Thank you all for being here, and thanks to the organizers for offering me an opportunity to share my thoughts. I write today not in any official capacity.
I’m grateful for any event that brings people of all political persuasions together to end the destruction wrought to body, soul, and treasure by war.
A united left-right front is an unstoppable force against the profiteers and beneficiaries of war.
I despise war.
I despise the carelessness with which people talk about going to war, the carelessness with which the Washington uniparty puts us into wars, the callousness with which wars are allowed to drag on.
Nearly all, if not all, wars are unnecessary. Before a war begins, some people abandoned responsibility to resolve the differences that led to conflict.
I fully support any person who wishes to defend the island of liberty we call the United States.
But the best way to support someone willing to defend this country is to never put them in harm’s way.
In this country, congress has long since abandoned its authority over the war power, effectively ceding it to the executive branch.
It is time for congress to take back responsibility for declaring war.
When I started in politics 15 years ago few in the Republican party remembered the long antiwar tradition on the right, much less embraced it. Today I am pleased that the antiwar right is growing and is becoming a strong voice in the Republican party.
Hiram Johnson was a California Republican governor and then represented California in Washington as US Senator.
Senator Johnson was skeptical of foreign entanglements.
His greatest legacy might be this quote, with which many of you are familiar: “The first casualty when war comes is the truth.”
I suspect that all of us, from all points of view, agree with Senator Johnson. And that for war to be avoided we must be the tellers of truth.
Let’s all of us, united, call on the current administration to build a legacy of peace. And let’s judge future administrations not by how many wars they win but by how few wars they begin.
Thank you for your time. Let peace reign.
John Dennis is the Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party (title/organization for identification purposes only).
