Tuesday, June 10—Call-in to Congress for Diplomacy with Iran

This is a national action organized by the Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran (www.newiranpolicy.org). Communicating with our representatives is an essential component of our representative democracy! Remember: of the people, by the people, for the people!

*When you call, ask for the aide who handles international affairs or foreign policy. Tell them you’re calling to encourage the Senator or Representative to: (1) Work for direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks between the U.S. and Iran; (2) Remind them that the U.S. and Iran share common interests in a stable Iraq, Middle East and Afghanistan. (3) And emphasize that just as the U.S. pursued negotiations with North Korea and Libya it’s now time to talk with Iran.

Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 (Also, this toll free number is mentioned in publicity for the event: 800- 788-9372).

Folks,

About 6 months ago, 16 intelligence agencies in the US unanimously arrived at conclusions about Iran’s nuclear program that seem to have been totally forgotten in the new frenzy of preparing to attack Iran. What happened? I’m not asking this question rhetorically. Does anyone out there have a good answer?

Thanks,
Eshi

An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks “unavoidable” given the apparent failure of sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential, one of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s deputies said today.

http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=200639

So yes there seems to be some sort of contradiction here… all US intelligence reports clearly show that Iran is not now nor has any plans in the future of building nuclear weapons, and yet the US and Israel continue to beat their war-drum and threaten Iran almost daily. Perhaps as in times past there is something going on that “the people” just don’t know about? Perhaps that might be “OIL?” Perhaps it is something else. It certainly isn’t fear of a nuclear Iran as Israel claims… but just WHAT is it? That’s the question. Perhaps Israel might sit down one day and actually explain it to the rest of the world instead of threatening to inflict yet more war on an already embattled and beat up world… Perhaps if Israel focused more attention on PEACE rather than FEAR and WAR… just a thought…

Article originally published in the LA Times here

The possibility of a United States or Israeli war to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions has been an obsession among foreign policy wonks, diplomats and journalists for some time.

Many Iran experts believe such a war would be a disaster that would fail to halt Iran’s nuclear program. Michael Axworthy (pictured) is one of them.

During the 1970s, the British author and former diplomat traveled to Iran many times while his parents lived and worked there. He joined the British foreign service in 1986, serving as a head of the Iran desk from 1998 to 2000.

Over the last eight years he’s been writing books and teaching about Iran in the United Kingdom. His latest book, “A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind,” was released last month. It traces the country’s history from its earliest days,
emphasizing its religious, intellectual and cultural traditions.

Axworthy graciously agreed to an e-mail interview about Iran and its current confrontation with the West. “The crisis is a result of the hostility that has persisted between the U.S. and Iran since the revolution of 1979 and the hostage crisis.

“But it has its roots in the U.S.-Iran relationship earlier than that, notably in U.S. support for the regime of the Shah in the 1960s and 1970s, and the coup attempted by the British and the CIA against Prime Minister Mossadeq in 1953. The prime reason the clerical regime in Iran might want a nuclear weapon is as a deterrent to the U.S. regime-change policy.”

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Rabbi Lynn’s Trail Guide To Jewish Nonviolence

Wednesday, May 28, 7:30 pm

JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut Street in Berkeley

$10-$20 sliding scale, to benefit the Aquarian Minyan