Former Alaska Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel discusses his plan for the Congress to criminalize the Iraq war, the cowardice of the Congress, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards’s aggressive position against Iran, his proposal for opening of friendly relations with them instead, how the Iraq war has strengthened Iran’s position in the region, the neoconservatives’ doctrine of global hegemony, Iran’s nuclear program, his plan for direct democracy and the U.S. military’s war against their veterans.
I find Mike Gravel to be refreshing, and fascinating. A unique politician indeed……. What would compel a 77 yr. old former Senator, after a quarter century, to resurrect his political career with an unlikely run at the Presidency?….. Its clearly not ego. If Mr. Gravel had an ego problem, he would never have allowed himself to fade into political obscurity in the first place. He is smart enough to have become a master self-promoter if he so chose, like, say, Al Sharpton, Al Gore and others who simply refuse to go away……..Its not power. Alaska isn’t exactly the place to settle down if it is power that motivates you…..Its not opportunity. Mr. Gravel is not somehow taking advantage of a political climate conducive to his type of candidacy. To the contrary, he knows he has a steep hill to climb……What compels him to run is raw passion. The passion that he has in his beliefs. The passion with which he is certain he can end the disaster in Iraq. The passion with which he wants to make America great again. You can hear the passion in his voice. It is genuine. I respect anyone who is passionate in their beliefs, even if I disagree with them, as long as their passion is sincere and they have a degree of intellectual curiosity (unlike King George WWIII). With Mike Gravel, not only is his passion sincere, but I agree with about everything he says. It’s almost too good to be true, someone who speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and does it with such passion…..And, boy, he sure was humble and gracious at the end of the interview there!……..It is a powerful but sad statement about the political and spiritual climate in America that the likes of Mike Gravel and Ron Paul are so marginalized, while a bunch of depraved, warmongering idiots are considered so normal and mainstream…….. Great interview, Scott!!
Scott – Unlike you or Alexander Cockburn (http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn05052007.html), I do not see Ron Paul or Mike Gravel as fundamentally different from the other candidates. Sure, they say much more reasonable things than the rest, but as you said it yourself, they have no chance whatsoever to be elected. You also said that the main thing they can do is educate the American public. But what message are they really sending to the public when they remain members of the two factions of the Imperial War Party? You call Guliani, Hillary, McCaine, Barak & Co. bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists (or something to that effect) and I fully agree with you, but how can supposed ‘anti-war’ like Ron Paul or Mike Gravel be members of these bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists parties?! Can you imagine some normal freedom loving German looking at the SS and the SA fighting for power in the Germany of the 1930s and think that at least some of the SS and the SA are anti-war? I for sure cannot.
Likewise, Ron Paul and Mike Gravel are, by their very example, ‘educating’ the American public that no matter how anti-war and anti-Empire one might be, one simply *has* to join one of the two branches of the bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists party to advance the cause of peace. This is nonesense.
What do Ron Paul and Mike Gravel REALLY do? They try coopt the anti-war movement into their own faction and they thereby weaken the anti-war movement.
I say that any of those guys who join either faction of the Republicrat Party (the “Hezb-Shekel Party” as Greg Palast so insighfully called it) is part of the system, part of the problem and an objective accomplice of the deconstruction of the US Constitution.
As Christ said, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” [Luke 16:13]. Whether they are aware of it or not makes no difference: by their membership and collaboration with the Imperial factions both Ron Paul and Mike Gravel serve Mammon and not the Truth, or God, or liberty or peace.
As long as the two factions of the Party in power are given any credibility or respect at all by anyone in the anti-Imperial movement the lobbies which run the USA today have nothing to fear from us.
Scott – Unlike you or Alexander Cockburn (http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn05052007.html), I do not see Ron Paul or Mike Gravel as fundamentally different from the other candidates. Sure, they say much more reasonable things, but as you said it yourself, they have no change whatsoever to be elected. You also said that what they can do is educate the American public. So far, so good.
But what message are they really sending to the public when they remain members of the two factions of the Imperial War Party? You call Guliani, Hillary, McCaine, Barak & Co. bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists (or something to that effect) and I fully agree with you, but how can supposed ‘anti-war’ like Ron Paul or Mike Gravel be members of these bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists parties?!
