.moveon.org/go/37932?t=18&akid=203988%2E10220574%2EGmm06O
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