End Endless War: Close Guantanamo and Pursue Diplomacy, Not War, in the Middle East

ICUJP members with Carly Towne of Code Pink (in pink, of course)

Yesterday I was shocked, but not surprised, that our unpredictable and incompetent Commander in Chief reacted impulsively to the escalating violence in Iraq and has risked plunging our country, and the world,  into a catastrophic war.  The assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking member of the Iranian government, could lead to a war between the United States and Iran, and even World War III. A breaking news report indicates that 3,000 American troops are being sent to the Middle East in response to this growing threat. 

After an excellent presentation by Carley Towne of Code Pink, I worked with my friends at ICUJP to prepare a statement that can help avert such a war.  We encourage you to speak out against this extra-judicial killing and the threat of war by signing an online petition at https://www.codepink.org/noiranwar_old

Also call, email or write your elected officials directly urging them to support the bipartisan legislation  “Unconstitutional War with Iraq." When you contact Senators Feinstein and Harris, please feel free to use text from our public statement  (see below) as talking points.

·        Senator Kamala Harris: 11845 West Olympic Boulevard, Suite 1250W Los Angeles, CA 90064. Phone (310) 231 - 4494. Email: https://www.harris.senate.gov/contact

·        Senator Dianne Feinstein: 11111 Santa Monica Blvd #915, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Phone: (310) 914-7300. Email: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

You can also contact elected officials via fcnl.org.

Please also come to the Federal Building, 300 N Los Angeles St, 91102, on Jan 10, 2020, from 9:15-10:30 am for our CLOSE GUANTANAMO NOW event. See icujp.org for more info. 

ICUJP Statement to Our Elected Officials

After 9/11, the United States responded to a terrorist attack on our country by retaliating with endless wars in the Middle East and other parts of the world that have caused millions of deaths, displaced tens of millions of refugees, cost trillions of dollars, and made our nation and the world considerably less safe. As people of faith and conscience, we have not only opposed these endless and futile wars, we have also opposed the indefinite and unwarranted detention and torture of political prisoners at Guantanamo and CIA “black sites.”

Consistent with our belief that “religious communities must stop blessing war and violence,” we stand utterly opposed to political assassination as a tool of foreign policy. Killing foreign leaders doesn’t advance the cause of peace. It has the opposite effect: it provokes retaliation and further violence.

The current violence in Iraq is a result of our misguided decision to use force instead of diplomacy to try to resolve political conflicts in the Middle East. 

For this reason, we call upon our elected officials to speak out publicly and pass a resolution opposing the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking member of the Iranian government.   This assassination will further exacerbate tensions in the Middle East and perpetuate the cycle of violence. A breaking news report indicates that 3,000 troops are being sent to the Middle East in response to this threat. 

This dangerous escalation of violence can be seen as a direct consequence of abandoning the Iran Nuclear Agreement that was negotiated by the Obama administration and supported by the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, and  the European Union. Our withdrawal from this multi-national Agreement was unwise. We urge our elected officials to resume negotiations with Iran and be open to reducing sanctions and making other concessions as an expression of good faith.

We are concerned that this extra-judicial killing could lead to war between the United States and Iran and possibly even a World War. World War I was triggered by political assassination. Assassinating a high-ranking government official can be seen as an act of war and would be considered as such if a comparable American official were assassinated by a foreign power. We feel strongly that Congress needs to reaffirm its opposition to war on Iran, and also support repealing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which has been used by Presidents as a blank check to justify military interventions.