What to do about Khashoggi

Alternative Column: I imagine an ideal libertarian utopia would have us con-cerned about the weather or what to make for dinner. I would like that. The Founders had that in mind. But as Grass-ley told me once, the courts couldn't leave it alone. And as laws were made, only restricted by precedent, things evolved. Uncle Sam grew into an all-encompassing behemoth, with its tentacles woven into every aspect of the world, from our showerheads to covert regime change in places most of us have never heard of. These things affect us. They affected 3,000 of us on September 11, 2001. Then they affected all of us as we can't go through an airport presumed to be inno-cent. Trillions of dollars chas-ing Islamic boogeymen eventu-ally makes it back to a change in lifestyle for most of us.
Popular opinion eventually makes change. If only one life is saved...
Shortly after the death of Jamal Khashoggi, I read this in the Wall Street Journal, “But he also said he opposed sanc-tions against the U.S. ally be-cause it may hurt jobs in the U.S. tied to a $100 billion arms deal with the kingdom.” Presi-dent Trump has once again said something outlandish. And yet, who cares?
Sharing the news at that time was Trump proposing to overturn Obama's idea that our bodies do not determine our gender. The fact that these two items can get the same media exposure shows there is no lack of diversity in news re-porting. One story should be considered absurdly irrelevant while the other exposes a deep chasm between reality and the idea we are a moral and just people.
We've heard so many times that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism that it has become true to us. Yet ISIS is Sunni, Al Qaeda is Sunni and Saudi Arabia is Sunni. Sunnis committed the attacks on 9/11. Much simplified, the Sunnis and Shia of Iran are at war with each other. Muslims con-sider details in their beliefs a life and death issue. It is hard for westerners to fathom.
Whether we should be in-volved in the politics of foreign nations at all is the issue that is vastly overlooked as we are distracted by minor details of a bigger picture.
As The Founders' Christi-anity is referenced often on such issues as gay marriage or religious documents on public buildings, they should also be cited on foreign policy and alliances.
The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi offers a chance to reexamine the real value of alliances. Is an alliance 100 percent a good thing? Aren't there factions in every country, as there are in ours? That 100 percent soon becomes at least two pieces, one friendly and the other not so friendly. When we ally with the gov-ernment of one country, its enemies become ours. The in-tensity of the Sunni-Shia rival-ry makes these relationships extremely amplified.
The Founding Fathers all warned against the idea of permanent alliances. In George Washington's farewell address he called those who promoted alliances with foreign govern-ments “tools and dupes.” He explained that government agreements were not necessary and even damaging to a free people who don't need undo influence from politicians.
It is high time we rethink foreign policy in order to fol-low the advice of Thomas Jef-ferson, who said, “Peace, commerce and honest friend-ship with all nations; entan-gling alliances with none.”
We are the employer. The government is our employee. Do we really want to be com-plicit in the evil deeds of our so-called allies? It is also silly to be talking about sanctions in response to the Khashoggi killing. If one of these loud-mouths wants to travel to the Middle East he could punish or reward on his own dime. I say go ahead. But it is not in the taxpayers' best interests to create these everlasting pro-jects of futility.
Any opinions on this column are welcome at 4selfgovernment@gmail.com or through a letter to the editor. The blog is updated almost daily at www.alternativebyfritz.com. Try it. You’ll like it.