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Impeachment/Stop War Resources, Update 6

April 1, 2007

JOE MILLER

Below find three articles (1, 2, 3) describing how the tensions surrounding the capture by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard of 15 British sailors and marines for allegedly trespassing into Iranian waters might escalate and be exploited by Bush, Cheney and their media enablers as a "justification" for launching an attack upon Iran.

  1. Unwise Brinkmanship in Iran
    Veteran Intelligence Professional for Sanity, TomPaine.com, 3/29/07
    http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/03/29/unwise_brinkmanship_in_iran.php
  2. Resist the War Drive Against Iran
    George Galloway, Information Clearing House, 3/30/07
    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17447.htm
  3. On the Rising Threats Against Iran
    Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, 3/26/07
    http://ips-dc.org/comment/bennis/tp49opposingsupplemental.htm

The first article above (1) also contains important observations by Craig Murray, a former British Ambassador and also former "head of the maritime section of the British Foreign Office." Murray asserts that the Iran/Iraq maritime boundary in question was never agreed upon by the two countries and thus has "no legal force," and that acknowledgment of this point might quickly defuse the crisis.

Below find an article (4) that speculates about what might have happened had the Iranian Revolutionary Guard attempted to capture U.S. rather than British sailors and marines. More specifically, according to the U.S. and British naval military officials interviewed, U.S. rules of engagement specify an "obligation to self-defense," whereas British rules "are very de-escalatory." The author speculates that under the circumstances had the Guard attacked 15 U.S. troops who were obligated to defend themselves, it's likely that the 15 soldiers would now be dead, and the U.S. would be at war with Iran.

  1. Better That Iranians Didn't Go After Yanks
    Gwynne Dyer, The Star Tribune (Minnesota), 3/29/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/29/178/

The welfare of the 15 British sailors and marines captured and detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is of obvious importance. But shouldn't the status and welfare of the five Iranian officials captured in a U.S. military raid on a diplomatic liaison office in the northern city of Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan on January 11 also be of importance (5)? Shouldn't the status and welfare of all of the individuals being detained as "coalition detainees," "security detainees," or "combatants" in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere also be of importance (5)?

  1. Fate of Five Detained Iranians Unknown
    Khody Akhavi, Inter Press Service, 3/30/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/30/192/

Why are Bush, Cheney and the Neocons intent upon, and doing their best to create "justifications" for an attack upon, war with, Iran? Reports by the CIA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicate that there is no conclusive evidence that Iran is building a nuclear bomb. The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) published two years ago forecast that Iran was 10 years from reaching "nuclear weapons capability," although that was later recast as "early-to-mid-next decade" (6; see also 7).

  1. There's Still Time to Rethink Iran
    Ray McGovern, Information Clearing House, 3/10/07
    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17279.htm
  2. A Constructive EU-US Approach to the Iran Nuclear Dispute
    Friends Committee on National Legislation, 1/10/07
    http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1653&issue_id=2

It's not like the Iranian government has not signaled its willingness to talk. Representative Dennis Kucinich (8) recently listed seven distinct occasions within the last few years when the Bush administration either ignored or refused to participate in potential diplomatic opportunities with Iran.

  1. Collision Course With Iran
    Representative Dennis Kucinich, The Nation, 2/27/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0227-28.htm

For our and the world's sake, and before they can do any additional damage or violate our Constitution in any additional ways, it is imperative that the U.S. Congress initiate impeachment proceedings against Bush and Cheney. As John Nichols says, "We are nearing an impeachment moment" (9). According to the manual Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1800 for the conduct of Congress, state legislatures can pass and submit petitions of impeachment, and the U.S. House of Representatives "must accept such petitions and give them due consideration" (10).

  1. Time is Right For Impeachment Vote
    John Nichols, The Capital Times (Wisconsin), 3/30/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/30/196/
  2. Vermont Puts Impeachment on the Table
    John Nichols, The Nation, 3/3/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0303-22.htm

To date, state legislative petitions for impeachment have been formulated but blocked in Washington and New Mexico, under consideration in New Jersey and Maine, and receiving strong support in Oregon and especially Vermont (11, 12). Finally, Representative Dennis Kucinich has recently begun "talking about time for impeachment" (13).

  1. Impeachment, Like Spring, is in the Air
    Dave Lindorff, Commondreams.org, 3/28/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/28/146/
  2. Vermont: 36 Towns Call For Impeachment Probe of President
    Shay Totten & Christian Avard, Vermont Guardian, 3/7/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0307-01.htm
  3. Kucinich: "I'm Talking About Impeachment"
    John Nichols, The Nation, 3/21/07
    http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0321-27.htm
Previous Updates

Past posts on stopping the ramp-up to war against Iran (with thanks to the St. Joseph Valley Greens):

Impeachment/Stop War Resources 3/4/07
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopIranWar5.shtml

Impeach Bush & Cheney/Stop War Against Iran Update 2/25/07
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopIranWar4.shtml

Challenges/Rebuttals/Resources 2/16/07
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/challengesRebuttals.shtml

Rebuttals to Bush's Iran Claims 2/15/07
http://www.sjvgreens.org/

Stop War Against Iran 2/10/07
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopIranWar3.shtml

Stop War Against Iran Update (2/4/07)
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopIranWar2.shtml

Stop War Against Iran (2/1/07)
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/stopIranWar.shtml

US/Israeli Plans to Attack Iran (1/21/07)
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/iranAttack.shtml

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Joseph Miller
Department of Psychology
51 Madeleva
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Office Phone: 574 284-4532 (4534)
Fax: 574 284-4716

St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN