‘TERRIBLE THINGS’ (SUMMER 2026)

 ‘One of the nice things about writing about local news is that you mostly don’t have to write about the terrible things that are going on at the national level,’ wrote Paul Leighton in early March this year, in his excellent Beverly Beat local news site, shortly after the U.S. attack on Iran. ‘But sometimes that stuff rolls down hill, as they say, and it’s hard to ignore when you’re standing in it knee-deep.’ 

Editing The Conant Courier in the peaceful surroundings of the U.K.’s East Devon, it’s easy to forget that many of our readers, especially in the U.S., have more than Conant family history or ‘parish pump politics’ on their minds at the present time. Salem-born Congressman Seth Moulton, pictured above, who represents Salem among other North Shore towns in Massachusetts, has strongly opposed the U.S. military action initiated by the Trump administration. Below you can read the statement that he issued on 5 March.

“Two decades ago, Washington bureaucrats sent us into Iraq without a plan. It’s because Congress was naive enough to believe the Bush Administration’s lies that I ran for Congress in the first place. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and we now know that Trump was lying about ‘obliterating’ the nuclear stockpiles in Iran. Wars built on lies are bad enough, but at least Bush came to Congress. Trump didn’t even try. 

"Let’s be clear: Bluster and bombs is not a strategy. It’s a gamble on the backs of young Americans who will die in a war that didn’t need to happen. We’ve heard at least half a dozen explanations for why we’re doing this in the first place, from eliminating their nuclear weapons we were told just months ago were obliterated, to regime change (while the same regime is in power even after their leader was killed), to oil, to ballistic missiles, to personal retribution, to conspiracy theories about the 2020 election Trump lost. 

 "The American people, Congress, and most of all, our troops deserve the truth. Speaking from experience, that’s the bare minimum you expect when asked to risk your life for your country. 

 "It shouldn’t be this hard to follow the Constitution. Donald Trump has been bragging about the buildup for weeks, so surprise isn’t an excuse. There’s no debate that this is a full-on war—the president has said so himself from day one. And pressure from an ally does not count as an 'imminent threat.' No Commander-in-Chief should cave to peer pressure. 

 "We all deserve better, most especially our courageous troops. As a combat veteran, I have seen what happens when we get dragged into forever wars that lead to more U.S. service member casualties. We must stop this war before it gets worse.” 

 You can read about Congressman Moulton at www.moulton.house.gov