There aren’t any other ones.
Can you imagine some normal freedom loving German looking at the SS and the SA fighting for power in the Germany of the 1930s and think that at least some of the SS and the SA are not pro-war? Of course not.
Yeah, but that’s a bad analogy. This is not Nazi Germany, this is the Wiemar Republic. And the SS and SA were the troops, not the political parties.
If there was an election and Hitler was running, wouldn’t you want to vote against him? Would it be better to wait 12 years for the destruction of everything?
Likewise, Ron Paul and Mike Gravel are by their very example ‘educating’ the American public that no matter how anti-war one might be, one simply *has* to join one of the two branches of the bloodthirsty warmongering imperial fascists party to advance the cause of peace. This is nonsense.
No it isn’t. Who’s got veto power except Governors, Presidents and judges? Who schedules the votes but the Speaker, Majority Leader and their minions?
What’s he going to do, run as a Libertarian?
What do Ron Paul and Mike Gravel REALLY do? They try coopt the anti-war movement into their own faction and they thereby weaken the anti-war movement.
Ron Paul is an anchor of the antiwar movement. His principled stand against all things Warfare/Welfare/Police State since his return to congress in 1996 and before have been an inspiration and positive reinforcement for uncounted thousands of Americans. Gravel has energized the lefties even more as well.
Dig this: Ron Paul, Gravel or anyone like them has no chance of being on MSNBC to tell people anything at all unless they use the trick of being technically qualified to be in a presidential debate. In this case both called out the War Party for what it is in front of them and everybody. Many of the everybody noticed.
I say that anyone of those guys who joins either faction of the Republicrat Party (the Hezb-Shekel Party as one of your guests so insightully called it)
Who said that? What does it mean?
is part of the system, part of the problem and an objective accomplice of the deconstruction of the US Constitution.
Or a last ditch effort to save it.
As Christ said, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” [Luke 16:13]. Whether they are aware of it or not makes no difference: by their membership and collaboration with the Imperial factions both Ron Paul and Mike Gravel serve Mammon and not the Truth, or God, or liberty or peace.
I don’t believe in Jesus. Ron Paul is as genuine and honest as a man can be and he votes no on everything.
As long as the two factions of the Party in power are given any credibility or respect at all by anyone in the anti-Imperial movement the lobbies which run the USA today have nothing to fear from us.
I just can’t imaging anyone thinking that Ron Paul or Mike Gravel grant legitimacy to their parties. They are the exception to prove the rule of the rest of them. You may not know that the GOP tries to screw Ron out of his house seat every chance they get.
Best congressman in American history. And assuming he doesn’t find a pirate treasure and the ability to afford a real campaign for president, he’ll continue to be.
I want to go back to the Articles of Confederation the peaceful way, decentralize, repeal, hard money, force the state to abdicate with a population of people who agree with Ron Paul and demand their congressmen act like him. The other choice I guess is just wait till the next depression and state of martial law comes, grab your rifle, hoist the black flag and join in the madness.
What’s he going to do, run as a Libertarian?
yes. absolutely. the problem are not individuals, but the system and anything which legitimizes the system (including elections or, even more so, joining the two factions of the War Party) contributes to perpetuates this system.
I just can’t imaging anyone thinking that Ron Paul or Mike Gravel grant legitimacy to their parties
Well, maybe I am an ignorant foreigner, but I do. I think that they do that by setting in the same caucases, by speaking out under the same label, by treating the other Party members as “colleagues”, by then endorsing whoever wins the nomination, and by accepting to work through a system which is designed to screw the American people while giving them an illusion of democracy
That direct democracy initiative Gravel is talking about seems vaguely Libertarian to me. Maybe he and Ron Paul could get together to form third party once they are denied the nomination to their respective parties.
Actually, having lived in Switzerland for many years I can attest that direct democracy is a fantastic idea and that it actually works. Sadly, lately the Swiss ruling elites are getting really pissed at the general population for not just voting as they are told and actually often distrusting the politicians so they have been working on deconstructing direct democracy in Switzerland for a while now. Among other things they basically disregard the popular will and repackage the same policy under a different name. So all is not perfect in Switzerland, far from it, but it is still a direct democracy. Would it be possible to apply a similiar system in the USA (Switzerland has about 7 million people, the USA 300 million if I remember correctly)? I doubt it as long as there is such a powerful central Federal government (which, by the way, Switzerland does not have).
