[Fresh Ink] My Questions for Langevin About Iran

[Richard Menec]

<http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_2459589.html>

iStockAnalyst                    Thursday, July 31, 2008

My Questions for Langevin About Iran

Apparently under orders from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs
Committee), Rhode Island's U.S. Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James
Langevin co-sponsored HCR 362 -- a mysterious and dangerous resolution
calling for a blockade of Iran
(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.CON.RES.362:).

Unable to understand the resolution, I called the office of Mr. Langevin --
a congressman who seems to represent AIPAC more than Rhode Island. The
gentleman who answered knew little or nothing about it, but he promised to
relay my questions to him. I sent him the following questions about HCR 362
in writing:

How did you learn of "Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons"?

Why is your source more reliable than the NIE (National Intelligence
Estimate) and the reports of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)?

Where in the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) is development of
nuclear energy prohibited?

How did Hamas "illegally seize control of Gaza"? I thought Hamas was elected
in what international observers found to be a fair election. (And isn't it
Israel that illegally controls Gaza, bombing and starving its residents?)

How do you know "Iran seeks to establish regional hegemony"? I thought that
the U.S. and Israel were the nations seeking to dominate the region with
massive military force. (In fact, your resolution ends with a reference to
"America's vital national security interests in the Middle East.")

Why is it okay for Israel, India and Pakistan to have nuclear capabilities,
but not Iran?

Why are U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iran more important than the
far more numerous and longstanding U.N. resolutions on Israel?

Most important: What do you expect the consequences will be if you succeed
in getting George Bush to pressure on Iran by "prohibiting the export to
Iran of all refined petroleum products;" imposing inspection requirements on
all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or
departing Iran; and "prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian
officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear
program"?

How would we respond if some power tried to do these things to the U.S.?

Do you expect the war you propose will go better than the wars we are
already fighting against countries much smaller than Iran?

Rod Driver

Richmond

(c) 2008 Providence Journal

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