An Open Letter to
Secretary of State Colin Powell:
Now is the Time to Resign in Protest
by David Krieger, March 6, 2003
Click here for readers comments
Dear Secretary Powell:
Your country has never needed you more than it
needs you now.
As a soldier, you know the pain and suffering that
war brings. You also know that war brings consequences that may
be uncontrollable.
The consequences of the war that is being threatened
against Iraq have not been well considered. It is predictable,
though, that among the consequences will be the undermining of
the security of the people of the United States by increasing
the terrorism directed at our country and its citizens.
Wars do not bring peace and, as you know, they
must never be undertaken without legitimacy, support and a belief
in the absolute necessity of sacrificing lives for a transcending
purpose.
A war against Iraq lacks legitimacy in the eyes
of the world and has failed to get the support of key US allies.
Never before in history have so many people raised their voices
in protest to a threatened war.
These protests, including those from longtime and
staunch US allies, come from all sectors of society and from all
parts of the world.
Despite the inducements we have offered and the
threats we have made, few of our allies support the US push for
war.
The Bush administration has failed to make the
case for a war against Iraq, and proceeding to war will drive
a terrible wedge through our nation.
Resolution 1441 does not authorize war against
Iraq. Should the United States proceed to war against Iraq the
United States will be acting illegally, in violation of the United
Nations Charter and Article VI(2) of the United States Constitution.
With every report by Chief UN Weapons Inspector
Hans Blix of increased cooperation and disarmament by Iraq, the
Bush administration has obstinately become more belligerent in
its threats of war.
In a war against Iraq there can be no victory nor
glory for our military. We will kill and maim the innocent. We
will cut short the lives of our youth and theirs. We will have
illegally exercised the rule of force over the force of law.
This need not be. But when the government of the
most powerful nation in the world dismisses the protests of its
own citizens and will not listen to its allies or follow the dictates
of international law, few options remain.
You are in a position to influence the course of
events. You are respected by the American people and throughout
the world as a voice of reason, temperance and experience.
We urge you to follow your conscience and resign
your office in protest of this war.
The American people will rally behind you, and
an illegal and immoral war can be stopped before it begins.
Please act with the urgency that the current situation
demands.
David Krieger
President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
If you'd like to send us your comments please e-mail
us at: letters@napf.org
(Please include the name of the article in the subject line)
Readers Comments
Wow! After listening to President Bush's speech
last night, I began to think about the possibility that Colin
Powell resign in protest. What a hero he would be in my eyes and,
I believe, in the eyes of the majority of the American public,
if he were to make such a statement. Secretary Powell, please
be a warrior, true to the highest ideals of your calling, and
resign in protest. I'm behind you all the way!
--Jeannine, Oklahoma
Great letter! I fully understand why it is pointless
to address a letter to Bush himself: he is beyond reasoning! This
raises an even bigger question: is it right to have system in
place where the US president can decide all by himself to start
a war, with all the unforeseeable consequences that might follow?
--Regards, Michel, USA
Bush's inadequacy was never more apparent than
in this last hour, as everyone in the room seemed to realize.
Can we or the U.N. do nothing? He's made it clear he will not
be bound by the U.N. No one asks the big question: When does the
evil we inflict surpass anything that has been
done to us?
--David, USA
|
