Your comments, Dot and Susan, remind me of how different this site is from any given "anti" war site. I feel in unison with the current in your posts, I find myself increasingly drawn to making peace where I am, and advocating *for* peace rather than *against* war. At the same time, I do give thanks that folks who engage in anti-war protests and reactionary activism are at least engaged, and it seems to me they are doing work that is as essential as the peace work that I try to do.

Steve

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Our lives begin to end the moment that we become silent about things that matter. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

You are right on as is usual, Susan. Good rebuttal. So many people are as re-active as she. We do need peace-filled pro-actors, not those so filled with frustration that they would hurt or harm others in their Rush-2-Right society's wrongs. I pray unceasingly for Grace to attach to all hearts and for people to be filled with Calm Assurances.

First and foremost, don't panic. Take deep breaths and consider the evidence you've presented and the conclusions you've drawn.

All the evidence I've seen indicates that your data are correct, and you were asking good questions until you hit your caps-lock. That was when you left your evidence and your logic behind and started trying to climb into other people's heads and change other people's behavior. Iran does indeed seem ready to talk, but I don't think they are going to allow weapons inspection unless this country does the same. How likely is THAT! You drew a valid conclusion about the hypocrisy of expecting other nations to disarm when we are bristling with weapons of all kinds.

But I don't think you realize that there is no way the president could make his threat realistic if he let on that he's not committed to bombing Iran's nuclear facilities. In other words, consider this like the ritual display of certain males during mating season. They strut, they preen, they circle, they flex, they even lock horns or mouths (depending on the critter), they may even draw blood, but they don't actually fight to the death.

The other thing you don't realize is that we've been leaving radioactive waste in the Middle East for a very long time. It's in the ocean and air currents, and the rate of serious birth defects in Iraq is currently around 20%. Five- and six-year-olds lose their baby teeth, and the teeth are radioactive. And our troops come home with a range of radiation sicknesses and can't even get a diagnosis because the VA is in denial.

Save some of your outrage for the damage already done instead of spending it all on the damage that may or may not happen. If they use the bunker-busters - and the chance is pretty good that they will since we know how they love to play with their new toys - it's not going to be like in the movies where the mushroom cloud covers most of the sky and the very ocean rears up in protest. It'll be more insidious than that.

Now notice my use of "they" instead of "he" and reconsider your suggested solution. Do you realize how many layers of support there are for the military option? If you want to impeach one or two or five people, go right ahead, but do it on the basis of violations of the Constitution, because that's the only grounds that will lead to success. Remember Clinton? It will take the entire term of the 110th Congress - unless you think this Congress is going to do it! And they can impeach successfully but still fail to find evidence enough to remove anyone from office. And if they remove anyone from office before their term expires, they'll just laugh their way all the way to the bank!

But if you really want to clean house, empower the International Criminal Court where there are already fifty American war criminals (give or take 10) under indictment.

And instead of hiding behind the Constitution (which really IS just a piece of paper!), convene a Constitutional Convention and remove Commander-in-Chief from the president's job description; on top of Chief Executive, it's too much to ask of any person.

And while we're writing a new Constitution, let's get representation in Congress for our DC residents, grant autonomy and self-determination to Native Americans, replace the winner-take-all system of most of our states with a true representational democracy, get rid of the electoral college, put our Department of Peace in the Cabinet and let that body, too, be proportional to the voters.... But mostly, take the time to get it right and let this country be ruled by the majority with representation for minorities as it was meant to be.

Take the time to get it right. Don't act out of panic, fear, desperation, pressure.... Don't REact - PROact!

Editor, propeace.net