Progressive Wednesday

“The only alternative to coexistence is co-destruction.”

We recently expressed our concerns about the potential for a war in Iran – the feds seem to be drumming it up with their “all options on the table” language about what they’d do to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons. (If you haven’t already, please join us and sign this petition from StopIranWar.com, which is sponsored by VoteVets.org and Wesley Clark.) And we’ve also addressed our desire for the Congress to de-authorize the occupation of Iraq. So what do the two have to do with each other? We’re terrified of what would happen, both there and here, if we were to, in any way, attack another sovereign nation when we’re unprovoked, creating another “war” of choice through preemptive strikes.

This one of the reasons we’ve already touted the efforts of groups like Iraq Veterans Against the War: they know, firsthand, what’s going on in Iraq; we, the prime-time-news-viewing public, do not. So we were impressed by this kind of powerful, in-your-face performance, c/o the Utne Reader:

Four years after the US invaded Iraq, a group of the war’s veterans invaded the streets of New York. In a Memorial Day exercise, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) donned their gear and reenacted military scenarios commonplace in the streets of Iraq. Using their hands as rifles, they shouted commands and crept around corners. Some scoured the streets for “Iraqi citizens,” forcing them to the ground, cuffing, and hooding them.

And here’s the video of the performance — imagine if this actually happened in the United States, imagine how you’d feel:

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And here’s our modest two-part proposal:

1. Let’s stop the Iran War in it’s horrific tracks. We’re going to beat this one home, so you might as well go sign the petition pronto. And please consider sending this letter to your members of Congress. Combined, you’ll spend about 120 seconds. That seems like a commercial break well spent.
2. Check your wallet or purse. Do you have a fiver? Good. Let’s donate that Lincoln, that half of a movie, that combo McMeal — let’s donate those bucks to Iraq Veterans Against the War. They’ll put it to good use. Trust us.

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Editor’s Note, Part I: To see the videos we’ve previously recommended to better understand what our troops are going through, click here and here.

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Editor’s Note, Part II: The title of this entry comes to us from Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of India. He was mentored by Mahatma Gandhi.

War is over stopped, if you want it.

We’ve dedicated two Wednesdays to the occupation of Iraq and the War in Afghanistan. One covered ways to support our troops in the field and those who have returned (see “Truly Supporting Our Troops“). The other firmly addressed ending the occupation of Iraq as soon as possible (see “Memorial Day, Everyday“). We’ve also shared the story of Bryan Anderson, a triple-amputee veteran, and the accessible and powerful poetry of Iraq vet Brian Turner.

So today we’re going to tackle a war that doesn’t exist yet, but unfortunately could. There are increasing reports that the feds are seriously considering attacking Iran if they attempt to develop nuclear weapons. We’ll file that one under “Worst Ideas of 2007.” Here’s how StopIranWar.com puts it:

All Americans want to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and interfering on the ground inside Iraq. Yet President Bush's saber rattling gives the US little additional leverage to engage and dissuade Iran, and, more than likely, simply accelerates a dangerous slide into war. The United States can do better than this.

Whatever the pace of Iran's nuclear efforts, in the give and take of the Administration's rhetoric ["All options on the table."] and accusations, we are approaching the last moments to head off looming conflict.

We’ve noticed several of the politicians running for President using the rhetoric of violence, but there’s clearly a political solution: as with Iraq, we don’t need to use force. So we’re going to do our small part at Progressive Wednesday. You’ll notice there’s a new side-bar “ad,” this one linking you to StopIranWar.com, a website launched in conjunction with Wes Clark (and his PAC, Securing America’s Future) and VoteVets.org. By clicking the blog-ad, you’ll be taken to a page where you can become the co-signer of a petition to President Bush, urging him to make every effort possible to avoid another very avoidable conflict.

If you click this sentence, you’ll be taken to a page where you can write to media outlets, write to your Representatives and Senators, and write to your pals about this important effort for peace. To sign the petition, you can simply click the image above. And why do we believe in StopIranWar.com’s mission? Because as progressives, we have to believe in peace whenever it’s possible.