NATO never took the offensive against Soviet tyranny in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, etc. — why is Kosovo more deserving U.S. intervention than China, Cuba, Rwanda, or Angola?

A DE FACTO DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST SERBIA

In a March 30 column, Samuel Francis observes that "‘After 50 years of staring down the Soviet Union and its allies...the Atlantic Alliance attacked a sovereign state for the first time.’ Just so.

"NATO was founded in 1949 for the purpose of containing Soviet communism. By and large it did so, but never in its history did it or the states that compose the alliance do zilch to attack, roll back or destroy communism.

"When Soviet tanks rolled over Hungarian freedom fighters in 1956, NATO did nothing. When the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, NATO did nothing. When more Soviet tanks crushed the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia in 1968, once again, NATO did nothing."

INTERVENTION AGAINST SERBIA ESTABLISHED DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

"The only time NATO has attacked a sovereign state has been when the state is run, not by communists, but by what those who control the alliance regard as a ‘right-wing dictatorship.’ Just as Fidel Castro and Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin are perfectly safe from arrest as ‘human rights violators’ when they pop up in the West but Chile's ex-right-wing strongman Augusto Pinochet is nabbed as soon as he shows his face outside his country, so world communism was perfectly safe from Western attack. For NATO and its masters, there is no enemy to the left; the only enemy is always on the right...."

WILL SAUCE FOR SERBIA SOMEDAY GOOSE AMERICA'S MEDDLING GANDER?

"Amnesty International now denounces the New York City police force for its own ‘human rights’ violations. How long before NATO (presumably without U.S. Bombers) launches air strikes against the Big Apple to stop the cops before they violate again?"

Mrs. Tillie Fowler, a Republican congressman from Florida, introduced an amendment to block U.S. intervention in Kosovo. On the March 11, 1999 roll call, the motion was defeated 237 to 178. Here follow some excerpts from the Fowler amendment, along with a list of the Republicans who voted to unconstitutionally authorize a Kosovo intervention:

A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT — AIDING REBELLION AGAINST A LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT

"(1) President Clinton is contemplating the introduction of ground elements of the United States Armed Forces to Kosovo as part of a larger North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation to conduct peacemaking or peacekeeping between warring parties in Kosovo, and these Armed Forces may be subject to foreign command.

"(2) Such a deployment, if it were to occur, would in all likelihood require the commitment of United States ground forces for a minimum of 3 years and cost billions of dollars.

"(3) Kosovo, unlike Bosnia, is a province of the Republic of Serbia, a sovereign foreign state. ..."

BOSNIA HAS BEEN A TEN BILLION DOLLAR BIPARTISAN BUST

"(6) The deployment of United States ground forces to participate in the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia, which has resulted in the expenditure of more than $10,000,000,000 by United States taxpayers to date, which has already been extended past 2 previous withdrawal dates established by the administration, and which shows no sign of ending in the near future, clearly argues that the costs and duration of a deployment to Kosovo for peacekeeping purposes will be much heavier and much longer than initially foreseen."

U.S. TROOPS IN KOSOVO UNDERMINE DEFENSE OF U.S.

"(7) The substantial drain on military readiness of a deployment to Kosovo would be inconsistent with the need, recently acknowledged by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to reverse the trends which have already severely compromised the ability of the United States Armed Forces to carry out the basic National Military Strategy of the United States."

SPEAKER HASTERT VOTES FOR INTERVENTION

In a separate roll call vote (Roll Call no. 49, passed 219-191, 3/11/99), 44 Republicans voted to authorize President Clinton "to deploy United States Armed Forces personnel to Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping operation implementing a Kosovo peace agreement."

Republicans who supported the intervention (in addition to those listed above) were: Dennis Hastert (Ill., Speaker of the House), George Radanovich (Calif.), Joe Skeen (N.M.), and Heather Wilson (N.M.).

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of February 28, 1999

Phyllis Schlafly writes that "The very day after his acquittal, Bill Clinton moved quickly to change the subject and wag the dog by announcing plans to send U.S. ground troops into the civil war in Kosovo between Serbian authorities and ethnic Albanians fighting for independence. The Americans would be part of a 27,000-strong NATO force under non-American command."

U.S. MILITARY LEADERS WARN OF DANGER

"Mr. Clinton is overriding major concerns of senior Pentagon officials that the administration has no clear-cut military goals and that this will soon involve twice as many U.S. troops as he predicts. They believe this will seriously overburden U.S. ground forces already committed to missions in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia and Korea...."

$2.8 BILLION DOMESTIC COMMAND COULD MAKE U.S. CITIZENS TARGETS OF MARTIAL LAW

"We should not underestimate the deceit and deviousness of Mr. Clinton's plans to ‘move on’ by getting headlines for aggressive presidential actions to replace coverage of his impeachment trial. He fully understands how entering the Kosovo war many provoke terrorist retaliation within the United States and he is using that risk as the excuse to create a Domestic Terrorism Team headed by a military ‘commander in chief,’ with a $2.8 billion budget."

WILL CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES BE SCRAPPED?

"Mr. Clinton has already issued a Presidential Decision Directive to authorize military intervention against terrorism on our own soil. Defense Secretary William Cohen said in an Army Times interview that ‘terrorism is escalating to the point that Americans soon may have to choose between civil liberties and more intrusive means of protection.’"

"HOMELANDS DEFENSE COMMAND" COULD WAGE WAR ON "VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY"

"Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre has been floating the idea of designating a unit of U.S. troops as a Homelands Defense Command to take charge in case of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Mr. Hamre argues that the military's role should be formalized under a four-star general, and he has even speculated about creating a binational command with Canada and calling it the ‘Atlantic Command.’..."

WILL U.S. ARMY BECOME CLINTON'S GESTAPO?

"The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 is supposed to protect us against a president using the Army to enforce the law against civilians. The spectacle of the military patrolling the streets of U.S. cities is something that should happen only in totalitarian countries and in movies like ‘The Siege.’

"Later laws, however, have carved out a number of exceptions. The 1984 Stafford Disaster Relief Act authorizes the president, after proclaiming a state of emergency, to send active-duty soldiers to respond to a crisis and serve under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"On June 3, 1994, Mr. Clinton issued Executive Order 12919, titled National Defense Industrial Resources Preparedness. It invests FEMA with plenary and dictatorial authority over communications, energy, food, transportation, health, housing and other resources...."

WILL REPUBLICANS FORFEIT CLAIM TO LEAD AMERICA?

"If Republicans allow Mr. Clinton to go ahead with his unconstitutional, costly, foolish and dangerous expedition to Kosovo, where we have no national security interest, they are forfeiting any claim to lead America. This issue should be a litmus test for all candidates for president."

Once again Congressman Ron Paul is providing leadership in defense of the Constitution. On February 9th, Congressman Paul introduced a resolution to stop the Clinton administration from deploying U.S. armed forces in Kosovo unless that deployment is specifically authorized by an act of Congress. Even with Congressional approval, in the view of your editor, such intervention would be unconstitutional inasmuch as it in no way relates to the defense of the population or territory of the United States of America.

12 CONGRESSMEN TAKE A STAND FOR THE CONSTITUTION

The dozen original co-sponsors of the Paul bill are:

According to Congressman Paul, "Most egregious...are news reports indicating that President Clinton would put our troops involved in this action under a foreign military command."