After the mind-numbing dive into a handful of a few Democratic House of Representatives, The Hawk Bawk needs a bit of a break. So, instead of doing all the research on what the Republican Representatives said about the insurrection, we’ll take a look at the possible South Dakota Chicken Hawks!
Representative Dusty Johnson
I thought where I grew up would be a good place to start. South Dakota’s Republican Representative (yes, he represents the whole state in Congress) is Dusty Johnson.
Like the Democratic Congressional Chicken Hawks, Johnson is “furious” about the insurrection in January. This usually means Chicken Hawk.
Unfortunately, his congressional website doesn’t have a foreign policy page. It does have a “Veterans” page, which features notes written by the Congressman from time to time. It’s mostly press releases and when he chooses to write about veterans in his weekly column.
There’s a lot of pro-military talk. That usually means there’s a Republican Congressional Chicken Hawk in the wake. From
“More than 20,000 of our National Guard troops lined the streets of Washington this week to help safely usher in the peaceful transition of power. It was a striking image to see firsthand.
After the violence in the Capitol, these men and women dropped everything to come protect the streets of America’s capital city. “
House Joint Resolution 77, the only resolution that pops up when “military” is searched in the 116th Congress on the Office of the Clerk’s website, calls on:
- Turkey to immediately cease unilateral military action in northeast Syria and respect existing agreements
- The United States to continue supporting Syrian Kurdish communities through military and humanitarian support and ensure that the Turkish military acts with restraint
- The White House to present a clear and specific plan for the enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
Resolution 77 “expresses Congress’s opposition to the decision to end U.S. efforts to prevent Turkey’s military operations against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.”
So, anyone who supports this resolution is a Chicken Hawk.
Johnson supported it. Mark one up for the South Dakota Chicken Hawks in the federal government!
Senator John Thune
When I was a flight attendant, I would fly to wherever my heart desired. Sometimes, though, my brain would beat out my heart.
I had a desire to go to Hawaii in the winter of 2010, but instead, I went to meet with my Senators and House Representatives. They were eager to meet me because during my second deployment, I sent hundreds of letters to each of their offices.
Representative Herseth-Sandlin and Senator Tim Johnson only had aides meet me. After speaking with Senator John Thune’s aides for a few minutes, Thune showed up.
Thune is a tall, charming, and very personable man. We spoke of South Dakota and he told me he grew up near my hometown. For a little bit, I was just enjoying a conversation with the man.
Once we talked about the issues I was having with the U.S. being in Iraq and how much waste was going on, his demeanor changed. He read a letter I received from a kid on Christmas Exodos, and that was pretty much the end of time between us.
Did I Upset a South Dakota Chicken Hawk?
First off, I must admit Thune’s website is by far the most user friendly and advanced of all the Senator / Representative website I’ve visited so far. Perhaps it’s because he’s been a Senator so long. He even has a foreign policy page! His “issues” section is called “Solutions.”
The rhetoric on the page, however, doesn’t provide hope for a non-interventionist foreign policy. Language like “our national security and foreign policy institutions must work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and eliminate the threat such weapons pose to us and our allies.”
Alliances, which have been warned for us since President George Washington, are what can get us into trouble. Chicken Hawks may love alliances since it is an easy way to get to war. Perhaps this is why Washington stated in his farewell address:
It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent
alliances with any portion of the foreign world—so
far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it, for let
me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements (I hold the maxim
no less applicable to public than to private affairs,
that honesty is always the best policy)—I repeat it
therefore, let those engagements be observed in
their genuine sense. But in my opinion it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.
Taking care always to keep ourselves, by suitable
establishments, on a respectably defensive posture,
we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.
(Washington’s farewell address is so eloquent when put up against any modern day politician, so you can expect to see a post on it soon!)
Alliances do have benefits, but what if an ally turns out to make a mistake? Does this mean it becomes our mistake? Governments are not well known for telling the truth, so why would we let a foreign government get American lives and wealth into their problem? It sounds like Thune is OK with that, because alliances.
He finishes the page with “A strong American military will help strengthen and stabilize our friends and allies and promote democracy, human rights, and other American values across the globe.” Does the military just stay stateside, and that magically promotes democracy, human rights, and other American values across the globe? For sure that is not what he wants!
What about the Insurrection?
Senator Thune came down with strong words about the insurrectionists. “Thuggery” is the prevailing term here!
He also claims, “All the states did everything they were supposed to do in accordance with the law” in regards to the elections. How could he possibly know that? Because all governments are 100% transparent and honest?
So, he joins the Democrats in playing up the insurrection. The South Dakota Chicken Hawks in the Legislative Branch appear to be much like the Democrats.
Senator Michael Rounds
Republican Senator Michael Rounds has some things to say about his issues. By far, he has the most issues listed on his website. He probably should – he was Governor of South Dakota for two terms. It’s too bad many of his issues pages are very short. Each page, however, does have articles about his stances on issues, but finding what you want isn’t easy.
Surprisingly, he has no “foreign policy” page! He does have a “National Security” page, in which he preaches the predictable rhetoric of “we need a strong military” but without actually lining out any information.
After looking around, a good basis for whether or not to discover a true Chicken Hawk should be within the Iran War Powers Resolution, or S.J. Res. 68. This Resolution requires the president to seek authorization from Congress to commit acts of war.
Of course, this is perposterous, because all you have to do is look at Article 1, Section 8. Congress has the ability…To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water
In order to commit war, shouldn’t you declare war first? Of course, the AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) after 9/11 pretty much got rid of the need for Congress to declare war.
Senators Rounds and Thune both voted Nay. Both believe it is OK for the president to have king-like power to wage war. Sounds like typical Republican Chicken Hawks!
Unfortunately, Representative Johnson also voted “No” to this resolution.
South Dakota’s Chicken Hawk game is dominate, unfortunately.
Insurrection Rounds
“As a nation, we should stand together in opposition to the violent acts & lawlessness that occurred at the US Capitol today.” – Senator Michael Rounds
It’s hard to find much on what Rounds really thinks about the insurrection because Johnson and Thune were much more vocal about it. This article states he helped transfer parliamentarian election certificates to safety. In the same paragraph, it states that Dean Phillips claims the breach on the Capitol was, “our founders worst nightmare.”
It’s a full sweep for the South Dakota Chicken Hawks!
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