A Day of Infamy
by William J. Thomson
October 12, 2002

Today, October 11, 2002 – a date which will live in infamy – the Constitution of the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

By a vote of 296-133 in the House and 77-23 in the Senate, Congress abdicated its constitutional authority to declare war (Article I, Section 8), and placed the power to declare and wage war in the hands of the most inept president in United States history. Not since the infamous Tonkin Gulf Resolution (HJ Resolution 1145, Public Law 88-408, Statute 384) was passed unanimously in the House and with two dissenting votes in the Senate (Wayne Morse of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska) on August 7, 1964, has a president been given such authority to wage war, and NEVER has the Congress authorized any president to wage pre-emptive war.

In its history the United States has made some colossal blunders, starting with the endorsement of slavery in the Constitution, followed by the genocide of the Native Americans and the internment of American citizens of Japanese heritage in WWII, among many others. However, it could be argued that the impact of these errors, however horrible, affected primarily residents within our borders. With this new authorization by Congress, we have now set the stage for the establishment of pre-emptive war as a cornerstone of international law, with unpredictable consequences for us and for the rest of the world. While the resolution calls for "reporting" to Congress, the history of this administration leaves little doubt that it will pursue its myopic fantasy of a "new world order", with the imperialist United States as the unchallenged director of the world's affairs. In the history of the world such hubris has never been indefinitely maintained, and there is little reason to believe that the men (and women) of such limited vision found in the current administration will be able to work their will forever.

However, we are in for a rough spell. It is clear to me that events will flow from this act that will be horrible for the citizens of the United States and the citizens of the world.

I am consoled by the fact that there exist 156 Members of Congress who take their Constitutional responsibilities seriously. And I am further consoled by the fact that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was ultimately repealed on January 2, 1971, somewhat more than six years after its passage.

I am hopeful that our considerable efforts will reduce the life of this resolution so that the lives of world's citizens will be spared.

Bill Thomson has been on the faculty of the University of Michigan-Dearborn since 1972, where he teaches in the areas of clinical psychology and nonviolence/violence. He is also a clinical psychologist in private practice, with specific expertise in the treatment of psychological trauma.

He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and has been actively involved in anti-war and nonviolence activities since the Vietnam era.