As treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Oregon, I am disheartened by the newfound moral outrage by state and local leadership to the Portland deployment of the Oregon National Guard in the wake of a lack of Democratic support for Senate Bill 667, the “Defend the Guard Act,” which the Democrat-led Legislature failed to advance this year. Where was the outcry when 230 members of the Oregon Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery Regiment were deployed to our dirty war in Syria in order to “keep the oil,” as President Donald Trump said in his first term. In 2009, the concept behind “Defend the Guard” was enthusiastically supported by then freshman U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley who has pushed for a congressional war powers resolution on Syria, as the Constitution requires and the Trump Administration ignores.

News Source : https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2025/10/readers-respond-oregon-leaders-newfound-outrage.html