- Supporters of the August 26 Kennebunkport Warning welcome
the statement issued by David Swanson entitled " Leading Americans
Ask U.S. Military to Refuse Orders to Attack Iran," (_ http://www.dontattackiran.org_
(http://www.dontattackiran.org/) ) and signed by a group of well-known
personalities. The massive evidence of this danger which existed at the
end of August has become still more massive over the past five weeks, and
we are glad that these signers have seen their way clear to launch an
initiative on this critical front.
-
- Just a few days after the Kennebunkport Warning (http://actindependent.org/)
) was issued, on August 30, a rogue B-52 flew across the United States
carrying six nuclear armed cruise missiles from Minot, North Dakota to
Barksdale, Louisiana. According to many analysts, these weapons were destined
to be used in a nuclear sneak attack on Iran, which may have been planned
for September 6, the day that Israel launched its own aerial sneak attack
into Syria and perhaps also Iran . (Even more heinous uses of these cruise
missiles here inside the United States can also not be excluded, given
the insistence of the Cheney Doctrine on a terrorist act in the US to
be blamed on Iran as the immediate pretext for the Iran war as Zbigniew
Brzezinski told the Senate Foreign relations Committee on Feb. 1, 2007.)
Many sources (see Wayne Madsen Report, September 24) agree that the transfer
of these nuclear weapons to Iran was blocked by US Air Force personnel,
backed up by anti-Cheney factions in the intelligence community, who refused
to obey an illegal order, just as the Kennebunkport Warning had urged
on August 26. It is also important to note that some half dozen personnel
linked to the Minot and Barksdale air bases have died under mysterious
circumstances since July, raising the sorts of questions that make a large-scale
Congressional investigation of this entire incident absolutely imperative.
It is odd that the new statement, while urging the military to disobey
illegal orders, offers no support or recognition to those courageous persons
who appear to have already done just that; it is more than odd that this
incident, which was extensively reported in a cover-up published on the
front page of the Washington Post of Sunday, September 23, is not mentioned
at all in the new statement.
-
- Unfortunately, the "Leading Americans" document
comes too late to influence the B-52 incident itself. We would urge the
"Leading Americans" signers to take note of the fact that the
loyal USAF personnel who stopped the rogue B-52 from being used for high
treason, and to demand that an investigation be started.
-
- We would also urge the signers to add the decisive question
of the false flag event, be it a new 9/11 and/or a new Gulf of Tonkin
provocation, to their statement. This is the heart of the Kennbunkport
Warning, but is not mentioned in the new statement. As Steve Clemons recently
wrote in _salon.com_ (http://salon.com/) , it is unlikely that a sneak
attack on Iran could get through the normal channels of the US national
security interagency process. The realization of Cheney's war plan depends
upon an outside manufactured event, along the lines of 9/11, which could
be used to engineer the typical neocon end run around the standard operating
procedures and launch the wider war. As Clemons wrote:
-
- We should also worry about the kind of scenario David
Wurmser floated, meaning an engineered provocation. An "accidental
war" would escalate quickly and "end run," as Wurmser put
it, the president's diplomatic, intelligence and military decision-making
apparatus. [] That kind of war is much more probable and very much worth
worrying about.
-
- The failure to identify this critical feature of the
false flag, even in the wake of the rogue B-52 incident and Israeli attack
on Syria, is a key difference between the new statement and the Kennebunkport
Warning.
-
- The new statement constantly narrows its subject matter
to "any preemptive U.S. attack on Iran ," which seems to suggest
that there might be some other kind of attack on Iran that would be more
acceptable, and to which this statement might not apply. Bush (in his
"nuclear holocaust" speech of August 28), Cheney, Petraeus, Odierno,
Mrs. Clinton, and all the usual suspects are already busy arguing that
the looming US attack on Iran will not be preventive, but a retaliation
against alleged Iranian arms shipments into Iraq, training of Iraqi resistance
fighters, etc. According to Congressman Kucinich, the top leadership
of the Democratic Party has already given its approval for an attack of
this type. In opposition to this prevarication, it is important to stress
that ANY AND ALL ATTACKS on Iran are not only unjustified, but would also
represent national suicide for the United States and a slide into a third
world war in which the US would be not just the aggressor, but also the
sure loser. There must in short be no US attack on Iran , Syria , Pakistan
, Lebanon , Sudan , or any other country under any pretext whatsoever.
