It didn’t take long for Vashon protesters to hit the streets in 2026.

This week’s page 1 story chronicles the now-familiar sights and sounds of members of local progressive groups responding to the latest national news: a surprise U.S. military operation in Venezuela, unauthorized by Congress, which included the capture of that country’s president.

By Monday, The New York Times had published a new story: “After Venezuela, Trump Offers Hints About What Could Be Next,” reporting on President Donald Trump’s comments about other countries he believed should come under U.S. control, including Cuba, Colombia and Greenland.

As described by The Times, Trump has become emboldened to breathe new life into the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 statement of U.S. domination over the Western Hemisphere — a document Trump has now renamed after himself: the “Donroe doctrine.”

So what should the citizens of this nation — and more specifically, those of us who live on a small island in Puget Sound — do or say in response?

One easy thing to do would be to get in touch with our lawmakers in Washington.

Hours after the military operation in Venezuela, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal issued a strong statement condemning what she called “Trump’s illegal regime change in Washington.”

It’s worth reprinting in full here.

Maduro is an illegitimate dictator,” Jayapal said. “That fact alone does not give Trump and his administration the authority to invade Venezuela, kidnap him in the middle of the night, and force regime change — something the U.S. has tried and failed to do many times over. This was an illegal and unconstitutional attack, undertaken by Trump without any authorization from Congress, and with no plan for the future.

“If this were truly about stopping drug trafficking, Trump would not have recently pardoned the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking scheme that smuggled 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.

“Congress alone has the power to authorize war. Republicans need to step up to do their Constitutional duty and join Democrats in ensuring that Congress reasserts our authority. The implications otherwise are dire: any rogue leader of any country can decide who they want to take out at any time.

“The American people have said over and over again that they do not want another war. Trump lied to the American people when he said he would get us out of endless wars and instead would focus on making life affordable for Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is once again about oil, power, and greed — not bettering the lives of Americans or leading the world towards diplomacy and peace.

“Congress must intervene before Trump’s actions further destabilize the region.”

It is good to know where Jayapal stands.

Many of her sentiments were echoed by Senator Patty Murray, who also made a fulsome statement that said, in part, “It is outrageous for a President who is tanking our economy here at home to suggest that the American taxpayer spend a fortune to ‘run’ another country while doing nothing to make life better in America. I opposed the war in Iraq from the outset—and the parallels here are glaring. I will similarly oppose any war in Venezuela. I refuse to put the lives of service members at further risk, and I refuse to saddle our children with yet another costly war for no good reason.”

But in a startling contrast, Senator Maria Cantwell’s statement was bafflingly brief:

“President Trump’s actions today with Venezuela raise more questions than answers,” Cantwell said. “Is America going to be involved in running and stabilizing Venezuela? Today’s actions raise many questions about the stability of the region and our policy towards South America.”

If you have time to write to only one lawmaker today, Cantwell — reachable at cantwell.senate.gov — might be a good choice. At this point, it is her statement, in fact, that “raises more questions than answers.”