Just when you thought a Congress could not debase itself any further, having just approved massive funding for the Iraq war and given the corporate criminal accomplices of Bush's attack on the Bill of Rights a free pass... along comes the mother of all insane resolutions of our time. This is even worse than the notorious Iraq War Resolution. and is likely to pass Congress like a glassful of laxatives.
Resolution 362 in the House (not officially named the "Iran War Resolution", but nonetheless amounting to nothing less than that)will effectively demand the US to impose a naval blockade of Iran, an act of war.
Please take action this weekend.
This resolution is the current central legislative priority of the pro-war lobby AIPAC.
Over the last three weeks 77 House Democrats and 92 Republicans have agreed to cosponsor a new resolution against Iran that demands that President Bush "initiate an international effort" to impose a land, sea, and air blockade on Iran to prevent it from importing gasoline and to inspect all cargo entering or leaving Iran.
Such a blockade imposed without United Nations authority (which the resolution does not call for) would be widely construed as an act of war. Some congressional sources say the House could vote on the resolution, H.Con.Res. 362, as early as next week.
In late May, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly urged the United States to impose a blockade on Iran. During a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in Jersusalem, Olmert said economic sanctions have "exhausted themselves" and called a blockade a "good possibility."
Now, thanks to aipac and a compliant congress, and a grassroots distracted by an election, Olmert may get his wish.
Congress is taking the path to war and is rejecting a rational approach to nuclear weapons proliferation on this fragile planet. Off the agenda is ending once and for all nuclear weapons possession by all nations, as was the supposed intent of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Off the agenda is making the Middle East a nuclear-weapons free zone. Off the agenda is the fact that Israel itself is in possession of a massive nuclear arsenal, and that the US looks the other way. Indeed, if the US were to officially acknowledge Israel's stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, it would be required to end military aid to Israel or violate its own laws banning funding of states that proliferate nuclear weapons.
In short, what is being rejected is a realistic plan for humanity to survive and finally end the scourge of nuclear weapons. The use of military action to deter the possession of nuclear weapons (or using that as a pretext for military action, even if that is not the actual reason) is the greatest incentive to possess nuclear weapons. It leads only to a deadly spiral of violence.
How long will the US Congress continue down this insane path of promoting war? How long will Congress listen to the war lobby, and instead listen to voices of reason?
More on this at the StopAIPAC website. Includes current status, list of cosponsors, and latest news.
UPDATE:
Regarding the "set to approve" description. That, for now, is the only realistic assessment, though nothing in life is certain. Last Thursday, the House resolution added nearly 2 dozen cosponsors, including Jesse Jackson Jr. By the end of Monday or whenever the list of cosponsors updated again i expect to see that many more. In any case, it is already cosponsored by nearly 40% of the House -- 170 out of 435. We have not heard any active opposition to this resolution from any House members. In fact, up to a few days ago, there was not much opposition anywhere on the web. (though i expect that something good will come from the usual suspects, Barbara Lee, Kucinich, et. al)
Our only hope is that each of you will take action. I have yet to see any active support for the resolution itself here at Daily Kos, despite our different perspectives. If we raise hell, congresspeople may rethink this. The power of aipac is not anything supernatural or conspiratorial. A few weeks ago, they had 7,000 people walking the halls of congress in support of this, so no wonder it has so popular. Now they need to listen to rest of us.
Lastly, if any of you hear from your congressperson, do send a copy to the Stop AIPAC website. Email: people (put the AT thingee here) stopAIPAC.org. Perhaps we can share this in a later diary, the good and the not so good.
UPDATE June 24
It looks like this will not be taken up by the full House until after the 4th of July recess. That means we have time to organize. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, check the website, we hope to organize a protest at Pelosi's office or perhaps elsewhere. If you haven't already registered your opposition, please do so. Interestingly, after picking up 24 cosponsors on the 17th, not one more congressperson has signed on to this insanity.