Wars and Foreign Policy: "First, Do No Harm"
As a physician, I took an oath to “do no harm." Entering a conflict should be a last resort, and we must clearly define the enemy, goal, and timeline.
I refuse to create more wounded veterans and combat casualties on the pretext of helping questionable allies and the actual subtext of benefitting power lobbyists. As a member of Congress, I will:
enact term limits to root out entrenched career politicians so that foreign policy decisions are undertaken with national interests at heart and not with financial interests of weapons manufacturers and energy corporations.
support the reassessment of NATO, starting with the expulsion of Turkey, who is now more consistently a calculating aggressor than a valuable ally
Defense lobbyists contribute EQUALLY to both parties so that the war machine grinds on no matter who is in power
I refuse to funnel money to well-connected weapons manufacturers and energy corporations who selectively involve us in conflicts that benefit them.
Q: Why do we intervene on behalf of Iraq, Kuwait, or Ukraine?
A: Energy companies benefit from the regional instability while foreign aid for “self-defense” flows right back to domestic weapons-makers.
Q: Why do we not intervene on behalf of oppressed Kurds or Uyghurs?
A: Because those peoples have nothing to exploit.
The Who, What, and How of War Profiteering
Who: Dick Cheney, Halliburton, Oil/Energy Corporations, Defense Contractors.
What they hide behind: Let’s get Al-Qaeda! Honor our Men and Women in Uniform! Support our Troops and Wounded Veterans!
How they profit: Exclusive oil drilling contracts with newly-installed puppet regimes; arms sales.
How you and I suffer: ISIS was born in the anger and chaos of a destabilized Iraq
Who: Archer-Daniels-Midland, Oil/Energy Corporations, Defense Contractors
What they hide behind: I Stand with Ukraine. We Support Zelensky! Down with Putin!
How they profit: Interruptions of natural gas and grain exports force Europe and the world to buy American natural gas and American grains; arms sales.
How you and I suffer: Gas and food prices increase for all of us at home
We need to reassess NATO and the “allies” for whom we will enter a conflict.
NATO was formed in 1949 as a unified front against the USSR. Although Western Europe sought protections from the USSR through its alliance with the U.S., the Soviet satellite states of central and Eastern Europe buffered any military action that the western nations could undertake. In 1952, Turkey became a necessary ally that brought NATO missiles to the Soviet doorstep.
70 years later, we have six countries other than Turkey — Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland — on Russia’s doorstep. Bulgaria and Romania give us crucial Black Sea access just as Turkey does.
In response to Finland and Sweden applying for NATO membership, Turkey blocked their application unless their demands for the extradition of Kurds was met.
Turkey is trying to repatriate political refugees — deemed domestic terrorists back in Ankara — in order to execute them. Is this the kind of ally that we want?
NATO no longer needs Turkey.
Turkey no longer reflects the values of the other NATO members.
I support expelling Turkey as a NATO member state.