Warrior King

Pete Shanks
January 2004     ISBN: 1560256060

"A King may lie and, using that lie, a king, on his own, has the power to send his kingdom into war. A president may also lie, but a president alone cannot use that lie to start a war.... By allowing the president to make the determination of whether or not to launch an invasion of Iraq.... Congress unlawfully allowed the president to use whatever evidence--or whatever lies--he chose as the basis for sending the nation into war."
--excerpt from Warrior King

On February 13, 2003, Bonifaz and a coalition of US soldiers, parents of soldiers and six members of Congress sued the President and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, seeking to prevent them from waging an undeclared and illegal war on Iraq.

The federal courts ruled that they couldn't decide the case because it raised "political questions" to be addressed only by the political branches of government. In effect, the federal court stated that it did not matter if Congress shirked its duty and let the President trample on the Constitution--the judiciary would only stand on the sidelines and watch. Warrior King examines both the causes and consequences of George W. Bush's illegal war and, given the judicial ruling, asks, "Where does that leave we the people?"

Pete Shanks is a writer and grassroots political activist who now lives in Santa Cruz, California. He has worked for peace and justice on three continents over four decades, with a particular focus on promoting the equal treatment of all people.