MEDIA ROOTS – If AIPAC can write legislation, then the U.S. electorate can too.

Dear People of Iran,

Whereas the CIA overthrew your democratically-elected government in August 1953;

Whereas the CIA and the White House supported the Shah, who suppressed political dissent violently and relentlessly throughout your country;

Whereas the aforementioned oppression contributed to the rise of political Islam within your country;

Whereas our country armed Iraq in a war against your country during the 1980s;

Whereas the chemical weapons which our country sold Iraq killed thousands of your citizens;

Whereas the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988;

Whereas, one month later, President George H.W. Bush stated: “I’ll never apologize for the United States of America. I don’t care what the facts are.”

Whereas our military has maintained a constant presence in the Persian Gulf since the 1980s;

Whereas our presence in Southwest Asia has surrounded your country on multiple sides;

Whereas Persia has not initiate hostilities with any neighboring country for over 200 years;

Whereas the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) manipulates our corrupt politicians to the detriment of both the U.S. and Iran;

Whereas our corrupt politicians profit from lucrative weapon contracts by hyping war with your country;

Whereas our corrupt politicians serve on the boards of war corporations when they retire from “public service”;

Whereas war is a racket, and U.S. corporations profit excessively from endless armed conflict;

Whereas our intelligence agencies concede that your country is not currently producing a nuclear weapon;

Whereas our sanctions against your country, including banning you from using SWIFT services, are an aggressive detriment to your wellbeing;

Whereas our corporate media demonize you and promote conflict in order to attract higher ratings and to profit from increased advertising revenue;

Whereas our unconditional support for the state of Israel has directly contributed to the deaths of your scientists;

Whereas our corrupt politicians and special interest groups use the “threat” posed by your country to install a black hole of unproven technology known as a “missile shield” in Eastern Europe;

Resolved that we, the people of the United States of America, apologize on behalf of our elected and unelected officials;

At the end of the day, we have a lot in common: The people of Iran and the United States are victims of election rigging; We both have religious currents, some of which prioritize ritual over education; Both our peoples enjoy rich artistic histories, and have created breathtaking cinema, sculpture, and poetry; Sizeable portions of our societies protest the corruption emanating from our respective capitals; Finally, both of our governments are targeted heavily by the Israeli Mossad.

We have a lot of work to do.  We both must work daily to change the corrupt nature of our governments, and to never forget the common humanity shared by the people of Iran and the people of the United States of America.

 

Written by Christian Sorensen for Media Roots.

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Photo by Flickr user Ali Reza_Parsi