 |
 |
This letter to the citizens of the United States attempts to persuade Americans to oppose the war in Iraq. It will be in circulation on the internet, collecting signatures from around the world, until Thursday, April 10 when it will be sent to newspapers and magazines throughout the USA. If you agree with the following text please add your name and send the letter on to others.
.
Dear American Citizen,
After the fall of the twin towers on September 11, anti-American sentiment in the rest of the world has been percieved as a security issue for your country. Americans were brutally made aware that parts of the world hated them and that this could be dangerous even for nations as powerful as the USA. The Bush administration is now waging a war that the rest of the world condemns (even among the populations of America's allies the war has found few supporters, with the exception of Britian). France has been cast as the scapegoat for the UN's refusal to back the USA, but in fact France never needed to use its veto because opposition from other countries ensured that the war resolution could not pass. Even Canada, a country that can hardly be accused of anti-Americanism, is not on board.
Is this because, as Bush has implied, the world is indifferent to the serious threat to American security posed by Iraq? Of course not. After the attacks of September 11 there was an outpouring of sympathy from around the globe. But the vast majority of people around the planet do not see Saddam Hussein as much of a threat to the United States. He has neither attacked your country, nor said that he would. No collaboration has been shown between the Iraqi dictator and Bin Laden. Granted, Saddam Hussein is intensely hostile to the United States. But so are many other countries. And in today's world it is far from impossible for them to become dangerously armed. Indeed, as we all saw on September 11, weapons of mass destruction aren't necessary to hurt American citizens.
If America goes to war every time it feels threatened, your country will always be at war. In part this is because all states are vulnerable to attack, although the risk may be remote. A completely safe world is impossible. More importantly it is because hatred of America and Americans will grow the more the US imposes its will on the rest of the world. In completely disregarding world opinion and waging war on Iraq, Bush is not making you safer. Instead he is fanning the flames of anti-Americanism everywhere. Look at what is happening in the countries of the middle east. The Iraq war is not only deepening the people's hatred of America, it is destabilizing the entire region. We will all suffer the consequences.
We, the undersigned, do not want to resent the United States. What we want is for the American people, citizens of the world's most powerful country, to join the global community in condemning the actions taken by your government in your name. Don't let Bush isolate you from the rest of the world. |
 |
|
(fields marked with * are required)
|
|
|
|
This petition is sponsored by Riposter, a group dedicated to promoting awareness of political and social issues using the internet. This petition is our first action. |
|
The views expressed in this petition are solely those of the petition's
sponsor and do not in any way reflect the views of iPetitions.
iPetitions is solely a provider of technical services to the petition
sponsor and cannot be held liable for any damages or injury or other
harm arising from this petition. In the event no adequate sponsor is
named, iPetitions will consider the individual account holder with which
the petition was created as the lawful sponsor.
|
|
|
