URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!
Subject: The immediate mortal danger of attacking Iran
There is increasing evidence that President Bush intends to bomb Iran. This would . . .
* Reverse the progress we have made with Iranian public opinion
* Further entrench the Iranian Muslim regime
* Further radicalize the Muslim population across the Middle East
* Recruit countless numbers of new terrorists
* Place us in a state of irreversible war with Iran and its people
* Threaten oil shipments from the Persian gulf
The combined impact would be to destabilize the entire region, fostering bin Laden’s goal of creating radical Islamist regimes throughout the area. Most chilling is the potential impact on Pakistan.
If Pakistan’s population becomes further radicalized because of U.S. attacks against Muslims the result could be the creation of an Islamist regime. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons, and elements of Pakistan’s security service has close ties to the Taliban and Al Queada, dating back to the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
If President Bush bombs Iran the result could be exactly what he thinks he’s trying to prevent — nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists.
In addition, bombing Iran could slow that country’s nuclear program, but it would not stop it. The Iranians could just begin again, with more secure underground sites, just like the Nazi’s did in response to allied bombing during World War II.
What would we do then? Use nuclear weapons? Vice President Cheney is said to already favor this!
There is nothing to be gained by bombing Iran, and everything to be lost. And yet, there are more and more reports that President Bush plans to attack Iran before he leaves office. Worse yet, he already has Congressional authorization to do so because of the loose wording of previous war authorizations resolutions.
The whole world is at the mercy of President Bush’s notoriously bad judgment, unless ALL OF US take action to constrain him. There is something we can do, in the short term, to stop an attack, and many things we can do in the long term to stabilize the situation and bring lasting security.
In the short term . . .
* We must demand that Congress pass a resolution prohibiting an attack
* We must demand this of the Democrats even if the Republicans would resist
* We must focus extreme pressure on Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid
* We must work to turn key Republicans in the House, and especially the Senate
* We must recruit more people to apply more pressure
Even if all we got was a majority vote in the House, because the Republicans blocked action in the Senate, that might be enough to stay the President’s hand. We will tell you what to do and how to do it below.
For the long term . . .
We must compel Congress to recognize the truth of what Congressman Ron Paul and official reports of the C.I.A. and the Pentagon assert. Blowback against U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is the main problem, which means pullback is the answer.
We must eliminate our footprint in Islamic countries. When we do that the process of radicalization will recede. This is the best path to peace and security for the American people. Specifically . . .
* We should exit Iraq, leaving the surrounding Islamic countries to create a settlement there
* We should renounce pre-emptive war and regime change, and adopt a policy of retaliatory deterrence
* We should recognize the government of Iran and establish formal relations with it
* We should apologize directly to the Iranian people for the 1953 C.I.A. coup and our support of the Shah
* We should lift trade sanctions on Iran to foster civil society there as a balance against extremism
Many facts form the basis of our proposals . . .
We have a history of regime change in the Middle East, and especially Iran. We overthrew a democratic and secular Iranian government in 1953, and established the tyrannical Shah. The Iranians remember this. We have also just changed the regime in Iraq and placed Iran on the same target list. Given these facts . . .
You would want a nuclear weapon too, if you were part of the Iranian government!
We must take every possible step to make the Iranian regime feel secure, no matter how much we may dislike their form of government. It is possible . . .
* The Iranian government has repeatedly said that the main thing it wants from the U.S. is respect
* The Iranians have offered to defund Hezbollah as part of a broader settlement with the U.S.
* The Iranians have offered to help us against the Taliban in Afghanistan, which they also dislike
* The Afghanistan government favors Iranian aid against the Taliban, but we have blocked it
Our government has repeatedly snubbed Iranian overtures. We must stop doing this. We recognized and negotiated with the Communists in China and the Soviet Union to good result, and we can do the same with the Iranians.
We must remove the MOTIVATION for the Iranian government to develop nuclear weapons, and give them strong incentives for peaceful relations!
We must also bolster our relationship with the Iranian people. They have come to dislike their own government and are tending to have a neutral or even positive opinion of the U.S. After the 9-11 attack Iranians flooded the streets, demonstrating in support of America!
Bombing Iran would once again make us the enemy in the eyes of the Iranian people, when instead we could restore and foster their good opinion of us. It is important to repeat that we can do this by . . .
* Taking Iran off our enemies list
* Apologizing loudly and publicly for the 1953 coup and our support of the Shah
* Lifting trade sanctions
Trade sanctions do not work. They cripple civil society and permit oppressive regimes to blame their own failings on foreign powers. They are counterproductive. We should end the sanctions unilaterally and bring Iran into the world community.
We have it in our power to enhance the peace and security of the whole world. All we have to do is stop provoking people. This does not mean that the radicals will stand down, but it does mean that the process of radicalization will slow, and perhaps even stop. But first . . .
We must prevent an attack on Iran. Here’s what we need to do . . .
* Send a message to Congress demanding a resolution prohibiting an attack
* Call the offices of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and demand a vote on this issue
* If one or more of your Senators are Republicans, call them too
Pelosi and Reid are blocking a vote on this issue because they’re afraid of appearing soft. We must give them the courage to do the right thing. Republicans in the Senate are the key to getting a vote in that chamber. We must make them fear public opinion.
* Send your message to Congress
* If you have Republican Senators, call them
* Call Nancy Pelosi at this number: 202-225-4965
* Call Harry Reid at this number: 202-224-3542
* Forward this message to others
* Make a contribution to further our work
Please, disaster looms. Take action. Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.