Congress Should Go to Crawford

Dear Ms. Sheehan,

First, let me express my deep sorrow at the death of your son.

Second, I encourage everyone to demand that members of congress go to Crawford to support you.

Ideally members of congress will bring along with them mothers whose kids were killed by Bushist lies or whose lives were ruined or put at risk risked by the chicken hawk in chief.

Cindy, the congress members must support your demand for an explanation of your son’s death from the lead perpetrator of this illegal invasion and occupation, the mad executioner from Texas, George Bush.

It is particularly imperative that progressive congress people such as Reps. McKinney, Lee, and Conyers and Van Hollan join you in Crawford immediately. They should also be visited in Crawford Reps. Bonior and McDermott, with whom I visited a water treatment plant in Baghdad, rendered inoperative by US sanctions, shortly before the invasion.

If Congress people like Rep. Kucinich and other progressive democrats as well as the sole independent, Rep. Sanders, act immediately to support you in a meaningful way, then perhaps the Democrats are not beyond redemption.

If, however, large numbers of the democrats t refuse to aid you with even such a minimal, but critical action as showing up in Crawford ASAP then we must face up to an additional challenge to holding Bush and his ilk accountable.

In that case, those of us who believe in peace through justice must realize that such a betrayed by the democrats is likely permanent. In that case, doesn’t common sense demand that we abandon the Democratic Party which has so consistently betrayed us?

Are you listing Howard Dean and Sen. Kerry, the active supports of Bush’s plan to send even more service members to kill and be killed in Iraq?

The most prominent exception to any wholesale abandonment of the Democratic Party is Rep. Cynthia McKinney. She was robbed of her seat in congress for one term because of her “crime” of demanding peace and justice, even in the Middle East. Happily against all odds, she has achieved and deserves our continuing support.

If even the progressive Democrats won’t support you immediately, then let’s put our money and energy into the Greens or some other party which possess a backbone in addition to a jawbone.

Finally, let’s all urge friends and relatives near Crawford to meet with you and give you their tangible support. We and our relatives and friends should assume responsibility for paying your expenses as well as the expense of spreading the news of your brave testimonial to your son and your determination to end the slaughter of Americans and Iraqis alike.

Sincerely,

Tom

THOMAS J. NAGY, Ph.D. Assoc. Professor (on leave) George Washington U., School of Business Washington, D.C. http://home.gwu.edu/~nagy