Ernie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:50 pm
I'm looking at it from a historical and an executive branch point of view. The executive branch has renamed a department to Department of War, and it is doing the sorts of things that people do in wars and what Departments of War have done. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
As has about every president since 1942.
Korean ...
Vietnam ...
Gulf ...
Afganistan ...
We have a lot of things called wars, but they are not declared wars. I agree that they are called wars, but no declared wars have been passed in Congress since 1942. So if Trump is wrong, so is every other president. Singling him out is not a very "historic" view of things.
2 x
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Ernie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:50 pm
I'm looking at it from a historical and an executive branch point of view. The executive branch has renamed a department to Department of War, and it is doing the sorts of things that people do in wars and what Departments of War have done. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
As has about every president since 1942.
Korean ...
Vietnam ...
Gulf ...
Afganistan ...
We have a lot of things called wars, but they are not declared wars. I agree that they are called wars, but no declared wars have been passed in Congress since 1942. So if Trump is wrong, so is every other president. Singling him out is not a very "historic" view of things.
Wasn't trying to single him out as being different than others. Just talking about current events.
2 x
A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
Ernie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:50 pm
I'm looking at it from a historical and an executive branch point of view. The executive branch has renamed a department to Department of War, and it is doing the sorts of things that people do in wars and what Departments of War have done. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
As has about every president since 1942.
Korean ...
Vietnam ...
Gulf ...
Afganistan ...
We have a lot of things called wars, but they are not declared wars. I agree that they are called wars, but no declared wars have been passed in Congress since 1942. So if Trump is wrong, so is every other president. Singling him out is not a very "historic" view of things.
Wasn't trying to single him out as being different than others. Just talking about current events.
That’s how you frame it when you say you’re looking at it from a historical view as though it is a unique change
Ernie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:50 pm
I'm looking at it from a historical and an executive branch point of view. The executive branch has renamed a department to Department of War, and it is doing the sorts of things that people do in wars and what Departments of War have done. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
Robert wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2026 2:36 am
As has about every president since 1942.
Korean ...
Vietnam ...
Gulf ...
Afganistan ...
We have a lot of things called wars, but they are not declared wars. I agree that they are called wars, but no declared wars have been passed in Congress since 1942. So if Trump is wrong, so is every other president. Singling him out is not a very "historic" view of things.
Wasn't trying to single him out as being different than others. Just talking about current events.
That’s how you frame it when you say you’re looking at it from a historical view as though it is a unique change
I'm trying to say that throughout the ages, when people do what the current administration is doing, it is called war. That was the only point I was trying to make. I understand that congress has not declared war.
The conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam were all referred to as "war" by the presidents in those eras.
Because of this, I'm not sure why Trump is being told that he should not call the current conflict "war" and why many of his defenders are trying to downplay it.
1 x
A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
Ernie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:50 pm
I'm looking at it from a historical and an executive branch point of view. The executive branch has renamed a department to Department of War, and it is doing the sorts of things that people do in wars and what Departments of War have done. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
Ernie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2026 7:32 am
Wasn't trying to single him out as being different than others. Just talking about current events.
That’s how you frame it when you say you’re looking at it from a historical view as though it is a unique change
I'm trying to say that throughout the ages, when people do what the current administration is doing, it is called war. That was the only point I was trying to make. I understand that congress has not declared war.
The conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam were all referred to as "war" by the presidents in those eras.
Because of this, I'm not sure why Trump is being told that he should not call the current conflict "war" and why many of his defenders are trying to downplay it.
Well he said no new wars and campaigned on it. As this is true from a legal standpoint, I can see word choices mattering politically
Jazman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2026 9:42 pm
Who is this progressive left that is forcing mass migrations of people around the globe? Did they start, perpetrate the civil war in Syria? Did they instigate, start, prolong the conflicts in Haiti, the Middle East, Africa, South or Central America?
I'm baffled or maybe feeling gaslit? ... and a whiff of great replacement conspiracy theory? I'm not sure why in this thread/topic this keeps coming up.
Do you believe a progressive left agenda/conspiracy started the current war with Iran so that there will be a mass migration of Iranians and/or other Middle Eastern people's to the 'West'?
The purpose of a system is what it does.
The agenda of the progressive-left seems to be to take any situation and use it to somehow justify ever-expanding amounts of mass migration, refugee relocations, and so on. Why they desire this is left as an exercise to the reader.
The agenda of the progressive left is to have massive migrations of people around the globe, including huge movements into western countries with generous welfare states (but also big movements between third world countries as well). Why they do this is left as an exercise to the reader.
Who is this progressive left that is forcing mass migrations of people around the globe? Did they start, perpetrate the civil war in Syria? Did they instigate, start, prolong the conflicts in Haiti, the Middle East, Africa, South or Central America?
I'm baffled or maybe feeling gaslit? ... and a whiff of great replacement conspiracy theory? I'm not sure why in this thread/topic this keeps coming up.
Do you believe a progressive left agenda/conspiracy started the current war with Iran so that there will be a mass migration of Iranians and/or other Middle Eastern people's to the 'West'?
JohnH wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2026 8:20 am
Why they desire this is left as an exercise to the reader.
JohnH wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2026 8:21 am
Why don't you enlighten us, then?
Alright. The progressive left disingenuously tries to stir up as much migration of people as they can out of some cynical type of believe that doing so will improve their political (and eventually, voting) base. No matter what the situation is, the answer is always "more migration". There is an unholy alliance between that and the wealthy elite, including nominal "big business" type of conservatives, who like access to an easily-exploitable labour pool willing to work below minimum wage and willing to work in unsafe working conditions. (In short, migration often causes a type of "economic growth", but one that comes at the expense of the poor and the middle class.)
This type of thinking is so ingrained that all the left can think about when something like a war happens is "Well, this means a lot more refugees going to Europe!", as if Iran shares a border or is anywhere even close to Europe, and that it is remotely reasonable to think Europe should accept more refugees because of... Iran being invaded by Israel and America, and Europe mostly opposing this action?
