After 18 years, the Democrat led House of Representatives has voted to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force passed 420-1 after the entire United States was attacked on September 11, 2001. The joint resolution was originally passed to “authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.” The broad law resolution was passed in recognition of the fact that we were not attacked by another country or a conventional military.

While not broadly reported in the media, The Huffington Post has a revealing post regarding the repeal of the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). According to the post:

House Democrats passed a nearly $1 trillion appropriations bill on Wednesday, complete with funding for the military, health programs and the Energy Department. But 11 lines in the 667-page bill could literally be the difference between war and peace, life and death: a repeal of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.

And:

Not many lawmakers anticipated that, 18 years later, the United States would still be using the 2001 AUMF to justify military action all over the globe. Three different presidents have used the AUMF for more than three dozen different military engagements in 14 different countries.

Yes, it has been 18 years, but is the enemy defeated and has victory been achieved? Certainly not. The AUMF has been controversial for 18 years. And, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), the lone no vote in 2001, has been consistent in her desire to repeal the AUMF. She proposed this latest attempt to repeal the resolution. Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA) rose as a Blue Star Mother to support Lee.

As a Blue Star Mother, I agree. We need to have a public and honest discussion about the Global War on Terror. I would ask why we are fighting and what does victory look like? Are we committed to our freedoms and our desire to continue as a country or are we just sticking our finger in the dam to hold back the deluge? Have we forgotten how and why we were attacked on September 11, 2001? And, why repeal the resolution now? Well, HuffPo gives us a strong hint.

And now, with President Donald Trump and his administration strongly signaling they would use the 2001 AUMF to justify a new war with Iran, the newish Democratic majority controlling the House is taking its most serious steps to repeal the war authority.

Included in the base text of the appropriations bill is a provision that would repeal the 2001 AUMF eight months after the legislation is enacted. It is a significant development in Congress trying to restrain Trump and many of his most hawkish advisers’ thirst for war. And it’s the first time the House has passed a repeal of the 2001 AUMF.

Yes, because Donald J. Trump is President and Orange Man Bad, the AUMF is up for repeal.

But is Donald Trump eager and willing to go to war with Iran? Victory Girls’ Marta Hernandez wrote a post with her thoughts. You can read it here. Important to note from her post:

By starting a war against Iran, Trump would be playing right into Tehran’s hands, acting as the aggressor, which would force Iran into what it considers a “proportional response.”

No one needs that. No one wants that. Especially not in an election year.

Of course, Iran is ultimately responsible for these attacks, but if it wanted an outright conflict, it wouldn’t take care to launch these attacks through proxies and ardently deny its involvement, and it wouldn’t cause only cursory damage to energy infrastructure.

Start a controversial war during an election year? No, not President Donald Trump.

And now news that Iran shot down a U.S. drone overnight. From AP News:

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, while disputing the circumstances of the incident.

The Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace, while two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz. The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

Iran has spiraling inflation and a contracting economy because of the sanctions imposed by the U.S.. Their proxy war against the Great Satan helps deflect from the internal problems.

We are forgetting, every day, about September 11. Does the AUMF need to be repealed? What does the Global War on Terror mean to us as a country? How long should war last? Are we victors or victims? No matter who our President is, this is a discussion we must have. The resolution will be stripped out in the Senate, but we must have this discussion.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.org? Journalist First Class Preston/Public Domain