Updated 3/23/2018

We have launched a new petition [1] supporting recent legislation barring any military spending for an illegal attack on North Korea.

President Trump's erratic policies, insults and inflammatory tweets are increasing the chances that we may go to war with North Korea. This would be a catastrophe unlike anything we have seen since World War II. Millions could die.

North Korea's nuclear and missile tests must stop, but Trump's personal attacks and threats of war are dangerously increasing tensions in the region.

President Trump has rejected diplomacy at every turn. He has threatened to unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” He has vowed to “totally destroy” North Korea. And he called North Korea's leader “Little Rocket Man.”

When Secretary of State Tillerson tried to open talks with the North, Trump tweeted that he was “wasting his time,” ominously warning, “we’ll do what has to be done!” Tillerson was fired by President Trump who is seeking to replace him with Mike Pompeo. Regarding the possibility of negotiation with North Korea in May, Mike Pompeo  said, "Make no mistake about it, while these negotiations are going on, there will be no concessions made.” His confirmation could still be blocked by the US Senate.

Donald Trump has picked John Bolton to be his new national security advisor. On February 28, John Bolton insisted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that “it is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons by striking first.” This is not the case. Such an attack would be unconstitutional, as well as immoral and likely to result in the death of millions of people.

We cannot trust Trump to resolve the North Korea crisis peacefully, nor can we trust him to be the only person with his finger on the nuclear weapons button. A preemptive attack on North Korea would be immoral, illegal, and could quickly lead to the very nuclear war that we all seek to prevent.

Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry believes "a diplomatic solution is possible to today's crisis," and he's right. The first step would be for the United States to scale back military exercises in South Korea in exchange for a freeze on North Korean nuclear and missile tests. But to create space for diplomacy to work, we must first prevent war.

We can stop Trump’s war with North Korea. Congress controls the money for military action, and Congress can stop Trump from launching a military attack.

Under the US Constitution, only Congress can declare war. Donald Trump’s first use of nuclear weapons or even a conventional pre-emptive attack against North Korea without congressional approval would be illegal and unconstitutional. To make sure Trump gets the message, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) has introduced new legislation barring any military spending for an illegal attack on North Korea, the No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act.

No money, no war. This legislation would prohibit funds for a pre-emptive attack on North Korea without Congressional approval and instead encourage Trump and the North Korean regime to pursue a diplomatic solution.

[2]

Recent polls show that two-thirds of Americans oppose a military strike against North Korea unless the North attacks first, and that a US military strike could start a major war. Only one-third trust Trump to handle this crisis.

Stop Trump from stumbling into an illegal war with North Korea. Sign this petition [2] and tell Congress to support the Markey bill and bar any military spending for a unilateral, first-strike against North Korea.

Then, share this petition with your friends, family, and coworkers. Together, we can make sure nuclear weapons are never used again.

Photo [3]: LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile system being tested at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. "This is a long exposure photo showing the paths of the multiple re-entry vehicles deployed by the missile. One Peacekeeper can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each independently targeted. Were the warheads armed with a nuclear payload, each would carry with it the explosive power of twenty-five Hiroshima-sized weapons which is equivalent to around 400 kilotons of TNT." David James Paquin (attributed), public domain