An Open Letter to Donald Trump–9/11/20
- Phoenix Congress 2020 represents members of the American Union, who are willing to vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the 471 federal races who will meet our terms, including Donald Trump.
- This is the eleventh in a series of open letters, explaining our demands.
September 11th, 2020
Dear President Trump,
9/11 is a moment that will be forever etched into the minds of millions of Americans. We sat in our homes, gathered around screens at our offices, gyms, and restaurants; and we watched in horror as unthinkable destruction unfolded before our eyes. The attack at the Pentagon added to our pain and confusion. We were terrified of what could or would happen next.
Yet that day was not without heroism. The men and women of flight 93 gave their lives taking back their plane. We owe them our thanks. Their bravery saved us more collective pain.
Our collective experience that day was something that unified the country. Americans across all 50 states felt shocked and grieved. We were shaken, but we were not broken. Hundreds of thousands of Americans lined up at blood banks to give blood. Over 10,000 Americans volunteered their time to assist aid workers at ground zero during the immediate aftermath. You were in New York, Mr. President, you know this experience as much or better than many of us.
America is still at war, almost two decades since the horrific events of 9/11, and it has truly become an endless war that has incurred costs over 6 trillion dollars, hundreds of thousands of military and civilian lives, and expanded well beyond the scope of its original intent. Much of the Middle East has become a perennial war zone, and stability in the region has become dependent on the continued presence of the American military.
Mr. President, one of the most underappreciated aspects of your presidency is the fact that you have not involved the United States in any new conflicts or wars. Maybe it won’t be underappreciated for long, because it was a major part of your recent nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize. You are the first president since Jimmy Carter (almost 40 years) who can make that claim. Despite your accomplishments in this regard, there is plenty more work to be done.
The Phoenix Congress supports your manifest desire to bring an end to the endless wars once and for all. While this seems like a sweeping claim, major steps can be accomplished through our legislation, the Blueprint for a Better America. Ending the endless wars is just as important as ending poverty and ending mass incarceration.
One of the first steps towards this is sunsetting the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Our founding fathers were so concerned about standing armies and endless wars that they prohibited Congress from appropriating money for the military for more than two years at a time. Nothing will prevent Congress from passing a new AUMF, or you from signing it, but it must be for present-day reasons, not ones rooted in the first years of George W. Bush’s presidency.
Another war that has gone on too long, Mr. President, is that in Yemen. The number of children who have died as a result of American made-bombs is horrific. Malnutrition and starvation is the most common cause, thanks to the economic destruction resulting from Saudi Arabia’s efforts, but the bomb that killed 40 preteen boys in 2018 was built by Lockheed-Martin. The Blueprint for a Better America includes a ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia. We’re aware you have vetoed this ban previously; Joe Biden, however, supports it. For America to be truly great, we must end our complicity in the deaths of innocent civilians.
One of the shameful legacies of 9/11, Mr. President, is the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. For more than 18 years, men have been detained there without charges, a violation of America oft-stated commitment to law and order. Your predecessor attempted to close it, and failed. A dozen years later, the Blueprint for a Better America will repeal the language used to block it.
There are additional provisions, which will be addressed tomorrow. Mr. President, in regard to the Blueprint for a Better America, our terms are simple. End the endless wars and restore America’s moral standing in the world. This will require compromise on everyone’s part, including yours.
The losses on 9/11 that bound us together as a nation were involuntary; they were taken from us. That same bond can be reformed through voluntary action, a shared self-sacrifice of a national day of fasting. Members of the American Union demonstrate their common commitment each month on the 15th, will you join us Tuesday as a sign of good faith?
Respectfully yours,
Other articles on Medium:
A call to action around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s triple evils: The Marginalized Must Unionize in 2020
A look at our duties as Americans and the legislation they inspire: The Blueprint for a Better America
