Stopping the war with Iran before it starts

(10:00PM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Today is Iraq Moratorium day, a day to take action to end the war and occupation of Iraq.  This month, it leads into three days of action to prevent war with Iran.  A number of Moratorium events will connect the two, as participants in today’s events make cell phone calls to Congressional offices, leaflet about Iran, or write or email their representatives.

Much of the focus is on a House resolution which essentially calls for a blockade of Iran. List of sponsors.  There’s also a Senate resolution, with sponsors listed here.

Does it matter?  United for Peace and Justice reports that two members of Congress already have changed their minds after being challenged by local peace organizations. This report from St. Louis tells of one of the successes.

Wondering what to say?  Here’s a letter from former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and his wife, Susan Mudd, to their Congressional representative, Jan Schakowsky.  (Norquist and Mudd now live in Chicago, where he heads the Congress for a New Urbanism.):

To the Honorable Jan Schakowsky:

We share the concern that many hold for the future of Israel. We have visited there and have close friends there.

We are disappointed, nevertheless, that you chose to co sponsor House Resolution 362 which calls on President Bush to impose harsh sanctions on Iran.

These sanctions include among other things cutting Iran off from all refined petroleum products. Your resolution specifically authorizes a naval blockade and would amount to a declaration of war on Iran.

If the sanctions proposed in this resolution are adopted Iran would have the right under international law to defend itself. With their location next to the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf Iran would have the opportunity to disrupt much of the world’s oil supply and with their location next to Iraq, the Iranis with their Shia allies would be in position to attack US occupation forces in Iraq.

If you look at the map you will see that the truck convoy route from Kuwait to Baghdad  

would be easy for the Irani Shia allies to attack should hostilities begin. Worst case scenario- our troops are cut off from food, water and fuel. They might even have to fight their way out of Iraq.

Please reconsider; your Resolution could set off a bloody and costly war. If war comes you will hold some of the responsibility.

John Norquist

Susan Mudd

Well said.  “If war comes, you will hold some of the responsibility.”

And if we don’t do anything to try to prevent it, so will you and I.

Norquist, whose father, Ernie, was a survivor of the Bataan death march, adds in a email:  The continuous US truck convoys from Kuwait to Baghdad are the main supply route for the US Army in Iraq. The Marines in Anbar and w. Iraq are supplied out of Jordan. So the US Army is particularly vulnerable to Shia forces in south Iraq. If the line was cut the US Army could find itself very vulnerable without food, water or fuel. Thinking of my father’s WWII situation, this could be the most devastating defeat for the US Army since Bataan in April 1942.