Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .
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Quote of the Day:
“You can’t negotiate when you tell the other side, ‘Give us what a negotiation would produce before the negotiations start.'”
– Colin Powell (in reference to negotiations with Iran)
Subject: The Spending Bomb
When we first began campaigning against our government’s violent foreign policy many wrote to ask us what this had to do with Downsizing DC. We responded by pointing out that war is usually the number one cause of government growth. Here is a very big FACT to support our case . . .
A trillion here, a trillion there, eventually it adds up to real bankruptcy. So by all means, let’s throw another log on the bonfire of our vanities by bombing Iran. Having already bit off more than we can chew, let us now bite off more than we will ever be able to spit out again.
Let us use our bombs to add once again to the feeling of oppression and humiliation in the Muslim world.
- Never mind that the Iranians will respond with new determination to have a nuke and simply build their factories deeper underground, just as the Nazis once did.
- Never mind that the Iranians will strike back at us through the Shia militias in Iraq, making success there ever less likely.
- Never mind that our actions will make it more likely that some angry member of the Pakistani Security Service will hand a nuke to their old allies in the tribal areas where Osama bin Laden now rests his head.
We need to start practicing conflict resolution rather than conflict escalation. There are ample grounds to do so. If we can be friends with Wahhabi Saudi Arabia and Putin’s Russia, then we can certainly be friends with Iran. We have had numerous openings to do so.
The “Esquire” article we told you about, recounting some of our botched opportunities with Iran, and elsewhere, is now on line. We recommend you read it.
Also, “Frontline” has just broadcast an excellent documentary detailing the recent history of our relationship with Iran. It too is on line. Please watch it.
We need to educate ourselves, to make up for the ignorance of our leaders. And we need to keep pressuring Congress to prevent President Bush from taking actions from which we may never recover. Please send another message asking Congress to prevent an attack on Iran.
MONO-MANIACS WITH A MISSION
Goal: 1,000 monthly credit card pledgers of at least 16 cents per day ($5 per month)
Purpose: To launch Operation Everywhere — an advertising campaign designed to recruit a huge army of DC Downsizers and make Downsizing proposals like the “Read the Bills Act” seen and heard by everyone, everywhere, every day.
Status (as of close of business Monday): 0 new pledgers, 972 left to go
Relentless progress will get the job done, so we plan to be relentless. Help us prepare to exploit the new political environment that will exist after the presidential primaries are over. Congressman Ron Paul has caused an explosion of public discussion about smaller government. This discussion must not end when the campaign ends, it must expand.
Here are the new monthly pledgers: NONE
Here are the Downsizers who made one-time donations: Earl Job, David Davis
You can get your name added to the list (unless you choose not to be listed), plus receive a copy of “The Downsize DC Vision.” Just start a monthly pledge of at least 16 cents per day ($5 per month). You can do so here.
Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.