Sunday, June 29, 2008

To The Honorable Vernon J. Ehlers

Perhaps you don't remember me, but I wrote to you five and a half years ago asking you to vote against the Congressional authorization for the use of force against Iraq. You thanked me for my concern, but went ahead and voted for it anyway. And we now know how that turned out. I was right, and you were wrong.
Now I am writing you again, this time asking you to please vote against House Resolution 362, also known as the Iran war resolution. This piece of legislation is very detrimental to the future of our nation, our military, and our people.
As signees to Non-Proliferation Treaty, the US has the duty to respect another nations seeking of the atom for peaceful use. As our own National Intelligence Estimate has clearly stated, Iran has long abandoned it's nuclear weapons program, and is seeking using the atom for peaceful means. Either we spent too much money on our 16 different intelligence agencies, or we must stand by and respect their findings. If we blockade Iran because of this, it will just add another to the list of treaties that the US has violated under the current administration. Maybe you can have that on your conscience, but could you explain it to your children or grandchildren why we hold other nations up to a higher standard than we hold ourselves to.
A blockade of Iran will send oil prices even higher. Right now, the US economy is struggling under the continually rising oil prices. Many working people, myself included, are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet when we are faced with the critical decision of either feeding our families, or fueling our vehicles so we may go to work and earn an already war-weakened dollar. How will you explain it to future generations that destroying our economy was worth doing for a nuclear weapons program our own intelligence sources say doesn't exist?
Finally, our military is stretched to the breaking point, fighting two separate wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq. It cannot support a war with Iran. An attack against Iran, by either the US or it's ally in the Middle East will only put more of our soldiers in harms way. Too many families have had loved ones returned home in flag draped caskets. How many more of them will see them come home that way because we have an administration that has consistently refused to use diplomacy to bring an end to this situation?
I know that you are a good Christian man, Mr. Ehlers, and so I appeal to your good Christian instincts. Would Jesus support the wholesale slaughter of a people when working towards peace is possible? Trust me, Congressman, I have read everything on this, from the lies and propaganda, to the truth. I have read the words of Ahmadenijad, both the mangled by war propagandists, and the true translation. Iran is a country of peaceful people, like those here in the US, who are being pushed to the brink of destruction by leaders who only want war. Please, again, I ask you vote NO on House Resolution 362. Thank you for the time to read this, I realize how valuable yours is.

(write your representative here)

2 comments:

Tom Harper said...

I don't know anything about Vernon Ehlers. But it's scary how many people are simultaneously: 1) admitting that we shouldn't have invaded Iraq; and 2) itching to go to war with Iran.

Hello??? I seem to recall an expression about "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time."

Lew Scannon said...

You're right. That's a clinical definition of insanity, but I prefer bull-goose looney.