[Belated post of material submitted to the panel on 8-21-03.]


INSLEE IRAQ FORUM

Dear Congressman Inslee (and panel):

Thank you for holding the forum on Iraq. A forum on intelligence may be more accurate. The goal should be to prevent failures in both. It should be clear that the failure is all in one’s head: that head being the head of our great country.

Punditry aside, though not necessarily accuracy, important questions should be asked and answered.

1. When did a policy of preemption take over?

2. Were WMD a primary factor in congress’s abrogation of their "war powers"?

3. Would not intelligence need to know the answer to question one or all
intelligence would be interpreted in an ineffective light?

4. Were actions taken, under the new policy, that would spur preemptive action by others?

5. Was congress following at least this closely?

While many more questions could follow from this line, of seemingly unanswered questions, I feel they do have answers. I feel that if not answered, at least, not answering them could have had predicted results. These are not simple questions, and answers and events are even more complicated. But I posed, if not answered, many of them before.

In almost anticipatory caution I recorded these, by following (with wonder) our leaders own words (or those of his supposed employees), from just before the 2000 campaign’s conclusion.

In the patriotic spirit of contribution,
always,
Roger Larson

As for the $87 Billion for post-war(?) Iraq...
there are questions from TrueMajority,

but how we got there and where we go now are not closed questions.

Regarding Misleading Intelligence... [culled from Inslee Iraq Forum]

*Whereas there has been Intelligence failure or a failure of intelligence.
*Whereas both big "I" and small "i" intelligence are important in declaring war and maintaining or discussing our position in the world.
*Whereas both are important in being successful on many issues as well as maintaining our nations position and credibility in the world.
*Whereas both Congress and the Intelligence community both depend on the credibility of information or it's providers to do their jobs.
*Whereas the public was asked to trust these representatives and agencies by the President himself.

Therefore be it resolved: that congress pass both House Resolutions as co-sponsored by Congressman Jay Inslee.

H.R. 2625 to establish an Independent Commission on Intelligence about Iraq.

H. Res. 307 to establish a select committee on Iraq intelligence.

(One HR involves the executive branch's collection, interpretation and presentation of intelligence as opposed to the latter's focus on the intelligence structure.)

FURTHER... important questions should be asked and answered.

*1. When did a policy of preemption take over?
*2. Were WMD a primary factor in congress’s abrogation of their "war powers"?
*3. Would not intelligence need to know the answer to question one or all intelligence would be interpreted in an ineffective light?
*4. Were actions taken, under the new policy, that would spur preemptive action by others?
*5. Was congress following at least this closely?

Regarding Billions for Iraq...
TrueMajority has a petition drive.

IMAGINE!

That is what John Lennon wrote...
and he's not the only one.
This is what democracy looks like!
And Jim Hightower is not the only one.

FYI: Hightower was at Petrovitsky Park Rolling Thunder 2002.
Ambassador Joe Wilson was at the Inslee Iraq Forum.

I realize this is a bit of a ramble. But I will leave it for now. The sentiment is in the Label: Civil Disobedience. Thank you for paying the price. Peace On, not out!

[10-13-11 Here is the inspiration for this post: [And my reply (yesterday).] Wouldn't it be cool.
If the OWS could follow the rules? Now I am not mocking the right or left, but "imagine" as John Lennon said: People occupying the park and actually standing for something? I mean literally to not mock Faux News. But I just mean that the more that stand, the more could fit, and they could even go home or to other encampments or facilities. I'm just saying. [Update] GONGA[*] (against the gravy train)
Yes! I am serious. The park clean-up has been postponed and the private owners of the publicly accessible park have come to an agreement with the OWS organizers. But when some protesters chose to march on wall street, they chose not to use the sidewalks. Which is their right not to follow the rules for the sake of getting the attention through civil disobedience. While I have yet to read the details of the agreement, but I can still imagine. I am imagining a conga line of sorts. Imagine the length of any procession moving from one venue to another. [This is reminiscent of a MoveOn rally that presented the anti-Iraq War Resolution petitions signatures to every congressional office in 2002. Well, we didn't do the conga**. Wish I had thought of it.]

[*] 11-22-11 follow up spell check[!]: My original GONGA is noted as a potential typo or pun that I am now missing, or maybe the voodoo that some do.
** like added 11-22-11