Libya rages on and increases in cost and scope as each day progresses, and conveniently the US Senate is out of session. So do you know where your US Senator is?
That’s an easy answer; out collecting campaign donations. You see when our US Senators return home, and “home” is used loosely here because many actually reside in the Washington D.C. area permanently, all start beating the streets looking for more money to get re-elected, which during the 2004 election season cost on average of $7 million per senatorial campaign, some reaching the mark of $19 million. Moreover their travels aren’t confined to their respective states but many travel throughout the US and in some case globally looking to fill their campaign chests.
Constitutionally even though the US Senator is elected directly by the state population as result of the 17th Amendment in 1913, they still represent their respective state legislative body. But with the exception of a very few since 1913, almost none, I repeat none, go back to their state capital to work with their state government or to seek council on the pressing needs of their state. Currently, with the exception of five to six states all have glaring and “pressing needs.” I wonder if our state governments were given the choice about supporting this 5th invasion since 9/11, would they give a thumb up or thumb down. (Afghanistan, Iraq, Horn of Africa, and the Philippines were the first four and if you consider the war we are waging in Pakistan then Libya might be the 6th invasion in total since 9/11.)
My inclination after watching the fight waging in Ohio over the pensions of the government union employees and the on going budget crisis and seeing beleaguered National Guard units deploy more times than Skittles has Skittles, the answer would be no.
Setting aside for the moment that there is no threat to national security nor any humanitarian issue in Libya, the cash strapped united states would certainly see this is as a fiscally disastrous move that will surely cost the United States of America tens of billions of dollars annually, which throws tax dollars literally down the toilet. Nothing good is going to come from this, except maybe stabilized gas prices for Europe.
So once again here we are in a Constitutional and fiscal crisis and the States are left without representation in Congress and the Federal Government. While I advocate the repeal of the 17th Amendment and believe we need to repeal it sooner than later, I also strongly advocate each state subpoena their respective US senators, and if needed, to arrest them and force them to appear before their respective state legislative body to answer what should be a number of serious questions about this latest of US imperial invasions that is going to effect these united states tremendously. Each of these men and women are still residents of their state, and as a result, subject to the laws of that state. So it is incumbent upon the state governments to hold these 100 accountable for another war that will surely cause our states to suffer as well as the men and woman of the Armed Forces, who are frazzled beyond belief. (The safety and care of our Armed Forces should be a paramount concern for all Americans, but sadly we have turned our backs on yet another generation destined to physical and mental harm due to power crazed politicians. As a country we need to wake up to our Armed Forces plight now!)
This is madness and it’s time the States held their senators accountable and took control of this out of control government and away from these dangerous oligarchs.
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