My formerly fond friend, “Freddy from Fresno,” not his real name, was feeling way off his feed, frightened by Bush-Wah, our putative president, threatening World War III if Iran goes nuclear.
So discomfited was “Freddy” by the Bushling’s incendiary, and intemperate, remarks, “Freddy” actually fell six feet down off a slant-board that day at the gym, landed smack on his head, and did a complete backwards somersault. “Good thing the gym floor was rubber, or else today I’d be a quad,” he shuddered, amid headaches and blurry vision.
He’s not the only one leery of the Presi-Dunk’s machinations. Speaking for most of the rest of us in “Beware the Lame Duck,” neo-“populist” pundit Lou Dobbs of CNN warns, “Frankly, I spend more time worrying about whether or not the United States can survive the remaining 15 months of his ebbing presidency.”
Lame duck, or just lame? Da Prez’s sure not listening to the people:
Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney, We write to you from all over the United States and all over the world to urge you to obey both international and U.S. law, which forbid aggressive attacks on other nations. We oppose your proposal to attack Iran. Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, just as Iraq did not possess nuclear weapons. If Iran had such weapons, that would not justify the use of force, any more than any other nation would be justified in launching a war against the world’s greatest possessor of nuclear arms, the United States. The most effective way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would be to closely monitor its nuclear energy program, and to improve diplomatic relations – two tasks made much more difficult by threatening to bomb Iranian territory. We urge you to lead the way to peace, not war, and to begin by making clear that you will not commit the highest international crime by aggressively attacking Iran.
That’s from David Swanson’s After Downing Street.Org group. They also sent along a petition that seems too important NOT to quote significant sections of herein. Already, numerous prominent Americans including Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega, author and radio host Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner, country music legend Willie Nelson, Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan, and literary icon Gore Vidal and others so inclined have signed this petition, now seeking public signatures as well, urging the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all U.S. military personnel to refuse orders to launch an aggressive war on Iran:
ATTENTION: Joint Chiefs of Staff and all U.S. Military Personnel:
Do not attack Iran.
Any pre-emptive U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal.
Any pre-emptive U.S. attack on Iran would be criminal.
We, the citizens of the United States, respectfully urge you, courageous men and women of our military, to refuse any order to pre-emptively attack Iran, a nation representing no serious or immediate threat to the United States. To attack Iran, a sovereign nation of 70 million people, would be a crime of the highest magnitude.
Legal basis for Request – Do not attack Iran:
The Nuremberg Principles, part of U.S. law, provide that all military personnel have the obligation not to obey illegal orders. The Army Field Manual 27-10, sec. 609 and UCMJ, Article 92, incorporates this principle: “A general order or regulation is lawful unless it is contrary to the Constitution, the law of the United States …”
… When you joined the military, you took an oath to defend our Constitution.
Following the orders of your government or superior does not relieve you from responsibility under international law. Under the Principles of International Law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, complicity in the commission of war crime is a crime under international law. ….
Diplomacy, not war is the answer. …
Final Request:
Our leaders often say military force should be a last resort. We beg you to make that policy a reality, and refuse illegal orders to attack Iran. We promise to support you for protecting the American public and innocent civilians abroad.
Our future, the future of our children and their children, rests in your hands.
You know the horrors of war. You can stop the next one.
When push comes to shove, WILL the U.S. military refuse to attack Iran? I wonder.
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