London Yank has a recommended diary up at Daily Kos, 6,500 Sailors Go To War – Massive US and Allied Naval Deployment about the additional deployment of US forces to the Middle East in preparation for a possible (probable?) attack on Iran. She cites this report from Global research. It points out that not only has an additional US Carrier Task Force (the USS Eisenhower, et al.) been ordered to the Persian Gulf, but also another group of US warships, US Expeditionary Strike Group 5, bearing 6500 Marines also have been dispatched from their home port in San Diego to the Middle East:
ESG 5 is, from a naval perspective, a “one-stop shop” for the global war on terrorism. It represents a revolutionary concept for fighting terrorists in the world’s littorals by harnessing the striking power of 6,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, seven surface ships, a submarine, more than 30 aircraft, high-speed landing craft and the firepower of the 15th MEU.
The Expeditionary Strike Group is a flexible naval force that can operate in shallow, narrow waterways or the open ocean, day and night, in all weather conditions, in support of Marine or joint forces operating in near-shore regions or deep inland.
This cannot be allowed to stand. The purpose of this diary is to urge everyone to contact your Senators and Representatives advising them of these deployments and questioning whether they intend to fulfill their Constitutionally mandated duty to debate and vote upon a resolution declaring war, before President Bush unilaterally commits our forces to another conflict in the Middle East.
Follow me below the fold for details and contact information . . .
If you don’t know the email addresses or phone numbers of your Congressional delegation, here are some links where you can locate their contact information:
Contacting the Congress Link to a search site which allows you to find your Congressional Representative and Senators)
LINK (Senate) Official Senate website page.
LINK (House) Official House of representatives website page.
Congressional Email Directory Another resource for additional email addresses, etc. which may not be available on the other sites.
If you call the offices of your Congressional Representatives and Senators:
1. Speak respectfully. The staffers who answer your call may be unaware of these deployments and of their significance regarding a possible attack on Iran. There is no reason to be discourteous even if the staffer to whom you speak is ignorant or even dismissive of your concerns.
2. Inform them of the reports that the USS Eisenhower carrier task force and Expeditionary Strike Group 5 have been deployed to the Persian Gulf.
3. Ask Questions. Was the Sen./Rep. aware of this deployment? What are his/her views of the matter? Does he/she favor war with Iran? Does he/she intend to call for a resolution declaring war or authorizing the President to use force regarding Iran?
4. Make your points clearly and concisely. Congress has a Constitutional obligation to authorize the use of military force. President Bush must not attack another nation without Congress having first debated the matter and then voted on an appropriate resolution, as required by our Constitution.
5. End the call politely but firmly. Demand that your Congressional members go on the record publicly regarding any attack on Iranian targets which may be ordered by President Bush. If they claim this is all hypothetical, tell them its not hypoothetical to all those troops on their way to the Gulf. It’s very real to those troops and their families, and you expect your Senator/Representative to treat the prospect for another military conflict in the Middle East.
If you are unable to call, please consider sending an email. Here’s the text of a generic email message which I’ve drafted. Please feel free to use all or part of it in writing your own:
Dear [Name of Senator of Representative]
My name is ________________ and I’m one of your constituents. I live at _____________________.
I humbly suggest that someone on your staff read this article from the web site of Global Research regarding the deployment of additional US forces to the Middle East in preparation for a planned strike against Iran:
Here is an excerpt:
* * * * * * *
The Eisenhower Strike Group, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has also received orders to deploy to the Middle East. The strike group is led by the U.S.S. Eisenhower, another nuclear battleship. It includes a cruiser, a destroyer, a war frigate, a submarine escort, and U.S. Navy supply ships. One of these two naval strike groups will position itself in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea while the other naval strike group will position itself in the Persian Gulf, both off the Iranian coast.
Another assault or strike group of U.S. warships, “Expeditionary Strike Group 5,” are setting off to sea too. This strike group is setting sail from Naval Station San Diego with the Persian Gulf in the Middle East as their final destination. Over 6,000 U.S. Marines and Navy personnel will be deployed to the Persian Gulf and Anglo-American occupied Iraq from San Diego.4 Approximately 4,000 U.S. sailors and 2,200 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton will make the bulk of the force. The warships and the servicemen they carry will reportedly have a tour of duty in the Persian Gulf and “possibly” Anglo-American occupied Iraq for half a year. They will also be joined by other ships including a Coast Guard vessel. A Marine air wing of 38 helicopters also is on board and traveling to the Persian Gulf.
The Marine contingent of the force is not destined for deployment in Iraq. It must be noted that the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is, however, able to “rapidly deploy” on “order” using large landing craft stowed aboard the strike group’s warships. If ordered this rapid deployment unit has the strong potential of being used as part of an invasion force against Iran from the Persian Gulf. The Marine unit would be ideal in being part of an operation with the objective(s) of securing Iranian ports to create beachheads for an invasion.
* * * * * * *
My questions to you are these:
Did you know about this deployment of additional US forces to teh Middle East and it’s intended mission?
Have you or anyone else in Congress been briefed by the President and, if not, will you publicly demand that this matter be brought before Congress for appropriate action?
When did Congress declare war on Iran, and doesn’t an air strike against Iran require a such a declaration by Congress or, at a minimum, an authorization to use military force?
Will you demand that Congress debate and vote upon a resolution authorizing the use military force with respect to Iran?
Will the you support a resolution authorizing force against Iran?
Will you be making any public statement about President Bush’s deployment of the USS Eisenhower and Expeditionary Strike Group 5 to the Persian Gulf, and what that means with respect to the possible use of our military forces by President Bush to strike targets in Iran? If so, what will you say?
Do you support an air strike against Iran, and under what circumstances?
Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Please, I urge you to take action today. Contact your members of Congress. Let your Senators and representatives know we are watching them, and that they will not be able to escape responsibility for an attack on Iran by claiming ignorance. Make them take a stand on this issue.
The clock is ticking, and there’s no time to lose.
