Carlisle Peace College Spearheads Effort to Hold President
Responsible for Crimes Against Humanity

PRESS RELEASE (to skip press release and go to letter click here.)

Released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2003

Organizers of the Carlisle Peace College stepped up their campaign to
oppose the Administration's war against Iraq this week. The group is
currently circulating a public letter addressed to President Bush
telling him that if he attacks Iraq they will support legal efforts to
hold him and his administration personally responsible for the likely
deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians.

The Peace College says that the Administration has still not made the
case for war. "Secretary Powell presented a long list of
unsubstantiated accusations at the United Nations. During the past
week it has become apparent that much of this was either exaggerated
or there is no proof for it at all. None of it would hold up in a
court of law. In short, we will not know whether Iraq has weapons of
mass destruction unless inspections continue. But even if they do have
such weapons, we at the Carlisle Peace College believe that the costs
of war against Iraq would still be too high. Iraq has done nothing
whatsoever to threaten the US. Inspections have already proven to be
an effective tool for disarming Iraq. We have seen no legitimate
reason for war."

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences says that the war could cost
the US between $99 billion to $1.9 trillion over a decade. Deficits in
the President?s new budget are already projected to top $300 billion
this year. Even without war, the new tax plan and military increases
could add $1.7 trillion in debt by 2011.

UNICEF estimates that at least 500,000 Iraqi children have died due to
the sanctions that have deprived them of clean water, sanitation, and
health care. The UN calculated that 3,500 to15,000 civilians died
during the war in 1991 - plus 100,000 to 120,000 Iraqi troops. Now the
US is planning to hit Iraq with 700 to 800 cruise missiles or more
during the first two days - many times more than during the entire 40
days of the 1991 Gulf War.

Medact (UK physicians) estimates that a new war could easily kill
50,000 civilians in Baghdad and 30,000 elsewhere and other estimates
have even been higher. The World Health Organization estimates that
100,000 Iraqi civilians could be wounded and another 400,000 hit by
disease after water, sewage and food supplies are bombed; 3.6 million
Iraqi?s will likely need "emergency shelter". This is clearly not
acceptable and would constitute an international crime against
humanity and a violation of the Geneva Conventions. It is evident that
if President Bush attacks Iraq without approval by the Security
Council he could certainly be tried and convicted by an International
Criminal Tribunal.

The text of the public letter to President Bush is included below.
Also for an independent analysis of the unsubstantiated claims made by
the US and UK governments you can go to:
http://traprockpeace.org/weapons.html.

The Carlisle Peace College is an activist peace group located in South
Central Pennsylvania whose mission is to provide education and
advocacy for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as an alternative
to war. The Peace College holds monthly vigils at the Carlisle Army
War College in Carlisle; in Gettysburg; York; Harrisburg; and
Chambersburg, PA. It sponsors conferences and teach-ins and has
produced a video entitled NO WAR WITH IRAQ! which can be ordered by
calling 1-717-264-0957 or writing to: earthrts@pa.net.

Dear President Bush,

As you know, Iraq is, by and large, cooperating with UN weapons
inspections; and the inspections are working. Most, if not all, of the
chemical and biological weapons that Iraq had were destroyed years
ago, as a result of a prior inspection regime.

Mr. Bush, you have insisted that Iraq is in possession of weapons of
mass destruction while failing to provide verifiable proof of the
assertion or its corollary: that the Iraqi regime is an imminent
threat to the people of the United States and our allies. If you
attack Iraq on the basis of such unsupported assertions, the number
and severity of terrorist attacks against the US and our citizens,
both at home and abroad, are likely to increase. This outcome runs
counter to your stated goals.

Many of us have already signed the Pledge of Resistance. We will, and
are, honoring that commitment to do civil disobedience. See
www.peacepledge.org/resist. Now we want to send you an even clearer
message.

President Bush, if you attack Iraq without the full support of the UN
Security Council, we will hold you and your administration personally
responsible for the deaths of thousands, if not tens or hundreds of
thousands, of innocent Iraqi civilians. We will support legal efforts
to try you for Crimes against Humanity and the Violation of
International Law under the Geneva Conventions and UN Charter. You
will most likely face trial in an International Criminal Tribunal if
you follow the path of war.

Article 54 of the Geneva Convention states: "It is prohibited to
attack or destroy objects indispensable to the survival of the
civilian population, such as foodstuffs, drinking water, etc" Article
2 of the UN Charter says: "All Members shall settle their
international disputes by peaceful means. They shall refrain from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any
state." Nothing could be clearer.

As you have recently stated, "The Game is Over!!" Now we insist: you
can either let the inspections continue and international diplomacy
work; OR you will likely face the legal consequences to which all
people are, and should be, held accountable. We demand that you live
up to your oath of office. We insist that you adhere to domestic and
international law, as you dare to act in our name. We speak in our
capacity as sovereign citizens to a public servant, not as subjects to
a sovereign.

Sincerely,

___________________ (Signatures)

Distributed as a project of the Carlisle Peace College
Contact robineagle@worldcitizen.org if you wish to have your name added to this letter.