I will be posting information I deem important for each of us to consider, whether we agree or not. There are multiple sides to each story and the writer of this letter weighs all sides carefully before he writes. He has earned my respect.
Dear Editors:
Tom Ashworth’s letter (“Obama’s interview with GloZell a sad situation for America”) reveals both Ashworth’s “FoxNoise” predilections and his resultant ignorance regarding the multi-lateral negotiations with Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
President Obama’s “sit-down” with green-lipped GloZell was one of a series of chats with U-Tube “stars” appealing to tech-savvy younger citizens -- whose futures depend on both prudent economic policies and – potentially – on the Iran negotiations.
An increase in sanctions prior to March 1, 2015 – when the current “Interim Agreement” with Iran expires – would breach that agreement, justify Iran’s withdrawal from further negotiations, likely end Russia’s and China’s cooperation with any sanctions, and thereby move us closer to nuclear war with Iran (since a conventional attack would likely fail).
House Republicans (including Scott “Tea Party” Tipton) and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez are playing a most dangerous game by deliberately attempting to scuttle the negotiations. Even Israel’s vaunted Mossad advised a visiting Congressional delegation that enacting increased sanctions would be “like throwing a grenade into the process”.
Nevertheless, Speaker Boehner duplicitously and reprehensibly invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress in February – to both insult President Obama and bolster the case for prematurely imposing increased sanctions – but even Netanyahu apparently realized how treacherous that timing could be for the delicate negotiations in Paris.
President Obama will not meet with Netanyahu – because it’s U.S. policy not to meddle in others’ democratic elections and Netanyahu’s rescheduling of his visit until March 2 makes it a shameless campaign stop in his bid for re-election on March 17.
An Iran with nuclear weapons is an “existential threat” to Israel, but not necessarily to us. Therefore, the preferred outcome remains a verifiable negotiated agreement -- no matter how long it takes – rather than a U.S.-supported Israeli preemptive nuclear attack on Iran.
