President Bush has agreed that war with Iraq should be the very last resort. But, as weapons inspectors move into high-gear, senior members of the White House seem off-message in their public determination to invade Iraq regardless of the inspection’s outcome. And though it’s difficult to believe Bush is sincere, it’s still worth trying to hold his Administration accountable to his words.
Toward that end, MoveOn.org is sponsoring a nationwide petition drive calling for the Administration to give inspections and diplomacy a chance. The call is picking up steam with close to 100,000 signatures in little more than four days.
The petition will be presented to President Bush, Secretaries Powell and Rumsfeld and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It’ll also be publicized via national newspaper ads starting with one in The New York Times this week. Sign the petition today. You can also help Move.On place more ads with a donation or volunteer to help out in a variety of ways.
*****
All respect to legendary antiwar and social justice activist Philip Berrigan , who passed away Friday in Baltimore, MD, surrounded by thirty friends and family-members. During his forty years of activism , eleven of them spent in prison, all for non-violent civil disobedience, Berrigan focused on building an actual community as a model for the sustainable world he was working to create. His legacy can best be seen in the continuing work of Jonah House , the community he co-founded in 1973 as a haven and resource for Vietnam War protesters.