Letter to Kansas Congressmen

In December, 2002, I wrote the following to the Kansas congressional delegation to express my views about the gathering war clouds being fomented by the Bush administration:

"I am writing to express my personal feelings towards the Bush administration's apparent preparations for war with Iraq.

I am not comfortable with the United States in the role of aggressor, or openly pursuing a military action against a country that is not a response to overt military aggression by that country against the United States or its allies. I do not support "gun-boat diplomacy" or "brinksmanship". Neither approach to international relations has any place in the 21st Century. I am appalled at national television news media's obsession with war, a disposition apparently fostered by White House and Pentagon staffers. I have not participated in parades or demonstrations against the prospects of war with Iraq, but more and more my sympathies are with the entertainment celebrities, college students and peace activists who are public in their opposition to war with Iraq. I want an alternative to war with Iraq. I feel that a policy of war is unwise. It will not solve the immediate problem, Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, that it seeks to cure without paying costs that are too severe in terms of the sanctity of human life, economic growth and stability, global good will and other measures of civilized progress.

I urge you and fellow Kansas Congressmen to reevaluate the course being pursued by the Bush Administration. Certainly, there is a more constructive means of dealing with Iraq than threatening war or, heaven forbid, following through with a military attack. We need leadership from Congress on this important issue. The last time I read the U.S. Constitution, the power to declare war was given to Congress, not to the President. Congress can not and will not escape responsibility for Bush's folly of seeking war as a solution to Iraq's behavior."

The only thing in this letter that I regret writing over four years ago is my reference to Iraq's WMDs. I regret that I believed my government when they said Iraq had WMDs. A basic trust has been broken. Never again will I accept a statement by the U.S. government, unless it is corroborated by overwhelming evidence. Taking the word of politicians won't cut it.

I am still opposed to the Iraq War. I oppose the idea of war with Iran. If anything, to heal the breech in our relations with Iran, the first thing we should do is apologize to the Iranian people for the CIA's actions in thwarting two attempts to rid Iran of despotic rulers. Next, we should enter a dialogue with Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, et al, about the future of the Middle East and what the USA can do to help them, even if that means withdrawing all military forces.