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Letter to the Editor: Say no to military action in Iraq by Francy Williams

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Francy Williams recently wrote the following letter to the editor of the Frederick News Post entitled "Say no to military action in Iraq."

Say no to military action in Iraq

I made calls recently to the White House, Sens. Mikulski and Cardin, and Rep. Delaney expressing my opposition to the use of military force in Iraq. There is no question that  the situation in the Middle East is serious, and I believe U.S. action could be helpful, but not by sending weapons and by bombing.

Terrorism has only increased in the past 13 years. An effective new approach must be found. The United States can provide leadership for this.

Here is a list of nonmilitary strategies to consider:

  • Stop the sale of oil on the black market that finances the operations of the Islamic State.
  • Stop the flow of weapons into the region to ensure violence isn’t fueled by their misuse.
  • Stop the bombing in the region where there is a political process working to ensure reconciliation among the people. Airstrikes will do more harm than good by disrupting this process and will likely create more enemies.
  • Build a toolbox of strategies including diplomacy and humanitarian aid that can be used when crises arise throughout the world.
  • Call our elected officials to take back their role of discerning whether to take the United States into war and vote to repeal the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force that allows a president to declare war without the authorization of Congress.
  • Say no to yet another war in Iraq.

FRANCES S. WILLIAMS

Frederick

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