Art by Eva Anner / evaannerart.tumblr.com.
Yesterday Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) released the letter he sent to President Obama urging more sanctions on the Iranian people to prevent a nuclear Iran and, failing that, to get ready for war. It’s the same old, same old with the added element that AIPAC/Israel/Congress is doing this to deter any diplomacy that might resolve the issue now that Iran has a more moderate new president.
The following is the letter with the names of the 76 senators attached. It hardly needs stating that the motivation of the 76 is to please AIPAC in order to raise money from its donors. There is no other reason for taking this action now just days after the new president of Iran takes office. In short, each of these senators are putting campaign dollars before the national interest although I give a pass to the Republicans who honestly believe that war cures all ills. The Democrats don’t, except in cases that involve Israel (actually AIPAC). Here’s the letter and the list of the 76 AIPAC owned senators.
Note Feinstein, Levin, Sanders (all Jews, incidentally) did not sign letter. Warren, Franken, Sherrod Brown, Kaine and most of other progressives did. I suggest they visit Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington immediately, certainly before they sign another AIPAC/war letter. (They will sign it anyway).
By the way, this is probably one of the last AIPAC vehicles without Cory Booker as lead sponsor. New Jersey’s next senator IS AIPAC.
His House equivalent will continue to be Debbie Wasserman Schultz who once told me, “I’m AIPAC.”
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. President:
With the election of Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian people signaled their clear dissatisfaction with Iran’s government and its policies. We hope such a surprising and convincing electoral outcome will persuade Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to abandon Iran’s nuclear weapons quest. But until we see a significant slowdown of Iran’s nuclear activities, we believe our nation must toughen sanctions and reinforce the credibility of our option to use military force at the same time as we fully explore a diplomatic solution to our dispute with Iran.
We deeply sympathize with the plight of the Iranian people, who have suffered under the Khamenei regime. We note that President-elect Rouhani has pledged re-engagement with the P5+1 and promised to bring transparency to Iran’s nuclear program. At the same time, Iran has used negotiations in the past to stall for time, and in any event, Khamenei is the ultimate decision-maker for Iran’s nuclear program. Moreover, Iran today continues its large-scale installation of advanced centrifuges. This will soon put it in the position to be able to rapidly produce weapons-grade uranium, bringing Tehran to the brink of a nuclear weapons capability.
Accordingly, Mr. President, we urge you to bring a renewed sense of urgency to the process. We need to understand quickly whether Tehran is at last ready to negotiate seriously. Iran needs to understand that the time for diplomacy is nearing its end. We implore you to demand immediate serious moves on Iran’s part. Iran should move quickly toward compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding it suspend enrichment. Iran must cease installing centrifuges, agree to the removal of 20 percent enriched uranium from Iran, and cease work on the heavy water reactor being built in Arak.
We believe there are four strategic elements necessary to achieve resolution of this issue: an explicit and continuing message that we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, a sincere demonstration of openness to negotiations, the maintenance and toughening of sanctions, and a convincing threat of the use of force that Iran will believe. We must be prepared to act, and Iran must see that we are prepared.
Mr. President, we share your conviction that Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. We want you to know that you will have our support in doing all you can to resolve on an urgent basis this most pressing challenge to international security.
Sincerely,
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Lindsey Graham
Senator Robert P. Casey Jr.
Senator Roy Blunt
Senator Tim Kaine
Senator Kelly Ayotte
List of Cosigners (76)
1. Menendez
2. Graham
3. Ayotte
4. Blunt
5. Kaine
6. Casey
7. Boozman
8. Crapo
9. Flake
10. Ron Johnson
11. Burr
12. Manchin
13. Roberts
14. Grassley
15. Moran
16. Cornyn
17. Inhofe
18. Hoeven
19. Isakson
20. Begich
21. Coons
22. Cardin
23. Hatch
24. Wicker
25. Murray
26. Hagan
27. Mikulski
28. Fischer
29. Lee
30. Thune
31. Risch
32. Collins
33. Portman
34. Schatz
35. Stabenow
36. Cruz
37. Rubio
38. Schumer
39. Markey
40. Donnelly
41. Nelson
42. Heller
43. Pryor
44. Coats
45. Gillibrand
46. Bennet
47. Vitter
48. Chambliss
49. Enzi
50. McCaskill
51. Barrasso
52. Toomey
53. McConnell
54. Brown
55. Warner
56. Reed
57. Blumenthal
58. Hirono
59. Cochran
60. Shaheen
61. Whitehouse
62. Scott
63. King
64. Cantwell
65. Merkley
66. Klobuchar
67. Johanns
68. Franken
69. Sessions
70. Landrieu
71. Alexander
72. McCain
73. Chiesa
74. Heitkamp
75. Murphy
76. Warren
No one is planning a war with Iran. You insane anti Israel attitude is telling here.
