October 24th, 2006
As incredible as it might seem, the Bush Administration appears to be actively planning a military strike against Iran -- the beginning of a war which could dwarf even the Iraq war in its grim potential for devastating global conflict.
You've probably have heard the warnings of Seymour Hirsh and Daniel Ellsberg. You may have read in The Nation that a strike force, led by the nuclear aircraft carrier U.S.S. Eisenhower, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. Some experts claim that this is a normal deployment, but others believe that it is an intentional �show of force,� if not an active provocation or an attempt to create a pretext for war, like the Tonkin Gulf incident in Vietnam.
We have now learned that U.S. minesweepers have been ordered to follow the U.S.S. Eisenhower. This is an even more ominous signal of preparation for military action, since such ships would not normally accompany a strike force on routine deployments.
The national steering committee of UFPJ is actively discussing what can be done to prevent an attack on Iran, as are many of our member groups. We cannot and will not stop our work to end the disastrous U.S. occupation of Iraq, where casualties are rising dramatically with each passing day, and we are not suggesting that anyone stops efforts to use the last few weeks of this election season to push our antiwar message. At the same time, we cannot ignore the signals that an increasingly desperate Bush administration might launch a military strike against Iran.
Here's how you can help:
Please click here and sign Peace Action's "No War with Iran!" petition today! This petition, created by UFPJ member group Peace Action, rejects any U.S. military action against Iran and demands direct negotiations. Working with other groups within UFPJ, Peace Action will deliver these petitions to Congress at the earliest feasible date �- and your signatures are needed to do that effectively! This petition is directed to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice; copies will go to Chairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Committee on International Relations.
We also want to make sure you know that another member group of UFPJ, the After Downing Street Coalition, also has a petition, directed to Bush and Cheney.
To help prevent an "October Surprise" that might change the course of the midterm Election, a group of progressive allies of San Diego Coalition for Peace & Justice is urging people to contact the Democratic Leadership to convince them to stand up to the Republican leaders if Republicans attempt to win the election through the use of an attack on Iran or a similar action.
Please contact the Democratic Party leaders listed below, and insist that they let the Republicans know that it will be considered an impeachable offense if they attack Iran at this time.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House Democratic Leader
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
California office voice: 415-556-4802; Washington office voice: 202-225-4965Sen. Harry Reid, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader
Online contact form
Nevada office voice: 775-882-7343; Washington office voice: 202-224-3542Gov. Howard Dean, Chair, Democratic National Committee
Online contact form
Washington office voice: 202-803-8000Sen. Charles Schumer, Chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Online contact form
Washington office voice: 202-224-2447Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Chair, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Online contact form
Washington office voice: 202-863-1500Help spread the word about these efforts: Circulate this memo, or your own version, to the members of your group; contact other groups in your area; raise the issue in your other ongoing work.
We'll do our best to keep you informed about developments related to Iran and ideas for action in the coming weeks and months. The first step is to show the largest possible response we can to Congress and policy makers in Washington, letting them know in no uncertain terms that we will not tolerate another war in the Middle East. Sign the petitions today, and pass them on to your friends and colleagues. You can find more resources on Iran on our website.
peace,
Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator
UFPJP.S. If you're not convinced that the Bush administration would actually do such a crazy thing, you might want to check out the following two articles:
"Why Bush Will Nuke Iran" by Paul Craig Roberts, a Reagan administration official and former Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page, who argues that the Bush administration will decide to use tactical nukes in Iran because they are still committed to military hegemony in the region, but have no more troops to use.
"Does Bush Think War with Iran is Preordained?" by Chris Hedges, former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times, which explores the belief of many in Bush�s inner circle that they are on a divine mission to reshape the world, and that Iran is the inevitable next step.
These are not loose cannons or conspiracy theorists. We are taking their warnings very seriously, and hope you will too.
United for Peace & Justice : The Time to Stop a War With Iran Is NOW
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