Quoting from Sen. Jeff Merkley’s Feb. 28 email to me: “When the founding fathers drafted our Constitution, they intentionally gave the responsibility of declaring military action to the United States Congress. The principle is simple: If the federal government is going to send our sons and daughters into harm’s way, the people should get a say in that decision, through their representatives in Congress.
“Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is hinting at a military intervention in Venezuela that would violate this cornerstone principle. That’s why I’m introducing a Senate resolution that would prohibit any such military action in Venezuela without explicit congressional approval.”
Well, senator, did you introduce such a bill when in October 2015 President Obama — in violation of our Constitution— dispatched 50 U.S. troops to Syria, ultimately reaching a total of 503 before he left office? No.
How about after February 2013, when Obama sent 50 more U.S. troops to fight in Nigeria, bringing the total to 535, and resulting in the recent deaths of four U.S. soldiers? Or the numerous other “special forces” deployments made around the world by Obama, which could only be described — in your words — as military interventions?
No, you didn’t.
Senator, you are a sanctimonious hypocrite for standing by with no objection when a Democratic president violated the Constitution and put our sons and daughters into harm’s way.
Pat Driscoll, Vietnam vet
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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