-
- Finally, the Kennebunkport Warning called for the immediate
impeachment of Cheney as an urgent measure of war avoidance to keep
Cheney's finger away from the nuclear button, just as Secretary of Defense
James Rodney Schlesinger did in regard to Nixon during the final weeks
of Watergate in 1974. This is something that everyone can and should work
for. At the _actindependent.org_ (http://actindependent.org/) website,
where the Kennebunkport Warning is posted, dedicated activists who really
want to stop World War III are urged to declare their candidacies for
the US House and Senate immediately, as the only means of getting the
attention of the two corrupt and bankrupt political parties, thus contributing
to a people's candidates' movement that will eventually be able to go
beyond appeals to incumbents to contest the issue of political power in
this country.
-
- We agree with the new statement's stress on the idea
that illegal orders must be countermanded. But we would also submit that
loyal military personnel who take such actions deserve the full support
of a growing political movement which aims at impeaching and removing
the current regime from office, and bringing them to justice for their
crimes, including war crimes and the misprision of treason around 9/11.
The Kennebunkport Warning puts the burden of impeachment on the Congress,
where it belongs. Military people who refuse to act as pawns of the Cheney
are pledged the support of a civilian political movement. The new statement
appears to let the Congress and the two corrupt political parties off
the hook, while shifting the entire burden of resistance to individual
military people. The military do have a special role in this, but is the
civilian political movement of candidates which has to give them cover,
and not the other way around.
-
- We urge the sponsors of the new statement to increase
the effectiveness of their intervention by including these points in their
text, to which they are offered in the spirit of friendly amendments.
-
-
- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
- From: David Swanson <_ david@davidswanson.org_
- (mailto:david@davidswanson.org)
- Date: Oct 2, 2007 11:15 AM
- Subject: [Activists] Prominent Americans Ask Military
to Refuse to Attack
- Iran
- To: _activists@lists.mayfirst.org _ (mailto:activists@lists.mayfirst.org)
-
-
- Leading Americans Ask U.S. Military to Refuse Orders
to Attack Iran Country music legend Willie Nelson, literary icon Gore
Vidal, Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel
Ellsberg, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, former Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega, author and radio
host Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Rabbi Steven Jacobs, and dozens
of other prominent Americans have signed a letter asking the Joint Chiefs
of Staff and all U.S. military personnel to refuse orders to launch an
aggressive war on Iran. The letter has been posted as a petition for
others to sign at _http://www.dontattackiran.org_ (http://www.dontattackiran.org/)
The text of the letter follows: ATTENTION: Joint Chiefs of Staff and all
U.S. Military Personnel:
-
- Do not attack Iran.
- Any preemptive U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal.
- Any preemptive U.S. attack on Iran would be criminal.
-
- We, the citizens of the United States, respectfully
urge you, courageous men and women of our military, to refuse any order
to preemptively attack Iran, a nation that represents no serious or immediate
threat to the United States. To attack Iran, a sovereign nation of 70-million
people, would be a crime of the highest magnitude.
-
- Legal basis for our Request - Do not attack Iran:
-
- The Nuremberg Principles, which are part of US law,
provide that all military personnel have the obligation not to obey illegal
orders. The Army Field Manual 27-10, sec. 609 and UCMJ, art. 92, incorporate
this principle. Article 92 says: "A general order or regulation is
lawful unless it is contrary to the Constitution, the law of the United
States ..."
-
- Any provision of an international treaty ratified by
the United States becomes the law of the United States. The United States
is a party and signatory to the United Nations Charter, of which Article
II, Section 4 states, "All members shall refrain in their international
relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity
or political independence of any state..." As Iran has not attacked
the United States, and as the U.S. is a party and signatory to the Charter,
any attack on Iran by the U.S. would be illegal under not only international
law but under the U.S. Constitution which recognizes our treaties as the
Supreme Law of the Land. When you joined the military, you took an oath
to defend our Constitution.
