Source: Independent Institute
by William J Watkins, Jr.
“The Founding Fathers rejected the European model. Our first charter of union, the Articles of Confederation, lodged all executive functions in Congress. Under the Articles, Congress possessed ‘the sole and exclusive right of determining on peace and war.’ The thirteen sovereign states were forbidden to engage in hostilities except in cases of invasion or imminent attack. So, what would the Founders think of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran? They would assume we have abandoned the U.S. Constitution and opted for the European model they rejected.” (03/05/26)
“For everyone saying the Limited Military Operation in Iran is ‘Unconstitutional,’ we agree. The problem is the 1973 War Powers Act. It was designed to curb Nixon’s ‘Imperial Presidency.’ (Look it up.) That act of Congress allows an Executive to (a) commit troops/military action without either (i) a Declaration of War from Congress, or (b) any other sort of ‘Authority’ from Congress; (b) provided the President informs Congress within 48 hours of taking the action, and (b) provided the actions are limited to 60 days without Congressional approval. (Up to 90 days if American troops need more time to ensure their own (relative) safety.) TPOL submits that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional: it wrongly transfers powers from Congress to the Executive Branch.” (03/05/26)
Source: Orange County Register
by the editorial board
“Setting aside any potential merits to war with Iran, part of the preparation should’ve included seeking explicit authorization from Congress. That would’ve allowed the American people, through their representatives, to decide whether it made sense to sacrifice American lives and American tax dollars on yet another regime change war. Instead, the president chose to initiate a conflict that has already claimed the lives of Americans and civilians, including hundreds of deaths at an Iranian girls’ school. These are not the outcomes Americans expected when electing the ‘anti-war’ president.” (03/05/26)
“The Trump administration has joined Israel in launching large-scale attacks across Iran. The strikes mark the beginning of ‘major combat operations’, according to President Donald Trump, and in response Tehran has reportedly launched retaliatory attacks in Middle Eastern countries that host US military bases. With hundreds of Iranians already killed and the war threatening to spiral out of control, here are five things Americans need to know: 1) Trump says he’s trying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but it’s the United States and its allies that are the greatest nuclear threat. … 2) Trump is contributing to the suffering of ordinary Iranians, not rescuing them. … 3) The United States is an unreliable negotiator. … 4) The United States has been threatening Iran, not the other way around. … 5) Trump’s war with Iran [is] unpopular with Americans.” [editor’s note: I leave it to the readers to sort the facts out of this screed – SAT] (03/05/26)
“I’ve written dozens of posts about Social Desirability Bias. Social Desirability Bias is the key psychological building block of my new book. When asked to succinctly explain Social Desirability Bias, my standard slogan is: ‘When the truth is ugly, people lie.’ This would be unexciting, however, unless some truths were, in fact, ugly. Which they totally are. For example: * Some children are stupid. * Some workers are lazy. * Some decorated veterans are racist. * Most human beings are unwilling to die for their countries. * God is rarely the most important thing in anyone’s life. Examples of ugly truths are so easy to mass produce that it’s easy to conclude that truth and ugliness go hand in hand. But it’s equally easy to mass produce pretty truths.” (03/05/26)
“California progressives’ single-payer health care fever dream is back. This time, the cost could hit half a trillion dollars a year. Single-payer means the government pays, for everything. Several candidates for governor are promising just such a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system. Billionaire Tom Steyer says, ‘Bernie Sanders was right. We need single-payer health care’. His campaign ads place a single-payer system at the center of his agenda. Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra, and Tony Thurmond are on board, too. Meanwhile, California State Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, has reintroduced legislation to create ‘CalCare’ (a bid to bulldoze private health insurance and replace it with a state-run health insurance monopoly). These are bold plans. They’re also complete fantasy. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office previously pegged the annual cost of CalCare at up to $552 billion — more than the entire state budget.” (03/04/26)
“Since the present Labour government won a landslide victory on July 4, 2024, numerous English liberties of constitutional significance have eroded. Labour is influenced, I argue, by a type of rationalist blueprint theory of politics and by what Edmund Burke called ‘political geometry.’ This approach to politics has led them to undermine established English liberties in the name of efficiency, saving money, and improving local governmental systems. Furthermore, it has led them to postpone local elections in the name of these goals. Despite its promises, Labour has not achieved any of these goals due to its own incompetence and attachment to rationalist plans for local government modification, and the greatest victim in this mess is the British constitution.” (03/05/26)
“While most European leaders have responded to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran with condemnations of the Iranian regime and tepid calls for “de-escalation” designed not to offend Washington, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has unequivocally condemned the war on Iran as a breach of international law. Contrast that with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who chose to insist at the war’s outset that ‘this is not the time to lecture our partners and allies’ about potential violations of international law. Meanwhile the the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer went to considerable lengths trying to have it both ways …” (03/05/26)
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Belen Fernandez
“The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, propelling the entire region into a predictable cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. This puts paid to the alleged ‘peacemaking’ project of US President Donald Trump, who was supposed to be keeping the country out of international wars rather than actively seeking to expedite the end of the world. The attacks put an abrupt end to the negotiations underway between the US and Iran—to the delight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always viewed as anathema anything remotely resembling diplomacy or the pursuit of peace. Three days before the joint strikes, a Politico exclusive (2/25/26) reported that ‘senior advisers’ to Trump ‘would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country’.”