Rosenberg really outdid himself on this one. Julius Streicher couldn’t have done any better
http://www.dailypaul.com/298555/red-alert-to-stop-aipacs-effort-to-get-the-us-into-another-war-in-syria
We urgently need feet on the ground in Washington DC all week to talk to their Congressional Representatives to stop this foreign lobby from getting us into another war.
>>> This Event Will Run All Week From Sept 9 to Sept 13 2013 <<>> This is not our conflict and we need to not start World War 3. <<<
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If you cannot make it to DC please call your Representative and urge them to vote no and to stay out of this potential nightmare. (202) 224-3121
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Stop AIPAC's Effort To Get The US Into Another War In Syria
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Thank you for providing this report.
In a democratic country all citizens should know how their Congress votes on these vital issues.
Here is material from my book, “Who Stole My Religion? Revitalizing Judaism and applying Jewish Values to Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet,” on the negatives of the US or Israel attacking Iran:
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Should the U.S. or Israel Attack Iran?
When it comes to Iran and its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, a common response from my fellow congregants and others in the Jewish community is that we should long since have bombed them or be preparing to do so soon. Of course it is very important that Iran not develop nuclear weapons, but we should consider the many negative consequences an attack on Iran would likely have.
A comprehensive case against such an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is in a study of Israel’s offensive options by Abdullah Toukan and Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.(2) They observe that:
* There is no guarantee of success. Limited aerial resources would permit Israel to target only three sites among Iran’s many nuclear development centers. Pinpoint accuracy would be needed to penetrate deeply-buried, thick reinforced concrete and impact underground facilities. Even if the three known sites were destroyed, it is suspected that Iran has several other secret facilities for enriching Uranium, and they would certainly increase such efforts after an attack. Hence, there is no guarantee that a strike against Iran would finish off its nuclear program or even slow it down for more than a few years.
* An Israeli attack would likely spur Iran to continue and possibly accelerate their nuclear program, in an effort to obtain a reliable deterrence against future Israeli attacks.
* Israel could lose large numbers of planes and lives during an attack. Since Iran has built an extensive aerial-defense system, it would be difficult for Israeli planes to reach their targets safely.
* Israeli aircraft would need to be refueled both en route to and when returning from Iran. The IAF (Israeli Air Force) would have difficulty finding an area above which the tankers could cruise without being detected and possibly attacked.
* An ecological disaster and many deaths from released radiation could occur, affecting surrounding nations besides Iran, thereby further increasing hatred of Israel and provoking military and terrorist responses.
* Iran would likely launch retaliatory attacks against Israel, American military forces in Iraq, and Western interests in the region. These attacks would likely include ballistic missiles – some with biological, chemical, and radiological warheads – targeting Israel’s civilian and military centers. Iran possesses missiles whose range covers all of Israel.
* Iran would likely use Hamas and Hezbollah to launch rocket attacks and suicide bombers against Israel. Recent events have demonstrated Hezbollah’s vastly expanded rocket capability and Hamas’ ability to fire Qassams from the Gaza Strip. During the second Lebanon War, Hezbollah launched 4,000 rockets from South Lebanon, which nearly paralyzed northern Israel for a month. Their supply has since been replenished and enhanced, now encompassing an estimated 40,000 rockets.
* An Israeli strike on Iran would further increase instability in the Middle East. The Iranians would likely use proxies to stir up trouble in many areas.
* The Iranians would also likely try to disrupt the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to the West. Oil prices would soar due to the unstable conditions and possible disruptions. Steps to recover from the current recession would be set back, with even worse economic conditions resulting.
* United States relations with Arab allied nations would likely suffer if we attacked Iran or were perceived to have given Israel a green light or cooperated with Israel in any other way. Although recent Wikileaks materials show that some Arab leaders hope that the U.S. will attack Iran, Muslim populations would likely demand that there be retaliations against the U.S. and Israel. Whatever the ruling dictators may prefer, a recent Brookings poll showed that Arabs ranked the major threats to the region as Israel (88 percent), the United States (77 percent) and Iran (10 percent).
