By Mary Hladky
On January 2, President Trump unilaterally ordered, without consulting Congress, the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most senior and highly respected military leader—a violation of international law and the U.S. Constitution, and morally wrong. This act of war has put Americans in grave danger.
Trump’s reckless decision led to major blowback Jan. 7 with Iran bombing two Iraqi bases that house American troops. Many deaths were expected, but early reports indicated no US casualties. However, we may be on the brink of war with Iran, a country of 80 million people.
War with Iran would be bloody disaster, creating massive chaos throughout the region, expanding the wars in the Middle East and continuing endless war. Remember we are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. More war will only bring death to our troops and to innocent civilians and will further destroy the region.
For several days the Trump Administration has been trying to convince the American people that we were in imminent danger to justify its crime. According to Major D. Sjursen, the recently published “Afghanistan Papers have shown definitively that senior U.S. military and civilian officials lied and obfuscated about that ongoing war for at least 17 of its 18+ years.”
Lies have drawn us into endless wars. We can never again blindly trust what our government tells us. We must question everything, demanding the truth.
If we want to support the troops, we must make sure they are not sent to die for another senseless war. We must speak out in defense of our sons and daughters so they don’t pay the ultimate price for Trump’s rash and foolish decision.
We must demand diplomacy and de-escalation, before another war erupts.
Please act now! Call the Senate switchboard asking to speak to each of your Senators, 202-224-3121. Demand diplomacy and de-escalation before another war erupts. NO WAR WITH IRAN.
—Mary Hladky serves as vice-chair of the PeaceWorks-KC Board of Directors.