-
- Following the orders of your government or superior does
not relieve you from responsibility under international law. Under the
Principles of International Law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg
Tribunal, complicity in the commission of war crime is a crime under international
law.
-
- Background:
-
- The Bush Administration's charges against Iran have
not been proven. Neither the development of nuclear weapons, nor providing
assistance to Iraq would, if proven, constitute justification for an illegal
war.
-
- An attack on Iran might prompt the formidable Iranian
military to attack U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. Thousands of our soldiers
might be killed or captured as prisoners of war. A U.S. attack against
Iranian nuclear facilities could also mean the deaths, from radiation
poisoning, of tens of thousands of innocent Iranian civilians. The people
of Iran have little control over their government, yet would suffer tremendously
should the U.S. attack. Bombing raids would amount to collective punishment,
a violation of the Geneva Convention, and would surely sow the seeds of
hatred for generations to come. Children make up a quarter of Iran's population.
-
- Above all, we ask you to look at the record of our actions
in Iraq, which U.S. intelligence admits is "a cause celebre for jihadists"
- a situation that did not exist before we attacked. We must face the
fact that our rash use of military solutions has created more enemies,
and made American families less safe. Diplomacy, not war, is the answer.
-
- Know the Risks Involved in Refusing an Illegal Order
or Signing This Statement:
-
- We knowingly and willingly make this plea, aware of
the risk that, in violation of our First Amendment rights, we could be
charged under remaining sections of the unconstitutional Espionage Act
or other unconstitutional statute, and that we could be fined, imprisoned,
or barred from government employment.
-
- We make this plea, also aware that you have no easy
options. If you obey an illegal order to participate in an aggressive
attack on Iran, you could potentially be charged with war crimes. If you
heed our call and disobey an illegal order you could be falsely charged
with crimes including treason. You could be falsely court martialed. You
could be imprisoned. (To talk to a lawyer or to learn more about possible
consequences, contact _The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors_
(http://www.girights.org/) , _Courage to Resist_ (http://www.couragetoresist.org/)
, _Center on Conscience and War _ (http://www.centeronconscience.org/)
, _Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild_ (mailto:mlhiken@mltf.info)
415-566-3732, or the GI Rights Hotline at 877-447-4487.) **
-
- Final request:
-
- Our leaders often say that military force should be
a last resort. We beg you to make that policy a reality, and refuse illegal
orders to attack Iran. We promise to support you for protecting the American
public and innocent civilians abroad.
-
- Our future, the future of our children and their children,
rests in your hands.
-
- You know the horrors of war. You can stop the next one.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- Daniel Ellsberg, Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner,
Rabbi Steven Jacobs,
- Cynthia McKinney, Willie Nelson, Cindy Sheehan, Norman
Solomon, Elizabeth de
- la Vega, Gore Vidal, Ann Wright,
- James Abourezk, former U.S. Senator, (D) South Dakota
- Stacy Bannerman, Author, "When the War Came Home",
Military Families Speak
- Out Charter Board member
- John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney and author of "Warrior-King:
The Case
- for Impeaching George W. Bush."
- Amy Branham, Gold Star Mother of
- Sgt. Jeremy R. Smith, US Army Reserves, Nov. 1981-Feb.
2004
- Blase Bonpane, Ph.d, Director OFFICE OF THE AMERICAS
- David Clennon, Actor/activist
- Tim Carpenter, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats
of America
- Daniel Ellsberg, author of "Secrets: A Memoir of
Vietnam and the Pentagon
- Papers."