But if the 50 states regain preeminence and if the Federal government is brought down to a minimum (borders, postal service, international treaties, etc.) then this might work. If each of the 50 states becomes sovereign (as the Swiss cantons really are) and direct democracy (referenda and popular initiatives) is introduced at all levels (from state, to county to city) and a multitude parties and independents appear then I see no reason what that could not be applied in the USA.
This is all theory, however, and we remain so as long as the current system and ” US Nomenklatura” are allowed to exist. Neither violence nor participation are the solution. The solution is a complete popular BOYCOTT of any and all aspects of this system. Once everybody withdraws from participation, the system crashes under its own lack of legitimacy. It does not happen overnight, but the other options (violence or participation) only help to perpetuate the current system.
My 2cts.
The solution is a complete popular BOYCOTT of any and all aspects of this system.
hey vin, your anarchistic streak is showing… ; )
[...] candidate Mike Gravel gave Scott Horton a terrific interview today. I recommend you listen to the whole [...]
I’m glad Mr. Gravel is out there trying to change things with regards to Iraq and being vocal. I trust Mr. Gravel and what he says about Iraq and what to do to leave because he went through this with Vietnam and he remembers more than the people in the House and Senate right now. And to the person asking about Gravel being in the democratic party he obviously believes in issues the democratic party is for like money issues to gay rights. I wish people would stop promoting Ron Paul just because he was against Iraq. Lincoln Chafee voted against Iraq as well but you don’t see people promoting him. I just wish people would look at Paul’s record since he is a Libertarian in reality and he lies to people by being in the republican party and I listened to him talk about Iraq and he, at least I didn’t hear, say that the Bush administration lied to everyone. I’m glad to hear that the direct democracy is working somewhere but I’m worried about here in the South with all the antigay bashing and I’m afraid of what they’d do with laws if they could make them. That’s my only worry.
Hi Emily,
About Ron Paul:
I wish people would stop promoting Ron Paul just because he was against Iraq.
I support Ron Paul for everything he’s against – which is just about everything.
Lincoln Chafee voted against Iraq as well but you don’t see people promoting him.
That’s because there’s nothing else good to say about Lincoln Chafee.
I just wish people would look at Paul’s record
It’s spotless.
since he is a Libertarian in reality and he lies to people by being in the republican party
That’s not a lie. Libertarian is a philosophy, Republican is a party.
and I listened to him talk about Iraq and he, at least I didn’t hear, say that the Bush administration lied to everyone.
In the debate or ever? It’s not like Chris Matthews gave him much time to say anything.
hey vin, your anarchistic streak is showing… ; )
guilty as charged I suppose. and since being an anarchist also makes me a Libertarian (albeit a ‘left-leaning’ one I suppose) I am not too out of place with my weird ideas around here
: ) Being an anarchist doesn’t necessarily make you a libertarian – belief in individualism does.
You’re still not out of place though.
Why one needs to be sided as some ideologue to run for President of the US. The man is just another person privileged to speak, if successful act. Something America and Western democracy lack pathetically.
Western politicians lie to much worst yet they solicit themselves and their constituents unabashedly.
It doesn’t surprise me that someone in the corridor of power is speaking up though this rarely happens and when it’s done there’s a whole lot of hypocrisy or mudslinging that eventually muzzles.
At MG age, what can they do to him especially when he has a clean bill of ethics.
Americans must curb this strange appetite for war carnage and killing.
The problem of US is the voters. That’s where the problem is, the voters don’t know how to vote
Here’s an interesting Counterpunch article about mike Gravels “direct democracy” initiative:
May 8, 2007
More Like Cicero Than Quixote
The People’s Crusade of Mike Gravel
By RALPH NADER
…For over a decade, given the failures of elected politicians, Mike Gravel has been engaged in some extraordinary research and consultations with leading constitutional law experts about the need to enact another check to the faltering checks and balances–namely, the National Initiative for Democracy, a proposed law that empowers the people as lawmakers.
Before you roll your eyes over what you feel is an unworkable utopian scheme, go to http://nationalinitiative.us to read the detailed constitutional justification for the sovereign right of the people to directly alter their government and make laws.
