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Why I'll Vigil on Iran Today
By maudeaster on 2009-07-31 08:33:21
I'll be taking part in a vigil today organized by Women Against War — urging the Obama administration to take a deep breath
and follow a policy of well-considered restraint toward Iran right now. We’ll be holding banners (and photos of Iranians if
there is no rain!) in Albany’s West Capitol Park from noon to 12:30 PM; then we’ll walk down to State and Pearl Streets to
vigil there till 1 PM. Please come by to say hello or to join us! We’ll be leafleting about why we see this as a very critical
time for the Obama administration to speak with one, thoughtful voice — both about the domestic situation In Iran, and also
about the need for multi-issue negotiations with the Iran government once its political turmoil has been resolved. We have
great respect for the courageous actions of the very-homegrown democracy movement in Iran. The last thing they need —
and the last thing we want to happen — is to have intemperate US government behavior or criticism allow the Iranian
government to rally domestic support by pointing to “foreign influences” as the cause of their domestic protests. We applaud
the basically restrained approach President Obama has taken to date and urge him to maintain it. We will also call on the
Obama administration to resist pressures from Congress and from Israel to speed up the timetable for resolving outstanding
issues with Iran. Until leadership within Iran is stabilized, no Iranian negotiators are going to be able to commit to the kind
of changes which will be so valuable to the US: assistance in stabilizing Iraq, help with Taliban (long-time enemies of Iran)
in Afghanistan, negotiating peace in the Middle East and creating a first step toward President Obama’s commitment to a
non-nuclear world by establishing a nuclear-free Middle East region. It will be hot! But I'll be glad to vigil — because like
other non-violent protests, it’s a great way to share information with those we meet and also to send a message to
Washington about wise, needed diplomacy.
