There's nothing inherently immoral about intervening in foreign conflicts. After all, we have no problem with the police intervening to end a criminal shootout. So why do we so passionately oppose having the U.S. federal state intervene in Syria and other places?
There are multiple reasons. The Feds…
- Have a really bad track record (you can read a summary here)
- Tend to support bad guys and establish dictatorships
- Constantly create new enemies
- Force all Americans to support these interventions, even when they offend personal conscience
But does this mean that we have to sit idly by and watch bad things happen to good people overseas? We don't think so. Instead, imagine what would happen if we had …
A Separation of Intervention and State
Right now it's illegal for you and I to choose our own individual foreign policies. But what if we reversed that? What if we made it illegal for Congress to have a foreign policy?
I know that sounds odd, but there’s actually a method to the madness …
- Imagine groups like Amnesty International going into the intervention business.
- Imagine what would happen if non-profit organizations started competing to see who could do the best job of intervening to overthrow despots, or to protect innocents in foreign conflicts?
Some groups might specialize in creating movements based on passive resistance. Others might specialize in providing weapons and training. The approach would probably vary from group to group and from place to place. We could have an intervention industry.
Here are the key points …
- These groups would have to compete for your support
- No one could force you to support any cause that offends your conscience
In fact, even the Feds could join the competition, as long as they forego violence-based funding. In other words, no intervention could be funded with tax dollars. All foreign interventions by the Feds would have to be funded entirely by voluntary donations.
This approach would put YOU in charge, whereas the current approach leaves you completely powerless. You could decide whom to hire to do foreign interventions, and how much money to provide. In other words …
We could have a consumer controlled foreign policy
If you like this idea, then start asking for it. You can do that, starting today. Send a message opposing war in Syria, and use our sample letter to ask for a consumer controlled foreign policy.
You can do this even if you've already sent messages opposing war in Syria. Remember, you're supposed to be the boss. You can send more than one message making more than one argument.
Use our campaign to Stop Policing the World. The hardwired message for that campaign reads …
Defend America only. Do not manipulate or police the world.
You can add your personal comments to this, borrowing from the following sample letter if you so desire….
Oppose war in Syria. In fact, I want you to go out of the intervention business altogether. I want you to reverse the current situation. I want you to…
– Make it illegal for Congress and the President to have a foreign policy — you both stink at it
– Make it LEGAL for me to have my own foreign policy
I want to be able to pick and choose which foreign conflicts I care about, which groups I fund to intervene, and how much funding I provide.
Such a policy would mean that you and the President could no longer violate my conscience — no longer do things in my name, that I disapprove.
I’m sure this idea sounds crazy to you. That's okay, because this won't be the last time you hear it. And you should take it as a sign that you have very little legitimacy left.
– END OF SAMPLE LETTER –
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Perry Willis
Co-founder
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.