Among other legal scholars, Yale Law School Professor, Akhil Reed Amar and legal author, Alan Hirsch, have argued that the Constitution recognizes the inalienable right of the American people to amend the Constitution directly through majority vote. What the Constitution does not do is spell out the procedures for such a sovereign right.
The right of the People to alter their government flows from the Declaration of Independence, the declared views of the founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution, its Preamble (“We the People of the United States.do ordain and establish this Constitution,”), Article VII and other provisions, including the Ninth and Tenth Amendments.
Very briefly, The Democracy Amendment asserts the Power of People to make laws, creates an Electoral Trust to administer the national elections, limits the use of money in National Initiative elections to natural persons (e.g. not corporations), and enacts the National Initiative through a federal ballot, when fifty percent of the voters (equal to half of the votes cast in the most recent presidential election) deliver their votes in its favor. Voting can be through traditional and electronic modes.
The Democracy Statute establishes deliberative legislative procedures vital for lawmaking by the people, administered by the Electoral Trust, in an independent arm of the U.S. government.
Mike Gravel points out that the initiative authority to make laws now exists in 24 states and more than 200 local communities. However, the national initiative, which he envisions would have deliberate legislative procedures and would be generically independent of any curtailment by the “officialdom of government,” except a judicial finding of fraud.
With the National Initiative, the people acting as lawmakers, will be able to address healthcare, education, energy, taxes, the environment, transportation, the electoral college, the Iraq war, and other neglected, delayed or distorted priorities. Legal scholar, Alan Hirsch, believes “a more direct democracy could be an important means of promoting civic maturation.”
Of course these initiatives, if enacted, would still be subject to existing constitutional safeguards such as the First Amendment, equal protection, due process and the like.
No doubt, you may have many questions to be answered. If you are interested, the entire text of The Democracy Amendment and The Democracy Act are on both the above-mentioned websites.
Mr. Gravel’s political positions place him high on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Cong. Dennis Kucinich will find that he is not alone during the forthcoming debates scheduled by the Democratic Party.
Don’t expect Mike Gravel to show up in the money-raising sweepstakes. For he really believes in a government of, by and for the People.
This proposal is not exactly a magnet for Fat cat money. No candidate for President from the two major parties has ever demonstrated such a detailed position regarding the sovereign power of People to amend the Constitution and make laws.
Will soundbite debates and horserace media interviews allow for such a public deliberation over the next year? Only if the People take their sovereignty seriously and take charge of the campaign trail with their pre-election, pre-primary participation in city, town and country throughout the country.
Over 2000 years ago, the ancient Roman lawyer and orator, Marcus Cicero, defined freedom with these enduring words: “Freedom is participation in power.” That could be the mantra for Mike Gravel’s 2008 Presidential campaign.
Ralph Nader is the author of The Seventeen Traditions
http://www.counterpunch.org/nader05082007.html
Antiwar Aficionado – thanks for the interesting post. I think Nader is an interesting guy to listen to. My dream would be a three-way debate between Nadar, Paul and Gravel. I am not holding my breath though…
Many of the above respondents call for a third party and the resultant restructuring (if not demise) of the two-sides-of-the-same-coin Republocratic parties. Many others believe a third party can not happen in the USA–that the deck is unalterably stacked against it.
As one who believes a third party is very likely our only hope, I respectfully must disagree.
I can easily envision a third party effort which galvanizes the clear majority of the US voters and has the power to demand changes. It must be a coalition party willing to compromise on peripheral issues while agreeing on the basics. I could see the party putting forward a slate of candidates consisting of Ron Paul and Mike Gravel. Or perhaps Patricia Williams, Sheila Samples, Bernie Sanders, or any number of other people concerned with humanity more than our attempts at worldwide military and economic hegemony.
As Bill Blum clearly outlines in his book “Killing Hope”, this shameful condition is not new–it is just being newly understood by more and more US citizens. Simply stated, there is no other nation on earth which has killed more people in other nations than we have, most notably the 3-5 million Vietnamese, more than three quarters of a million Cambodians, and so far since 1991, somewhere around 2 million Iraqis. Fully 59 cents out of every federal tax dollar goes to fund our nation’s war machinery, and makes war-criminals-by-proxy out of all US taxpayers–accept it or not.
