Friends,
Let me know if you
would be interested in delivering this letter to Mike Pompeo. The idea
would be to do the delivery a few days after the March 30 anti-NATO
rally. Possible dates are April 1st through April 3rd.
Kagiso,
Max
April --, 2019
Michael R. Pompeo
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Secretary of State Pompeo:
We are a
group of peace and justice advocates who are seeking a meeting with you.
We are not writing out of enmity, but out of a sincere desire to offer our
suggestion that diplomacy rather than threats will help relieve tension and
might create stability which will be a benefit for the United States and for
other countries.
For example, we
appreciate that the Trump administration has engendered hope regarding the
policy with North Korea. It is welcome that military exercises with South
Korea are unnecessary and provocative and that there is a need for peace
agreement to finally be signed.
However, it has
to be pointed out that the U.S. is engaging in numerous wars, most notably
in Yemen. The military budget is bankrupting the government. The War on
Terror has failed miserably. Even allies of the United States have
criticized this abhorrent foreign policy of which you are a principal
architect. We think you could benefit from a meeting with us where we
would share our constructive criticism aimed at radically changing U.S. foreign
policy.
You have
supported waterboarding and other forms of torture. You criticized the Obama
administration for closing "black sites" - secret prisons used to
interrogate suspects overseas - and the requirement for interrogators to adhere
to anti-torture laws. You are resisting ending US military support for the
Saudi-led war on the people of Yemen. You are aware that in Yemen, US
interrogators have questioned detainees in secret prisons run by the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and UAE-backed Yemeni forces where torture is
widespread. You are also a proponent of denying due process to prisoners
languishing in Guantanamo.
Like the
president, you have embraced many dictatorial regimes, including Egypt, the
Philippines, Brazil and of course Saudi Arabia. You have embraced his choices
of John Bolton, who has called for the bombing of Iran and North Korea, as
national security advisor, and Elliott Abrams, who was involved with death
squads in El Salvador and Guatemala, as special envoy for Venezuela.
Now you, Bolton and
Abrams are involved in trying to overthrow the government in Venezuela. And at
the height of hypocrisy, you have insulted the citizens of Venezuela by
declaring Juan Guaido as the interim president. The U.S. sanctions imposed upon
Venezuela are hurting the people there much more than the government
Venezuela does not
represent a threat to the United States. Instead of trying to destabilize
Venezuela, the US should engage in dialogue with the Maduro government to
assist the country in these difficult times.
The list of
disastrous foreign policy decisions is endless. For example,
Trump abrogated the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty,
and is encouraging the development of “usable” nuclear weapons.
In Poland, you tried to
rally various governments worldwide to join the U.S. in making war with Iran. Most European allies ignored your proposal, recognizing
that Iran has been complying with the nuclear treaty negotiated with the Obama
administration despite Trump’s decision to cancel it. However,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does support a US invasion of Iran.
The Trump
administration cut about $200 million for development projects and humanitarian
aid in the West Bank and Gaza. And it cut about $300 million to the U.N. Relief
and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees.
The US has an
estimated 800 military bases around the world, all of which contribute to the
climate chaos buffeting the world. The Pentagon is the greatest
institutional consumer of fossil fuels. For example, Oil Change
International estimates the Pentagon’s 2003-2007 $2 trillion Iraq War generated
more than three million metric tons of CO2 pollution per month.
It seems
that it would be in your best interest to meet with us. We would detail
what must be done to bring about a significant change from the current foreign
policy morass. Continuing the current policy will only cause more death,
destruction, devastation and an immense drain of tax dollars. It is
essential to severely cut military spending, end the belligerent threats of
other countries, close a majority of the foreign bases, including Guantanamo,
stop propping up dictators, show respect for human rights, end arm sales to
dictatorial regimes, and engage in dialogue not belligerence. As the
Secretary of State, you have an obligation to protect the people of this
country. Real security can only happen when tax dollars are reallocated
from military spending towards housing, education, environmental regulations,
health services, the infrastructure and programs aimed at lifting people out of
poverty.
Let us know when
you or a representative would be willing to meet with us. We would adjust
our schedules to be there.
Peace,
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center,
325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email:
mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the
subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to
gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and
everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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