Is perpetual war about to become law of the land? The House Armed Services Committee recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act – a bill that authorized funding to the Department of Defense. And deep within the bill – in Section 1034 – there’s a provision that affirms we are at war with Al-Qaeda and hands over war powers to the President until “the termination of hostilities.” In other words – it lets the President commit our nation to endless war until every single terrorist is dead.

The ACLU calls the provision the, “single biggest hand-over of unchecked war authority from Congress to the executive branch in modern American history." The provision was slipped in by Republican Congressman Buck McKeon – and only one member of the Armed Services Committee voted against the bill – Democrat John Garamendi. Garamendi offer an amendment to strike Section 1034 – but it was shot down – paving the way for endless war – and endless profits for defense contractors – who throw around huge campaign contributions. In Orwell's book 1984 – Big Brother famously said, “War is Peace.” And George W. Bush took this to heart when he started the War on Terror. But the truth is – there’s nothing worse for a nation than endless war.

As James Madison – one of the founders of our nation wrote, “No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of perpetual war.”