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A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM DR.
B. BANZAI
Dear Friends:
Like us all, I am deeply concerned with the threat of war and the untold sorrow it brings.
My good friend, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, recently addressed the United States Senate on this very matter. His words, as usual, offered clarity and guidance to his colleagues in the Senate and to America as a whole. I urge you to read his remarks, which I have reprinted below. Please feel free to share the senator's remarks with your friends and loved ones, for there can be no more important or powerful force than an informed, involved citizenry. And when you're done considering Senator Byrd's thoughts, our own Mrs. Johnson has added her own comments on political debate, freedom of speech, and the Banzai Institute.
Remember, there is no greater evil than arrogance backed by brute force.
Faithfully yours,
WE STAND PASSIVELY MUTE
WE STAND PASSIVELY MUTE
Before the United States Senate
To contemplate war is to think
about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February
day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American
on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.
Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously,
dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no
attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular
war. There is nothing.
We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed
by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil
of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers
is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence
of engaging in this particular war.
And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This
is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This
coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point
in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent
history of the world.
This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary
doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time.
The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States
or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is
not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future
-- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense.
It appears to be in contravention of international law and the
UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide
terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they
will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list.
High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear
weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against
Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type
of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied
the vital economic and security interests of many nations so
closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our
time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject
to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based
on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric
from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against
global terrorism which existed after September 11.
Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks
with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur.
Family members are being called to active military duty, with
no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may
face. Communities are being left with less than adequate
police and fire protection. Other essential services are
also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim.
The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may
soon spike higher.
This Administration, now in power for a little over two years,
must be judged on its record. I believe that that record
is dismal.
In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a
large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade
and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see.
This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states
in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential
programs for our people. This Administration has fostered
policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration
has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care
for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide
adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration
has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.
In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama
bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again
marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration
has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all
time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations
and NATO. This Administration has called into question
the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as
well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has
turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and
name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence
and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences
for years to come.
Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil,
denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types
of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good.
We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global
war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship
of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends
whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military
machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating
attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy.
Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need
the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop
strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.
The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there
is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain
its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and
unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism
may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.
Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This
Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism
and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils
much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention
span that short? Have we not learned that after winning
the war one must always secure the peace?
And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq.
In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will
we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which
controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable
future? To whom do we propose to hand the reins of power
after Saddam Hussein?
Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating
attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear
arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments
be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer
ties to terrorism than Iraq?
Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide
recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our
callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations
increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation
an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?
In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant
Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous
consequences for years.
One can understand the anger and shock of any President after
the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate
the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous,
fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.
But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely
destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world
is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration
charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding
the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly
many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous.
There is no other word.
Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly
the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the
population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add,
of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent.
On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our
own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological
warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could
possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our
attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States
Senate.
We are truly "sleepwalking through history."
In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good
and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.
To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war
must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly
must question the judgment of any President who can say that
a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over
50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our
country". This war is not necessary at this time.
Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our
mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our
challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own
making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.
The Honorable Robert C. Byrd
United States Senate
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