Retired colonel: The Senate is confused and should defend the Constitution | Opinion
Senators’ oath
As a retired U.S. Army colonel, I am extremely disappointed that our Senate opted to not invoke the war powers resolution. The Senate not only missed a chance to get the president to present the case for this ongoing war, but also to reestablish the equal authority of the legislative branch with the executive’s. Our senators swore an oath to the Constitution, not to a man or a party — and they backed down.
War is an extension of policy through other means, and the administration cannot articulate what precisely the policy is. The administration used the word “war” to describe this conflict, but the Senate apparently is confused. One of our submarines sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. By long-standing international law, an attack on the warship of a nation is an act of war, if bombing a nation-state is not enough.
The Senate must take a stand for the Constitution. The executive is acting like an imperial power and disregarding not only national and international law, but our own Constitution. Take a stand, senators. Take a stand.
- Kevin Benson, Lansing
‘All very quickly’
“It happened all very quickly” — President Donald Trump’s response when asked how thousands of Americans became stranded in the Middle East because of the Iran war. Was Trump saying we were surprised, not prepared? The State Department advised Americans to leave the area ASAP and said , essentially, “For now, you’re on your own — we can’t help.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the press on March 2 that an Israeli plan to attack Iran would create an imminent threat to the U.S. “We knew that if Iran was attacked — and we believe they would be attacked — that they would immediately come after us,” and “the president made the very wise decision” to go after Iran preemptively.
So, if we don’t join Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attack, the U.S. would suffer much higher causalities, but if we join, our causalities would be lower. Were there no other options to avoid any U.S. causalities? Apparently, we found ourselves in a position of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
We joined Israel in initiating an unwanted war, and at present, have no idea how it will play out. I wonder how we got into this position. I guess “it happened all very quickly.”
- Steve Cox, Overland Park
Basic fairness
I’m grateful to Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Derek Schmidt for signing congressional letters urging the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to renew enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act. In today’s marketplace, community grocers face pricing disadvantages that make it harder to compete. .
Independent grocers are essential to the economic and social fabric of communities across our state. We create local jobs, support nearby suppliers, sponsor schools and events, and ensure families can access fresh, affordable food close to home. But when larger buyers receive preferential pricing simply because of their scale, competition suffers and retail diversity declines.
Our legislators’ support for renewed antitrust enforcement reinforces a commitment to markets where success is driven by service, quality and hard work, not unequal leverage. Strong enforcement helps protect small and midsize businesses from discriminatory pricing practices and preserves competition that benefits consumers.
When competition erodes, families ultimately pay the price through higher costs and fewer choices. Thank you, Sen. Marshall and Rep. Schmidt, for standing up for fair competition, supporting independent grocers and helping ensure our marketplace works for businesses and consumers alike.
- Mike Beal, CFO, Balls Foods Supermarket, Kansas City
Due process
We should applaud Jackson County Legislative Chair Manuel Abarca for proposing Ordinance 6050 banning law enforcement from wearing masks locally in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations (March 4, 1A, “Jackson County stuck on legal concerns around mask ban for ICE”). At stake here are due process rights of the people of Jackson County.
I testified in favor of banning masks at the public hearing March 2 . A significant majority of those testifying supported banning them. It’s important to note that the ordinance contains exceptions for officer safety in specified circumstances. The ordinance was tabled, because the county counselor raised concerns that a local ordinance superseding federal policy could place the county at risk of lawsuit.
The masking of ICE agents in routine operations is federal policy enacted by the current administration, not settled law. In fact, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin ruled that the masking of ICE agents in routine law enforcement violates the Fourth Amendment and deprives the right of due process. There can be no due process with masking, because it makes accountability impossible.
We need to pass this ordinance affirming our protection of due process in Jackson County.
- Gregory Ellermann, Kansas City