The implications are widespread and run deep, especially among the family and friends of veterans, not only of current wars, but of wars long past but never forgotten. The result is the mass-denial that the USA has committed any war crimes at all, let alone our nation’s present participation in war criminality. Just think–would you rather think of yourself and have others think of you–as a war hero or as a war criminal? The usual answer is clear.
The too-often result of the hypocritical confusion is the often-disabling condition known as PTSD and/or other epilogues including depression and suicide. Our present soldiers don’t have Agent Orange to deal with–they are presently intentionally being exposed to nuclear contamination, a far worse fate. Like AO’s effects on soldiers of Vietnam were government-denied for over 30 years, DU’s effects are similarly being denied today. (IMNSHO,,,our last three presidents should all be turned over to the ICC at The Hague if only for authorizing the use of illegal and the effectively permanently-contaminating radioactive DU munitions.) And that is just for starters.
The crux of the problem for the supporters of both major parties is they must remain in denial that both parties are different only in that they are controlled by differing corporate interests as opposed to public interests. One needs only to look at the legislation and the results for the proof of that–the Patriot Acts, and the Military Commissions Act are only several of many bi-partisan Republocratic efforts destroying not only our nation, but the rest of the world.
Any who are opposed to this madness must agree to either drop or defer on the divisive side-issues and coalesce to form a dominant third party, and we must do it now.
To help form a possible alternate with the capability of co-opting both parties, while also having the possibility of energizing the opted-out masses, I offer the Neither Party at ( http://www.neitherparty.org ) as a potential work-in-progress now awaiting your input, participation and support.
There is another way, and we not only can change our nation’s ways–we must.
Regards,,,John
( johnrice@neitherparty.org )
It takes more than sixty days to impeach bush ‘chaney .
Impeachment won,t stop the killing. .
The Carlyle Group, Hailburton, and the members of congress
who are literally making a “killing” from their investments will keep
this war going on and on.
Mike Gravel,s national initative will at least expose the hilleries and obama,s
It,s worth a try. The Democrats arent listening. They,re too busy passing the B.S.
Subject: Revised version of the “About Being CIVILIZED: Where are your BALLS Nancy[Peloci] to talk with authority out of strength and to ask/order Press/Media to be the eye and ears of the public”
Dear Speaker Peloci,
Hallmark of being (civilized)a member of CIVILIZED WORLD is JUST/EQUAL/with-respect TREATMENT of others.
I would like to see that you dare talk to power, tell the truth, and see the Congress to be FRANK with us and ADVANCE our WILL in our behalf.
I am puzzled by nobody daring to tell the President that:
1. “You were picked (by George Shultz et al) to run for Presidency (to execute Wolfowitz et al hegemonic doctrine) because you were so, uncontrollably, OBSSESSED to RETALIATE against the audacity/daring of Saddam who had put a HUGE image of your father (for the purpose of humiliation) in the WALKWAY of one of the buildings in Baghdad (CBS showed it) and that for he had attempted to assassinate your father. It was shown on TV screens (as then candidate) Bush, after having had seen the image of his father in the walkway, saying that, I quote it:
“I would FINISH what my father did not do (failed to do) during the 1991 operation in Iraq “. I remind you of what Richard Clark, the former National Security Adviser said on TV: He said that President Bush in numerous occasions has had told him to find something against Saddam even before the 9/11 manufactured incidence (like Pearl Harbor – that was used for our country to join the World War II).
Please tell him, in my behalf at least, ” SHAME ON YOU. YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN AT ALL. YOU ARE SOMEBODY WITH HATE WHO IS THE DEVIL. A CHRISTIAN IS TAUGHT TO FORGIVE. ”
Tell him:
1. To forget the BS of Aristotle (repeated by Hegel and Montesquieu) that WEST is CIVILIZED and Easterners, American Indians and Black are savages (Alexander The Great [Savage] in a letter has written… Aristotle this Kiss Ass friend of mine tells me these entire BS so that I [without any mercy] commit every atrocity imaginable to control the places that I have conquered). Here is the advice of Aristotle repeated by Hegel and Montesquieu:
“…that the soul started in the wild emotional East and it developed and became CIVILIZED during its path to West WHEREIN it found its HOME and therefore we the CIVILIZED West should treat ourselves as EQUALS with Respect and law but we CAN do whatever we want to do on the emotional-wild-Easterners because whatever we do is better than the situation they are in AND that Iran had shown the potential to become CICILIZED like us but they failed during the process because wherever they went they treated people with mercy and respect.
