February 3 and 4 were national days of action to repeal Sections 1021 & 1022 of NDAA (Feb. 3) and to Stop War On Iran (Feb. 4). I hand delivered a letter to the office of each of the members of Congress who supposedly represent me in DC requesting a repeal of sections 1021 & 1022 of NDAA.
The secretary at John Cornyn’s office said, “I want to let you know that the final version doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens.
I replied “it says requirement for military detention, not the ability for the military to detain” it also exempts the FBI, CIA, and other federal, State & local agencies from being able to detain citizens!”
He replied, “hmm, I never thought about it like that.”
I did not mention, but thought about as I left, the fact that non-citizens can and are detained indefinitely. If the people being detained in Guantanamo Bay and other military prisons around the world are the terrorists the federal government claims they are; it should be easy to convince a judge or jury of this fact. Unfortunately, that kind of logic is not prevalent in DC. The Congress and President would rather continue the practice of detaining people without trial on the suspicion of being involved in terrorists activities or, if the person is “high-profile,” kill the person without trial.
In a similar manner (through lies and deception), the President and Congress are beating the war drum to ramp up support for an attack on Iran. While I was not able to take part in the National Day of Protest to Stop War On Iran, I did send letters to the three members of Congress who supposedly represent me in DC letting them know that I oppose any attack against Iran.
One Senator sent a reply which states, in part, “I share your concern that Iran represents a growing threat to the United States… [Iran’s] drive to acquire a nuclear weapon is a grave concern… Iran continues to promote instability in the Middle East.
“I cosponsored S. 1048… this legislation would further expand sanctions against Iran.
“You may be certain that I will continue to advocate policies and legislation to help ensure our national security in the face of this growing threat.”
First, I do not believe Iran is a threat to the safety and security of any person living in these United States of America (or any other country, for that matter). Secondly, Iran isn’t attempting to get a nuclear weapon, rather nuclear energy. Thirdly, sanctions – imposed on any country – do not hurt the government, only the people living in that country. Finally, the best way to “ensure our national security” is to stop meddling in the affairs of foreign nations.
In the words of Thomas Jefferson, we should seek “peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”