Time to speak up on Syria

President Obama made headlines Saturday when he announced he would postpone a planned United States military strike in Syria until Congress voted on it.

The ensuing media hubbub glossed over the implications of this decision, namely the opportunity it provides for citizens to make their voices heard on this controversial international issue.  

Since Saturday’s press conference, it seems everyone has something to contribute to this debate. I’ve heard a half-dozen spirited arguments around town (both for and against the president’s planned military strike), but only the most die-hard activists are actually doing something about it this week.

The rest of us are waiting to speak with our ballots at the next election.  

Well, the president has handed authority over to Congress, and therefore granted U.S. citizens not only a window of time in which to act, but also a hotline to executive policy. It’s not difficult or complicated, but writing a letter to your congressional representatives usually isn’t.

A letter is all it takes.

Tell your congressperson how you feel he should vote when Congress reconvenes Sept. 9. Make your voice heard now instead of waiting to complain afterward.  

Don’t pretend you’re inconsequential. Don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re “just” a college student in Bloomington, and therefore, have no role to play in an international dispute. Don’t hide under the covers and watch events unfold on television.

And above all else, don’t let anyone convince you that the people are no longer the driving force of American politics.

Some feel strongly that attacking Syria would be a colossal mistake that involves the U.S. in a conflict in which it has no business interfering. Others see it as a necessary step to stop a genocidal regime from massacring its own citizens with chemical weapons.

Neither of these viewpoints is necessarily wrong, and I’m not here to tell you what to think.

I’m here to tell you to think.

Think, and then act. Write a letter. Send an email. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but make sure your elected representatives know how their constituents feel.

When the president said he would wait for Congressional approval before initiating military action, my first thought was “finally.”  

Not “finally,” as in “finally the president has shown his true colors as a lead-from-behind puppet”  or “finally the president has decided to at least pretend to give Congress some say in his policies”  (though both these arguments have been thrown around in the wake of the press conference by pundits on the right and left, respectively).

But “finally,” as in “finally the passionate supporters or opponents of U.S. military action in Syria have a voice.”

I know, I know. Of course they do. This is America, after all — the people always have a voice.

The difference between the pending war in Syria and any other controversial issue is that the people have a voice right now, before any bombs are dropped.

Let’s not waste it.

— ckkusisto@indiana.edu