Tell Bush:
Iran is the MOST CIVILIZED nation in the world. It had given us the pioneers in Medicine (whose Books were our textbook until 18th century), basic science (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy), philosophy, arts & sciences, literature (who were the mentors of our famous literary giants such as Goethe, … one of whom had wished as such: ” World would have been in a better shape if Persians/Iranians had been the rulers of Rome because they always had been kind and just wherever they had gone.
By the way shame on the producer of movie 300-Spartans; Xerecsus was had been a fair King. In the movie, portraying Iranians/Persians as savages, it says that Persians are COWARDS because they THROW ARROWS from afar over the 300 !!!Spartan fighters. This reminded me of us having had been truly the COWARDS of all times because we launch cruise missiles from thousands of miles and kill people using unmanned aero planes/fighters/helicopters and explode chemical weapons on the people we unfairly engage and impose war on them to accept what we ask them to do.
A fair mind (like that of mine) finds the ULTIMATE outrageousness in the immediately below-pasted quote from the idiot Nicholas Burns, our under secretary of state for political affairs:
“Iran is a country that for the United States has been one of abiding concern for the better part of 30 years”
Who the hell we think we are to bring other nations to submission? That is coercing them submission to unjust hegemonic bullying demands of ours? Such attitude towards others foments/provokes anger and instability. Then we complain against so called terrorism?
Speaker Peloci, please, have the balls/courage to demand JUST treatment of Iran and others. The first thing that brings about peace is JUST/EQUAL and with respect treatment of others.
We claim to be a CIVILIZED nation. JUST/EQUAL and with respect treatment of others is the hallmarks of a CIVIL nation. Hegemonic attitude of ours has made us the Third HATED nation in the world; Israel having had won the First rank and our propaganda machine/censored/biased PRESS and MEDIA have fabricated/caused an unjust view of Iran in the mind of so called CIVILIZED world.
Iran does NOT intend to build atomic bomb. Please stop pressuring Iran. Please stop bullying Iran. Please stop abusing Security Counsel. Please stop stoking unrest in Iran. Spend the fund to advance honorable causes. Stop interfering in the INTERNAL affairs of Iran. Let them, themselves, sort out the problems that they have with their rough government. Put yourself in their shoes to find out if we, for even a second, would accept such humiliating attitudes towards us? Treat others as EQUALS then all the security of flow of oil to the West that we want would be assured. The COLONIALISM era is over.
Uncontrollable greedy corporative profit-making should be brought under control. These stupid cruel bottom-line-looking greedy individuals/corporations know that they will not be able to take what they make so unfairly to grave. Fighting with greed is the real fight with terrorism. Leave people alone. Leave their waters and the vicinity of international waters. Evacuate all the bullying military bases around them and around the world. Stop the hegemony of military Industrial Complex then you will notice that terrorism stops.
Convince Israel to accept that the refugees return to Israel and accept the result of a REFERUNDOM as the final solution to the faith of those occupied lands. How can you sleep with such cruel attitude with people? Era of IMPERIALISM is long gone. Come out of stupidity and inferiority/superiority complex. We are NOT the boss/landlord/owner of the world.
Declaration of Human Right becomes meaningless/sounds hollow when we and the other four countries have the VETO power and Permanent seat in the Security Counsel.
To the Media and Press: You are supposed to be eye and ears of public to protect the Constitution. How come is it that you do not report the real important news pieces such as this one: the during the visit of President Khatami (former President of Iran) with Pope Benedict VI, Pope has said that Iran has had been a peaceful country and that it has the full right to its peaceful nuclear program (that we are trying to deprive them of)? Do your job for God sake; be eye and ears of people. Stop from being the loudspeaker for the government. Have the BALL to write/report the truthful pieces of important news. Journalists are supposed to take risks and be ready to loose their job for the cause of INFORMING people. Please do your job honorably. Do not be lecture them. Tell them the truth. Not reporting the truth is the worst type of lying through omission[of facts].
Sincerely,
Dr. Murray M. Morgan