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Before the US
House of Representatives, April 22, 2010, Statement on Motion to Instruct
Conferees on HR 2194, Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and
Divestment Act
Mr. Speaker I
rise in opposition to this motion to instruct House conferees on HR 2194, the
Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act, and I rise
in strong opposition again to the underlying bill and to its Senate version
as well. I object to this entire push for war on Iran, however it is
disguised. Listening to the debate on the Floor on this motion and the
underlying bill it feels as if we are back in 2002 all over again: the same
falsehoods and distortions used to push the United States into a disastrous
and unnecessary one trillion dollar war on Iraq are being trotted out again
to lead us to what will likely be an even more disastrous and costly war on
Iran. The parallels are astonishing.
We hear war
advocates today on the Floor scare-mongering about reports that in one year
Iran will have missiles that can hit the United States. Where have we heard
this bombast before? Anyone remember the claims that Iraqi drones were going
to fly over the United States and attack us? These “drones” ended
up being pure propaganda – the UN chief weapons inspector concluded in
2004 that there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein had ever developed
unpiloted drones for use on enemy targets. Of course by then the
propagandists had gotten their war so the truth did not matter much.
We hear war
advocates on the floor today arguing that we cannot afford to sit around and
wait for Iran to detonate a nuclear weapon. Where have we heard this before?
Anyone remember then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s oft-repeated
quip about Iraq: that we cannot wait for the smoking gun to appear as a
mushroom cloud.
We need to see
all this for what it is: Propaganda to speed us to war against Iran for the
benefit of special interests.
Let us remember a
few important things. Iran, a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, has never been found in violation of that treaty. Iran is not capable
of enriching uranium to the necessary level to manufacture nuclear weapons.
According to the entire US Intelligence Community, Iran is not currently
working on a nuclear weapons program. These are facts, and to point them out
does not make one a supporter or fan of the Iranian regime. Those pushing war
on Iran will ignore or distort these facts to serve their agenda, though, so
it is important and necessary to point them out.
Some of my
well-intentioned colleagues may be tempted to vote for sanctions on Iran
because they view this as a way to avoid war on Iran. I will ask them whether
the sanctions on Iraq satisfied those pushing for war at that time. Or
whether the application of ever-stronger sanctions in fact helped war
advocates make their case for war on Iraq: as each round of new sanctions
failed to “work” – to change the regime – war became
the only remaining regime-change option.
This legislation,
whether the House or Senate version, will lead us to war on Iran. The
sanctions in this bill, and the blockade of Iran necessary to fully enforce
them, are in themselves acts of war according to international law. A vote
for sanctions on Iran is a vote for war against Iran. I urge my colleagues in
the strongest terms to turn back from this unnecessary and counterproductive
march to war.
Ron
Paul
www.house.gov/paul
Congressman
Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for
liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington
for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return
to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. For more
information click on the Project Freedom website.
Published
with the authorization of Dr. Paul.
Copyright
Dr. Ron Paul
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