[LCM Articles] Letter from Ralph Nader to George Bush

[Abdallah Jabbour]

   *Published on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 by CommonDreams.org *
 *Please, President Bush: Don't Continue to Be Weak on Lebanon Crisis *
**
 *by Ralph Nader *


Dear President Bush:

You have been a weak president, despite your strutting and barking, when it
comes to doing the right things for the American people within the
Constitution and its rule of law. This trait is now in bold relief over the
Israeli government's escalating war crimes pulverizing the defenseless
people and country of Lebanon.

With systematic efficiency, the Israeli government has already destroyed
innocent homes and basic public facilities-- ports, airports, highways,
bridges, power stations-- which are critical to delivery of food, medicines,
health care, ambulances, water, and other essentials for a civilian
population. This bombardment, by U.S. made bombers, military vehicles,
ships, and missiles with American taxpayer subsidies, places an inescapable
responsibility upon your shoulders which does not mix with your usual
vacuous messianic rigidity.

As the leading player in official Washington's puppet show, it is time for
you to assert the interests of the American people and those of the broad
Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, by standing up to the puppeteers.
For without this conflict, Hezbollah would not be in today's news.

The time has come for you to return to Texas for a private meeting with your
father, his former national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft, and his
former Secretary of State, James Baker. You need to say to them 'I can't
trust my advisors anymore; there have been so many tragic blunders. What do
you advise me to do about the destruction of a friendly nation by the
world's fifth most powerful military?'

Here is what I think they should say to you:

1. Take personal command of an immediate rescue effort for the tens of
thousands of Americans trapped in Lebanon by Israel's calculated blocking of
air, land and sea escape routes. You've said the safety of Americans is your
top priority. Prove it by using the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy
facilities to immediately evacuate all our people desperate to escape the
terrorization of Lebanon.

2. You have been so docile and permissive to Israeli demands that any modest
deviation from this posture will make your next move credible. Announce that
you are sending two prominent negotiators-perhaps James Baker (Republican)
and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (Democrat) to Israel and
Lebanon to arrange for a cease fire between the combatants.

Announced at a televised White House news conference with your two envoys,
you can punctuate your seriousness by raising the questions of violations of
the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act. Using U.S.
supplied weapon systems to commit civilian atrocities on homes and fleeing
vehicles with children and to inflict collective punishment on mass civilian
populations are not using these weapons for legitimate self-defense and
internal policing, as our federal law requires. Israeli planes have even
fire-bombed wheat silos and gasoline stations in Lebanon. More mayhem is on
the way.

3. Stop acting like an impulsive, out-of-control West Texas Sheriff and
start reading, thinking and listening for a change. When Israel, Britain and
France violated international treaties against aggression in 1956, and
invaded the Suez Canal, President Dwight Eisenhower used his influence to
make them withdraw from Egypt.

In 1982, following a year without any PLO skirmishes over the
Lebanese-Israeli border, Israeli armed forces invaded Lebanon anyway. They
created a path of destruction all the way to Beirut and militarily occupied
south Lebanon for 18 years before they withdrew, except for retaining Shebaa
Farms. In 1982, the *New York Times* reported "indiscriminate bombing" of
Beirut by Israeli planes. At least 20,000 Lebanese civilians lost their
lives in that invasion and many more were injured. From that conflict
Hezbollah was born, composed of many people whose relatives were casualties
in that illegal invasion.

History, George, does not start two weeks or two months ago. You must read
about past U.S. Presidents who, at least, sent high-level emissaries to
quell similar border fighting. It worked and prisoners were often exchanged.


You are doing and saying nothing about what the rest of the world believes
is a hugely disproportionate attack against innocent adults and children in
violation of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter and other treaties and
federal statutes. You've sworn to uphold these laws. Do so. Because of the
Israeli government's overwhelming military power, the imbalance of terror
against civilians and their property has always been to its advantage. As
has its occupation of Palestine and confiscation of land and water sources.

4. You can't take sides and be an honest broker. Just about all our
knowledgeable retired military, diplomatic and intelligence officials
believe resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to deflating
other agitations in the region. Freedom and justice for the Palestinian
state and security and stability for the Israeli state must both be
achieved.

You have turned your back on the courageous and prominent Israeli peace
movement which normally reflects the positions of half of the Israeli
population. You've never met with any of its leaders - even those in the
Knesset or former officials in the military, intelligence and Justice
Ministries. Hundreds of reserve combat officers and soldiers of the IDF have
refused, in their words, "to fight beyond the 1967 borders to dominate,
expel, starve and humiliate an entire population." They pledged only to
fight for Israel's legitimate defense. ( www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp)

5. Once in a while, ask your aides for a sample of Israeli opinion that
rejects the notion that there can be a military solution to this conflict,
despite the military imbalance. For example, reports and editorials in
Haaretz, arguably the most respected newspaper in Israel, would educate your
judgment. In a recent editorial, Haaretz argued that the present Israeli
government has "lost its reason" through the brutal incarceration,
devastation and deprivation of innocent people in Gaza.

In another Haaretz commentary dated July 16th, Gideon Levy writes:

In Gaza, a soldier is abducted from the army of a state that frequently
abducts civilians from their homes and locks them up for years without a
trial - but only we're allowed to do that. And only we're allowed to bomb
civilian population centers.

6. One final bit of advice could come from Papa Bush's circle. If the
Israeli army decides to invade Lebanon with troops, your support of the
aggression can possibly unleash a domino of warring actions and reactions
over there. As is it, Americans are increasingly fed up with the Iraq
quagmire.

Moreover, we know they don't like many of your domestic policies favoring
the wealthy, the post-Katrina debacle, exporting jobs, and among our
conservative base, your enormous deficits. So our Republican Party's control
of government is at stake in November. Don't you have your hands full with
Iraq whose invasion we all urged you to avoid in 2003?
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