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Dear Friends and Relatives,<br>
<br>
Now is the time to prevent war against Iran. It is an emergency and
we must spare no effort to stop US aggression. <br>
<br>
Almost all wars that the United States has entered into over the
past few decades have been started on false pretenses. Consider:<br>
<ul>
<li> The pretext for invading Iraq in 2003 was “weapons of mass
destruction.” Colin Powell lied to the United Nations when he
claimed that we knew where they were. They never did
materialize.</li>
<li>The pretext for invading Iraq in 1990 was the testimony to
Congress by a Kuwaiti nurse about Iraqi soldiers throwing
infants out of incubators. Turns out she wasn’t a nurse, but the
daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador. Her testimony was organized
by a US PR Firm Hill & Knowlton, and the incident never
happened.</li>
<li>The pretext for invading Vietnam in 1964 was the Tonkin Gulf
Incident. The USS Maddox was allegedly attacked by three North
Vietnamese torpedo boats. Years later former Defense Secretary
Robert McNamara admitted that it never happened. (And what were
US Navy ships doing at the edge of Vietnam’s territorial waters
if they weren’t intent on provoking or inventing a conflict?)<br>
</li>
</ul>
These are but three examples among dozens of US wars based on lies.
Each president has his reason for lying, and all presidents do so,
Democrat and Republican. The current one is no exception.<br>
<br>
President Trump is sending an aircraft carrier group and troops to
the Persian Gulf to “send a message” to Iran. What would that
message be? National Security Advisor John Bolton loudly proclaims
the need for "regime change" in Iran. The president has made his
belligerence quite clear: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the
official end of Iran,” he tweeted, threatening to kill literally
millions of people.<br>
<br>
Not only are Iranians aware of the history of American aggression
around the world, they’ve experienced it. Iran’s democratically
elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in 1953 by
a CIA and British directed coup. The CIA installed the brutal Shah
of Iran who ushered in a 26-year long reign of terror. Americans
tend only to remember the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.<br>
<br>
During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the United States gave Iraq
military support, including chemical weapons that the CIA estimated
killed over 50,000 Iranians. In 1988 The USS Vincennes shot down a
civilian Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf killing all 290
people aboard. <br>
<br>
Recently President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran Nuclear
deal. He claimed, without evidence, that Iran was violating its
terms. The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency,
responsible for weapons inspections states that Iran has been in
compliance, as does the European Union. Yet the United States
pursues harsher and harsher sanctions against Iran, and against any
other countries who trade with Iran, including other signatories of
the nuclear deal.<br>
<br>
Given this history, we can understand why Iran would do anything it
can to defend itself. Though no one should condone nuclear weapons,
whether Iranian or American, it appears that the Trump
Administration is doing everything it can to push Iran into building
them again. What would happen if Iran sent an aircraft carrier here,
threatening an official end to the United States? My guess is it
wouldn’t make it halfway across the ocean before the fleet and its
country were obliterated. We can commend Iran for its comparative
military restraint. <br>
<br>
It’s clear that the administration is provoking war with Iran. What
about the timing? Why now? Presidents always get a surge in
popularity when they start a war. That’s part of what’s so enticing
about it. President George H.W. Bush’s big mistake was his timing.
Had he started his 1990 attack on Iraq a year later, he likely would
have been reelected. Electoral strategy may well be Trump’s
reasoning for starting a war now. And, of course, wars reap
tremendous corporate profit…<br>
<br>
The advantage of a naval “conflicts” like the Tonkin Gulf incident
is that there are no witnesses. The President can say whatever he
likes and there’s no one to contradict him with facts. The President
claims that there is a “very credible threat” by Iran, but hasn’t
even bothered to try to prove it. When the inevitable spark ignites,
there will be no time to examine the veracity his claim until it’s
too late.<br>
<br>
Because of the history of fabricated pretexts, we have to view any
alleged attacks by Iran as highly unlikely. We have to view all
American actions as provocations. Yes, there will be lurid pictures
of some event that may never have happened. <br>
<br>
Our task right now is to immunize congress, the press and the
American people against such pretexts. We need to impress on all of
them the need for extreme skepticism about any claims the US and its
military make. There is no need to rush into the next catastrophe.<br>
<blockquote>America must not ignore the threat gathering against us.
Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof
-- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom
cloud. <br>
</blockquote>
That was President George W. Bush in 2002. We cannot, we must not be
suckered again.<br>
<br>
Contact your senators and representative. Contact all members of the
media. Contact all of your friends, relatives and acquaintances.
Contact all presidential and congressional candidates. Do it Now!
Demand that the US pull its military forces away from the vicinity
of Iran immediately. When the US claims that there has been an
attack, question every aspect of it, because it is likely not true.
Demand detailed evidence, and the time to analyze it critically.
Keep pounding home the lies of past presidents, their incentives for
lying and that yet another war will be a terrible thing. <br>
<br>
Please forward this message as you see fit. It’s not too late to
stop this war. We can do it, but it will need all of us. <br>
<br>
-Robbie<br>
<br>
<br>
Postscript:<br>
For those whose primary concern is the wellbeing of American troops,
consider this: Do you want to send military members to risk their
lives for a lie? Or do you want them doing so only when defending
the country from a genuine threat?<br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Congressional Contacts:</b><br>
For those of us in Montana, here are the contacts for our
congressional delegation:<br>
<br>
<b>Senator Jon Tester:</b><br>
Postal Mail: <br>
311 Hart Senate Office Building<br>
Washington, DC 20510-2604<br>
Phone: 202-224-2644<br>
Fax: 202-224-8594<br>
E-Mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.tester.senate.gov/contact"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.tester.senate.gov/contact</a><br>
<br>
<b>Senator Steve Daines:</b><br>
Postal Mail: <br>
320 Hart Senate Office Building<br>
Washington, D.C. 20510<br>
Phone: 202-224-2651<br>
E-Mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve</a><br>
<br>
<b>Congressmember Greg Gianforte:</b><br>
Postal Mail: <br>
1222 Longworth HOB<br>
Washington, DC 20515<br>
Phone: 202-225-3211<br>
E-Mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://gianforte.house.gov/contact" moz-do-not-send="true">https://gianforte.house.gov/contact</a><br>
Fax: 202-225-5687<br>
<br>
<b>For those elsewhere:</b><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.senate.gov/"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.senate.gov/</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.house.gov/"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.house.gov/</a><br>
<br>
<b>National Media Contacts:</b><br>
National Public Radio: <a
href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/emails/new"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/emails/new</a><br>
CBS News: <a
href="https://audienceservices.cbs.com/feedback/feedback.htm"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://audienceservices.cbs.com/feedback/feedback.htm</a><br>
NBC News: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pages/contact-us"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.nbcnews.com/pages/contact-us</a><br>
<a
href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nbc-news-digital-editors-n893846"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nbc-news-digital-editors-n893846</a><br>
ABC News: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3068843"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3068843</a><br>
CNN: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/feedback"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.cnn.com/feedback</a><br>
Fox News: <a
href="https://help.foxnews.com/hc/en-us/requests/new"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://help.foxnews.com/hc/en-us/requests/new</a><br>
Telephone: 888-369-4762<br>
<br>
<b>Montana Public Radio: </b><br>
University of Montana<br>
32 Campus Dr<br>
Missoula, MT 59812-8064<br>
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:news@mtpr.org" moz-do-not-send="true">news@mtpr.org</a><br>
News Director Eric Whitney: <a
href="mailto:eric.whitney@mtpr.org" moz-do-not-send="true">eric.whitney@mtpr.org</a><br>
<br>
<br>
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