It is now time we take our stand as citizens, to stop our government officials from even considering poorly planned military actions once again. Let me say loud and clear, any military action against Iran will have consequences that will only promote a continual decay in international relations for the United States, and I will not stand down and be force fed this new rhetoric. Iran's capability to manufacture a nuclear weapon is a possibility, but not in our near future. We must tell our leaders to start peaceful dialog. We can not tolerate an attack on Iran, conventional or nuclear.
A conventional attack on Iran would not cause much physical damage to the targets; however, it would cause a great deal of political damage to the United States. Americans will be the victims of terrorist attacks here in this country and abroad. The few friends we have on the globe will lose faith and respect for us for a long time to follow. A nuclear attack is unquestionably a step into a world of global hostility where the rule of the last 50 years is thrown out the window. This is a world I fear the most.
I studied Iran's facilities when I was in the Pentagon because I was part of the initial development of two weapon systems in the mid 1990's. One was called "Agent Defeat Weapon," that had a requirement of neutralizing chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction with little to no collateral damage. The other was "Hard and Deeply Buried" that had a requirement to penetrate a set depth of earth or hardened shelters that far exceeded the current weapons in our inventory.
First I feel I must let you know why these weapons were being designed. Agent Defeat Weapon was the direct result of operations conducted during Desert Storm and the WMD storage facilities in Iraq. We did bomb chemical sites as primary targets during Desert Storm. Some were successful strikes. The finale was the destruction of one of the biggest WMD storage facilities in Iraq. The chemical and biological agents spread with the winds across the Iraqi landscape. Only a few days later, our American troops moved through Iraq and were exposed to those chemicals. Gulf War Syndrome is now attributed to exposure to these chemical and biological agents, as well as depleted uranium. Last summer, the Rochester City Newspaper reported that 225,000 Gulf War vets are disabled and can't work due to a variety of ailments.
While I was in the weapon requirements office in the Pentagon, 1994-1998, the Air Force recognized the need to develop a weapon that could neutralize such effects. The USAF also realized that the bunkers under development around the world, by our possible enemies, needed to be addressed by new weapons since our current inventory didn't meet the need. My work gave me unequalled access to intelligence about the facilities in Iran as well as many other countries. From these needs, the requirements for Agent Defeat Weapon and Hard and Deeply Buried Weapon were designed. After I left the Pentagon, there was interest in pursuing other versions of these types of weapons. You can google these weapons to see the direction the programs have gone.
Recent developments have caught my attention. The Washington Post reported recently about an upcoming 700 tons of TNT (equivalent) test in Nevada.
I don't believe that this is coincidence. Any military will demonstrate its potential before taking military action. We did it before the Libya attack, Desert Storm, and the Haiti invasion. We do it every time. Do you remember MOAB, Massive Ordnance Air Blast?
It was a demonstration in the last few years during our Afghanistan operations. There is no way to realistically weaponize 700 tons of TNT, except in a nuclear device. Just to give perspective, a fully loaded 747 is about 700 tons, so you would need a very large aircraft, maybe the new A380 full of TNT. This is not realistic. This demonstration in Nevada is scheduled in June and its audience is Iran. This is the shot over the bow, so to speak.
I believe it is now my job to educate my fellow citizens that we are on the verge of something most of us cannot imagine. Iran is years away from weaponizing a nuclear weapon. These same weapon programs also enlighten me on what Iraq actually had when it came to WMD in the late 1990's. They had nothing that we could find. The United States destroyed many WMDs right after Desert Storm. Yes, Sadam had WMDs, but they were destroyed. I could not believe that the Iraq invasion was based on the misleading assumptions that Iraq was on the verge of using WMDs against the United States.
Now we are going to start hearing the same rhetoric about Iran and its nuclear program. Do not be misled again! The Bush administration manipulates this country with fear. They gain power from making people afraid.
Unlike most of the current members of Congress and the Bush Administration, I spent a career defending the Constitution with my life. I'm willing to continue to fight for the very principles that we Americans have always stood for, principles under attack by the current administration. They have hijacked our liberties and are ruling and leading this country into a future that I cannot be proud of. I will not stand to be led without voicing my total objection against the direction this nation has turned and I will continue to fight to turn the helm to a course of peace and prosperity.
Your representatives have abandoned Washington for the next two weeks. Let them know it's time to take a stand. Find where they will be and let them know this must be addressed. Do not let them get away with the standard answer that the military must have contingency plans. Let them know that the State Department has failed America, and that they are failing America if they allow us to attack Iran.
Jeff Latas for Congress
P.S. Tomorrow, I'll be posting some of my campaign commercials for Kossaks to vote on around noon Eastern. I look forward to hearing which one you think is best.