We citizens of the United States must carefully examine the history of U.S. military intervention throughout the world since the end of World War II and draw some conclusions.

It was the United States, who, with Britain and reactionary Iranian elements, overthrew the parliamentary democracy in Iran in 1953 and restored the Shah to power, resulting in 25 years of state terror against the population of Iran.

The United States has armed and financed the Saudi autocracy in Saudi Arabia for decades, while maintaining military installations in Muslim holy cities.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 with a purported rationale of Iraqi attainment of mass destruction weapons. Even if such a rationale were the driving force behind the decision to invade Iraq, such preventative military campaigns are prohibited by international law in the United Nations charter.

If we are concerned about Iranian development of nuclear weapons, then we must recognize that our war-making in Iraq and elsewhere induces Iran to develop a weapons system which it sees as a defense against a possible U.S. attack.

If we were to uphold our professed concern for political freedom around the world, then we would end U.S. backing of the Saudi dynasty.

If we were to hold ourselves to a standard that prohibits military activity except in self-defense, then we would withdraw our military forces from Iraq.

Chet Husted

Houlton