Bob Bossie, SCJ 10/29/07Following the same game of deception, lies and half truths that it used to gain support for its illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration is moving toward an unprovoked, illegal and immoral attack against Iran.
This administration is promoting the totally unsubstantiated claim that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. It is also promoting the fabricated and twisted charge that the US is a victim of Iranian aggression in Iraq rather than the perpetrator of war crimes.
The Bush administration imposed new unilateral sanctions against Iran on October 25, surrounded Iran with military forces and declared all military options are on the table, including nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the mainstream media beats the war drum incessantly as it did in preparation for the invasion of Iraq.
The world holds its breath, awaiting the unleashing of yet another crime of cataclysmic proportions.
(For a fuller explanation of US policy toward Iran, see the article below)
ACTIONSWe cannot stand idly by while the Bush administration, acting in our name, pursues global domination and control of the world's oil reserves, further destabilizes the Middle East, deepens the rift between eastern and western cultures, poisons the air and destroys the land of yet another ancient culture.
1. Print and Post the sign "Do Not Attack Iran" on your house or car window. Go to
www.syracuseculturalworkers.com and scroll to the bottom of the page for _link_s to both 8.5x11 and 11x17 size signs.
2. Share and discuss this leaflet with your family, friends, coworkers and your faith community.
3. Contact your elected representatives and say "Hands Off Iran". Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for them by name. If you don't know who they are, tell the operator your zip code and s/he will connect you to the appropriate persons.
4. Distribute copies of the leaflet "Don't Iraq Iran" which can be found at
www.8thdaycenter.org/resources/leaflets.html===
DON'T IRAQ IRANBob Bossie, 10/29/07Following the same game of deception, lies and half truths that it used to gain support for its illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration is moving toward an unprovoked, illegal and immoral attack against Iran.
U.S. CLAIMS IRAN IS PURSUING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
This administration has been setting the stage for this attack since its 2001 declaration that Iran was part of the Axis of Evil. It continued with the totally unsubstantiated claim that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Under this guise, the US and its allies in the UN Security Council, have used sanctions and other inflammatory actions to push Iran further and further into a corner.
Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian use. The US administration argues that Iran does not need nuclear energy because it sits on a sea of oil. The US conveniently ignores the fact that Iran has pursued nuclear energy, with US support, from the time of the notorious, US-installed Shah of Iran. Following the 1979 Iranian revolution which drove out the Shah, the US initiated sanctions against Iran. This resulted in the continual deterioration of Iran's oil production capacity, furthering its need for additional energy.
On October 28, 2007, chief UN atomic watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei said he had no evidence Iran was building nuclear weapons and accused US leaders of adding "fuel to the fire" with recent bellicose rhetoric.
U.S. CLAIMS IT IS THE VICTIM IN IRAQ
Under international and domestic pressure for the US to leave Iraq, the Bush administration is trying to play the victim of Iran's aggression in Iraq. The US charges Iran with undermining US efforts in Iraq and killing US forces there by providing insurgents in Iraq with highly effective armor piercing explosives (Explosively Formed Penetrators). In fact, the US knows that Iraq has been producing these weapons on their own for several years now and, if training for the manufacturing and use of EFPs came from any other source, it came from Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, not Iran.
BUSH WAR ACTIVITIES
In August 2007, the Bush administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist," the first time a nation's military has been so charged.
On October 25, 2007, the Bush administration imposed new unilateral sanctions against the Guard designating it as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. The administration also designated the Guard's elite Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism.
These new sanctions will empower the United States to financially isolate a large part of Iran's military and anyone inside or outside Iran who does business with it. The measures could affect hundreds of foreign companies by squeezing them to drop Iranian business or risk US sanctions. Many political commentators consider this an act of war.
The Bush administration announced that all military options are on the table to attack, including the use of nuclear weapons. The Pentagon has drawn up several attack plans including a massive air assault against 1,200 targets designed to take out the entire Iranian military and nuclear facilities. Special forces operations within Iran have been conducted for some time now. Meanwhile, Iran is surrounded by US forces in Afghanistan to the East, in Iraq to the West and two (soon to be a third) US aircraft carrier battle-groups in the Persian Gulf to the South.
Last spring, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi pulled a provision from an Iraq funding bill which would have forced Bush to consult with Congress before attacking Iran, basically giving a green light to any unannounced bombing of Iran. This summer, the Senate voted 97 to zero for a prepare-for-war resolution condemning Iran's killing of US forces. Meanwhile, the mainstream media beats the war drum incessantly as it did in preparation for the invasion of Iraq.
The world holds its breath, awaiting the unleashing of yet another crime of cataclysmic proportions.
We cannot stand idly by while the Bush administration, acting in our name, pursues global domination and control of the world's oil reserves, further destabilizes the Middle East, deepens the rift between eastern and western cultures, poisons the air and destroys the land of yet another ancient culture.
(For sources utilized for this article, contact the author at 8th Day Center for Justice.)
