Actions opposing war with Iraq will take place on August 2 in New York and a number of other cities. We are invited to join existing events and plan our own.
Do I believe there will be war with Iran? An air attack? A land invasion? A blockade?
I really don’t know. Some days — and some times of some days — I believe that the leaders of this nation would not be that foolish. Other times, I wonder. I seriously wonder. I wonder about things like H.R. 362, a bill in the House of Representatives. The bill asks the president to impose a land, sea, and air interdiction of all people and goods moving into and out of Iran.
Were the bill to pass and such actions taken, the consequences could be disastrous. Iran, and many other nations, would no doubt see such an interdiction — blockade — as an act of war. It would also set up the scenario in which the United States has to decide what to do if such an interdiction — blockade — were violated. And that could lead to war.
I wonder about an incident of some sort — war planes flying too close together, accusations of arms being sent to Iraq, a naval confrontation — that would lead to a retaliatory strike that quickly escalates into a higher level of conflict.
I wonder, so on August 2, and maybe before that, I will contact the White House and my representatives in Congress. And I will take part in the 2008 Hiroshima Day Witness for Peace at Los Alamos, trusting that the issue of war with Iran will be raised. And I will pray for peace for all God’s children.
The 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) went on record opposing a preemptive strike on Iran and calling for dialogue.