The progressive bandwagon continues to pick up speed. PSR, Which, since 9/11, has been one of the great activist anti-war organizations, spells it all out in this document, now in wide Net circulation. "[The authority to destroy Al Qaeda and eradicate its base of support from the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan] was not intended as an unending license to permit unilateral, unauthorized attacks anywhere on the globe or to drastically escalate US military spending and overseas military bases, to promote massive arms transfers, and to conduct diplomacy by threat...these and other actions of your Administration are fueling anti-American sentiment worldwide. Coupled with inattention to economic development, medical and public health demands, environmental degradation, human rights, education and other needs both abroad and at home, such policies threaten, in the long term, to bring on the instability, conflict, and terrorism we all seek to prevent."
-Suzanne-

March 8, 2002

Physicians for Social Responsibility
A Letter to President Bush

We write to you on behalf of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), an organization which shares the Nobel Peace Prize and which represents over 20,000 U.S. physicians and health professionals deeply engaged with caring for our fellow humans and the social, economic, and ecological systems essential to health and well-being. We are profoundly concerned about the recent pronouncements, policies, and priorities of your Administration in the wake of the initial military response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

US military actions to capture or destroy Al Qaeda and eradicate its base of support from the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan have been supported by most Americans. These efforts are carried out with authorization from the United States Congress and in accordance with the UN Charter's right of self-defense. However, such authority was not intended as an unending license to permit unilateral, unauthorized attacks anywhere on the globe or to drastically escalate US military spending and overseas military bases, to promote massive arms transfers, and to conduct diplomacy by threat.

We are particularly disturbed by bellicose, provocative rhetoric and unilateral threats to sovereign nations, made outside the framework of international law and without the support of the international community. Such statements erode the honored place of the United States as a nation that has, at its best, not only defended freedom, but upheld human rights, international cooperation, humanitarian aid, and the rule of international law. We are specifically opposed to:

* The depiction of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an "axis of evil," blurring distinctions between nations and people, foreclosing diplomacy, and providing rallying points for anti-American extremists.

* The proposed Defense budget increase of $48 billion, composed mainly of bloated Cold War programs. This amount alone is roughly double the entire sum the US spends annually on all diplomacy, international relations, and aid. Just this increase, by itself, exceeds the defense budget of any nation in the world, with the exception of Russia. This is excessive and will perpetuate a permanent US war economy.

* The unilateral abrogation of the ABM Treaty, the unilateral renunciation of the Kyoto Protocol, the failure to support the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the failure to support any effective verification mechanisms for the Biological Weapons Convention.

* The Nuclear Posture Review which foresees US nuclear weapons possession and production throughout the 21st Century. This stance flouts U.S. legal obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and stimulates the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Proliferation increases terrorists' ability to obtain nuclear devices.

* The abandonment of long-standing US policy under various Administrations to renounce the use of nuclear weapons against nations which do not possess them. According to the International Court of Justice, this is both morally indefensible and legally impermissible.

Taken together, these and other actions of your Administration are fueling anti-American sentiment worldwide. Coupled with inattention to economic development, medical and public health demands, environmental degradation, human rights, education and other needs both abroad and at home, such policies threaten, in the long term, to bring on the instability, conflict, and terrorism we all seek to prevent.

We therefore call upon you to renounce unilateral military actions and to carry out US foreign and military policies in accordance with international law. We call upon you to shift US priorities away from military solutions and toward nuclear disarmament, the diplomatic resolution of conflicts, and the fulfillment of worldwide human needs.

As President, we call upon you to lead Americans in overcoming fear and reclaiming our core democratic values after the tragic events of September 11. This goal cannot be accomplished by military action alone. You must lead us in declaring our love of civil rights, freedom, and fairness. Lead us in a renewed American commitment to the painstaking work of peaceful, collaborative conflict resolution. Lead us to a world united in oneness of purpose as we confront global military and environmental threats to human health, sustainability, survival. Such leadership, we believe, will be most consistent with our long-term security interests and with America's deepest values. We will look forward to working along with you and with all Americans to achieve these aims.

Sincerely,

Robert K. Musil, PhD, MPH Roy Farrell, MD
Executive Director and CEO President
Physicians for Social Responsibility


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