* There would likely be a sharp increase in terrorism against Jews worldwide.
In summary, there is far from a guarantee that an Israeli (or United States) strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would be successful and there are many possible harmful effects of such an attack. It is crucial that Iran not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons and thereby precipitate a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, but military methods can’t accomplish that. It is important to deploy serious economic sanctions along with diplomatic isolation and punishment.
Iran must be convinced that any nuclear attack on Israel or any other country will result in immediate devastation of Iranian cities, while cooperating with the west and the international community could lead to many economic and diplomatic benefits for them.
I, along with most people, hope and pray that Iran does not acquire a nuclear capacity, and I support strong sanctions and other approaches that may get Iran to change its strategy. But we also should remember that for many years the US and the former Soviet Union built many thousands of nuclear weapons and kept them on trigger alert with a strategy of “mutually assured destruction” that threatened the entire world. Fortunately, neither side was crazy enough to use these weapons, but we came close when the Soviet Union brought nuclear weapons into Cuba, and we threatened attacking Soviet ships that were trying to end a blockade of Cuba. While the present Iranian regime is certainly evil, even denying that the Holocaust occurred, it would be suicidal for them to attack Israel with nuclear weapons.
The world would of course be far better of without a nuclear-armed Iran, but we should remember the deep-seated Iranian resentment of the 1953 coup which installed the Shah, ejecting an elected Iranian government, and the subsequent U.S. aid which provided the Shah with the weapons to suppress and torture his opponents and also that Iran recognizes that if Iraq had actually possessed nuclear weapons, the U.S. would likely never have invaded that country.
Minor problem there, Rosenberg would love to see Iran get the bomb. Not to mention his buddy Phil ( hitler should have finished the job ) Weiss
Maybe it’s just my naiveté, but I don’t see an Iranian nuke as a level one threat. Does anyone seriously believe they’d drop one on Israel (or the U.S., or anyone else?) They’d be reduced to rubble in a matter of hours and they know it.
It seems to me that what they’re after is the Big Bargaining Chip; so long as we continue to walk the fear based, “big dog gets the bone” path instead of the love based cooperative one, the biggest gun gets to sit at the head of the table, so we have a “nuclear club” that everyone who can wants to join. Not a happy situation, but not, I think, an immediate emergency either, in the case of a potential Iranian nuclear capability.
I wish we could operate a bit more from reason and less from emotion.
Anti Semites love blogs like these. If a Jew thinks AIPAC controls Congress, why should and anti Semite degree?
I used to support the idea (and disappeared reality) of just a few ‘Powers’ or ‘Super-powers’ having a monopoly on nuclear weapons and preventing their spread to the many weak, unthreatened nations. Even though that was contrary to our (own US) Declaration of Independence that declares (in effect) that independent nations have a right to do what is national & reasonable for actual independent nations to in fact do — ie, have very seriously armed military including such weapon deterrents — not just armed with weapons 60 years obsolete — to please ‘would-be’ conquerors & intimidators!
But since then, there has been utterly reckless & out-of-control greed by several big ‘Superpowers’ and 1 small ‘superpower’. Thus, sadly, some weak nations have been destroyed NOT because they were developing nuclear weapons or had them, BUT because they DID NOT HAVE them! Thus, the idea of Super-powers or failed International Organization of nations ‘policing things’ now rings hollow!
Carl, what are you specifically implying?
I am a combat veteran of the Vietnam war, with two years in-country. I thought I had fought in the last “Bad War.” Silly me! If we go to war in Iran, after what we learned from Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam; we will have deserved the international condemnation we are sure to get, along with absolute bankruptcy, both economically and morally
As Joseph Stillwell said about China on the eve of complete meltdown of our mission there, so I say about the entire Middle East: We ought to get out NOW; and that includes Israel.
The US is not going to war with iran.
Than you for your service. Some here in Tikkun would call you a war criminal.
I never hear about Israel’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Has Israel signed the Non-proliferation Treaty? What gives Israel the right to call the shots? Why are we allowing Tel Aviv to formulate American foreign policy?
Israel has never threatened to erase anyone from the face of the earth. Iran has. Saudi Arabi has said that it will go nuclear of Iran does