- David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate
- Jeff Cohen, author/media critic
- Elizabeth de la Vega, former federal prosecutor and
author of U.S. v. George
- W. Bush
- Karen Dolan, Director, Cities for Progress/Cities for
Peace
- Anne Feeney, activist/folksinger or Local 1000, AFM
- Mike Ferner, Navy corpsman; Secretary, Veterans for Peace
- Bob Fertik, President _Democrats.com_ (http://democrats.com/)
- Laura Flanders, Radio Host on Air America
- Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator Global Network Against
Weapons & Nuclear Power
- in Space
- Lila Garrett, KPFK Host of "Connect the Dots"
- Liberty Godshall, writer, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural
Resources Defense
- Council
- Hon. Jackie Goldberg, California Assembly Member (AD
45), retired.
- Kevin Alexander Gray, writer, and organizer with the
Harriet Tubman Freedom
- House Project
- Representative Betty Hall, Hillsborough District 5,
New Hampshire General Court
- David L. Harris, MD
- Tom Hayden
- Thom Hartmann, author and Air America radio host
- Valerie Heinonen, o.s.u., Ursulines of Tildonk for Justice
and Peace
- Jenny Heinz , member of CodePink, member of Granny Peace
Brigade Rabbi
- Steven Jacobs, Los Angeles
- Michael Jay, Steering Committee, Progressive Democrats
of Los Angeles
- Charles Jenks, co-founder and editor of _traprockpeace.org_
- (http://traprockpeace.org/)
- Justice Through Music
- Antonia Juhasz, author, The Bush Agenda: Invading the
World, One Economy at
- a Time
- Jerry Kass, playwright and professor at Columbia University
- Dr, Nazir Khaja ,Chairman, Islamic Information Service,
Los Angeles, CA.
- Mimi Kennedy, National Chair, Progressive Democrats of
America
- Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun and Chair, the Network
of Spiritual
- Progressives
- Summer Lipford, Gold Star Mother,NC 28677
- David Lindorff, Author, The Case for Impeachment
- Alice Lynn, Delegate, California Democratic Party (41st
AD)
- Ben Manski, Executive Director, Liberty Tree
- Ray McGovern, Army infantry/intelligence officer, 1962-64;
CIA analyst
- 1964-90.
- Cynthia Mckinney, former Congresswoman
- Barbara Mills-Bria, Be The Change-USA
- Bill Moyer, Executive Director, Backbone Campaign
- Willie Nelson, Entertainer, Peace Activist Annie Nelson,
Sustainable
- Biodiesel/Peace Activist
- Honorable Eric Oemig - Washington State Senator
- Geov Parrish, Executive Director Peace Action of Washington
- Jacob Park, Founder, A28.
- Brad Parker, Officer of the Progressive Caucus of the
California Democratic
- Party
- Bill Perry, Director, Delaware Valley Veterans For America
- Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and historian
- Marcus Raskin, member of National Security Council Staff
under President
- Kennedy
- Dorothy Reik, President, Progressive Democrats of the
Santa Monica Mountains
- Coleen Rowley, retired FBI Agent and former Chief Division
Counsel of
- Minneapolis Division of the FBI
- Bill Scheurer, Editor, PeaceMajority Report
- Randi Scheurer, IL-Dist. 8, Congressional Candidate
- Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace
- Alice Slater, Abolition 2000 New York
- Norman Solomon, Author and syndicated columnist
- David Swanson, _Afterdowningstreet.org_ (http://afterdowningstreet.org/)
- John Stauber, Co-author, "Weapons of Mass Deception:
The Uses of Propaganda
- in Bush's War on Iraq"
- Jonathan Tasini, PDA NY
- Ethel Tobach, Ph. D., member of Psychologists for Social
Responsibility
- Tina Richards CEO Grassroots Americaredith, Gold Star
Mother, Proud Mom of
- Lt Ken Ballard- KIA 5.30.04
- Gore Vidal, Author
- Marcy Winograd, President, Progressive Democrats of
Los Angeles
- Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (Retired) and US diplomat
who resigned in March,
- 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war.
- Kevin Zeese on behalf of Voters for Peace and Democracy
Rising
- Velvet Revolution
-
- ** These resources are publicly available, and our offering
them does not
- indicate that these organizations support this petition.
|
