My correspondence with Elliot Engel, D-NY

[Goldmund]

Elliot Engel is my congressman. He sent out this letter today:

Dear Mr. XXXXX:

Knowing of your interest in the situation in Iraq, I am writing this
letter to express my thoughts on the recent revelation involving
prisoner
abuse at Abu Ghraib prison. Recently, I had the opportunity to review
additional pictures and videos that have not yet been released to the
public.

I am disgusted and outraged by the conduct of those committing these
acts,
but it is not sufficient to charge only the six or seven people
directly
involved with these abuses. The superiors who either condoned or
encouraged such actions, or who merely looked the other way also need
to
be held accountable.

It is my belief that Secretary Rumsfeld created the legal climate and
established ineffectual oversight mechanisms which made these
despicable
acts "acceptable." The Secretary of Defense is responsible for the
oversight of all operations and conduct within his purview. In all
things
pertaining to military policy and operations in Iraq, the buck stops
with
him.

I, therefore, believe that Secretary Rumsfeld must step down, since it
is
impossible for him to be effective due to his failure in oversight. It
is
also clear to me that someone has to take responsibility for the
absolute
lack of any coherent planning for post-war Iraq. It is apparent that
the
Administration concentrated all its efforts on winning the war but gave
little thought to how to win the peace.

In short, if democracy is to come to Iraq, it can only happen if we
involve other nations and the Iraqi people themselves. As long as
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is around, the prisoner abuse scandal and
other
issues will continue to detract from what the United States' goals
should
be in helping to build a democratic post-war Iraq. We need some fresh
thinking at the top and new people free of any taint from this scandal.

I have the highest respect for members of the United States military.
Whether serving at home or abroad, they put their lives on the line in
defense of our nation. The Iraqi Prisoner Abuse Scandal must neither
become an attack on the institution of the United States armed forces,
nor
can it be an example of sacrificing a few lower ranking prison guards
while those at the top get away without being held accountable. I
strongly condemn the vicious beheading of an American last week, as
well
as all terrorist attacks against innocent civilians or our troops. But
they cannot act as an excuse for the United States to not live up to
its
standards of behavior and ideals.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my views on this important
matter. If I can be of any assistance in the future, please do not
hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Eliot L. Engel
MEMBER OF CONGRESS






My response follows:

Hi Mr. Engel,

thanks very much for writing. I could not agree more with your views on Secretary Rumsfeld's role in this scandal. I fully support your call for his resignation; if there is any way I can help, please let me know.

However, there's another point in your letter that caught my eye: "I strongly condemn the vicious beheading of an American last week, as well as all terrorist attacks against innocent civilians or our troops.".

I fail to see what definition of terrorism attacks on our troops (on foreign soil) could possibly be consistent with. This is not to say that these attacks are justified; however, I feel that our national rhetoric is getting dangerously close to making the word "terrorism" synonymous with "an attack against American interests". If we are to maintain any shred of credibility in waging the "war on terror" (or maybe I should say, regain it under a Kerry administration), we must not expand the meaning of the word "terror" to include any and all violence disagreeable to our interests. This isn't only because of the legal definition of terrorism, but also because of the moral one -- and all of its implications in what's euphemistically called the "post-9/11 world".

As you know, the US disbanded the old Iraqi army soon after the invasion. This unilateral administrative act did not magically make any Iraqis who resist American forces "terrorists", any more than our founders in the American revolution were terrorists; or, any more than indigenous guerilla anti-Nazi movements in countries whose governments capitulated to Germany in WW2 were terrrorists. Again, I'm not drawing an absolute equivalence between our founders and the armed resistance in Iraq, nor am I comparing US military with the Nazi German army; I am simply pointing out that armed resistance against a military force cannot be put under the same umbrella as a suicide bombing of a civilian bus, or mass slaughter of civilians like happened on 9/11. And that is true even if you believe that the military action is justified -- which, for purposes of full disclosure, I passionately disbelieve is the case regarding our invasion of Iraq.

Otherwise, we are sending a message that we will treat resistance to any military action we undertake, by choice or by necessity, whimsical or in self-defense -- equivalently to the way we treat slaughter of innocent civilians, with the same national outrage and the same sense of moral high-ground. And that is a message that only a neo-colonial empire would send, not a constitutional republic and a good global citizen.

Respectfully,

[tom_paine]

1. Wow! That couldn't have been a Form Letter

If it was, it's the best I've ever seen!

[IrateCitizen]

2. Engle's decent, but he voted for the IWR.

He's also (predictably, considering his district) a supporter of Zionist expansion by Israel.

Your reply letter to him was fantastic. I'd be very surprised, however, if you receive a response from him that directly addresses your concerns.

[Goldmund]

3. Thanks for the compliment

And you're right about Engel. He's a warhawk, an unabashed ally of Israely hawks, and I don't dig him at all. At least he's a Democrat and not quite Zell or Joe.

[IrateCitizen]

4. He's actually pretty good on environment and trade

But ANY politician from the NY metro area is an unabashed ally of Israeli hawks. Any time you're lamenting having Engle as your rep, I'd be more than happy to trade you Sue Kelly (my rep) for him.

[Goldmund]

5. Ugh.... Sue Kelly... Say no more.

"The War on Terror is one of our most critical national security efforts. This is a comprehensive undertaking that involves not only our military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan..."

From her web site...

[OKNancy]

6. Your letter was great

The explanation about the use of the word 'terrorist' is the best I've seen. It has been a concern of mine for a long time. It's nice to see it written out so well.

[Goldmund]

7. thanks, glad you dig