Ted Brown
SLEC Member
I believe that we should put out an official statement on the Iran War. I just saw a really good one from the LP of Michigan and have changed it to say LP of Texas. I welcome suggestions about this wording or even a resolution, but otherwise, I am seeking seconds to make this our official statement:
STATEMENT OF LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF TEXAS ON IRAN WAR
The Libertarian Party of Texas strongly condemns the recent military action undertaken by the United States in Iran. Military intervention without a formal declaration of war by Congress is a direct violation of the United States Constitution and undermines the rule of law that the American republic was founded upon.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution clearly grants Congress — not the executive branch — the authority to declare war. When presidents initiate military hostilities without this authorization, they bypass the constitutional safeguards designed to prevent reckless foreign entanglements and unnecessary loss of life.
Furthermore, the expansion of hostilities threatens to violate the principles of the Geneva Conventions and broader international law governing the use of force between nations. War inevitably places civilians at risk and undermines the humanitarian standards the world claims to uphold.
Our opposition to this military action should not be misinterpreted as support for Iran’s late Supreme Leader or the policies of the Iranian regime. The Libertarian Party of Texas opposes authoritarianism and the abuse of power wherever it occurs. However, rejecting tyranny abroad does not justify abandoning the rule of law or constitutional limits at home.
Libertarians are guided by the Non-Aggression Principle — the belief that no person or government may initiate force against others except in genuine self-defense. Preventive war, undeclared war, and regime-change operations violate this principle and place innocent lives in danger while expanding state power.
Thomas Jefferson warned against such entanglements when he urged America to pursue “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none.” The wisdom of this advice remains relevant today.
STATEMENT OF LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF TEXAS ON IRAN WAR
The Libertarian Party of Texas strongly condemns the recent military action undertaken by the United States in Iran. Military intervention without a formal declaration of war by Congress is a direct violation of the United States Constitution and undermines the rule of law that the American republic was founded upon.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution clearly grants Congress — not the executive branch — the authority to declare war. When presidents initiate military hostilities without this authorization, they bypass the constitutional safeguards designed to prevent reckless foreign entanglements and unnecessary loss of life.
Furthermore, the expansion of hostilities threatens to violate the principles of the Geneva Conventions and broader international law governing the use of force between nations. War inevitably places civilians at risk and undermines the humanitarian standards the world claims to uphold.
Our opposition to this military action should not be misinterpreted as support for Iran’s late Supreme Leader or the policies of the Iranian regime. The Libertarian Party of Texas opposes authoritarianism and the abuse of power wherever it occurs. However, rejecting tyranny abroad does not justify abandoning the rule of law or constitutional limits at home.
Libertarians are guided by the Non-Aggression Principle — the belief that no person or government may initiate force against others except in genuine self-defense. Preventive war, undeclared war, and regime-change operations violate this principle and place innocent lives in danger while expanding state power.
Thomas Jefferson warned against such entanglements when he urged America to pursue “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none.” The wisdom of this advice remains relevant today.
