Natural Law Party condemns the U.S. invasion of Iraq—
Calls for prevention of war on a global scale

Dear Friend of Natural Law Party:

The Natural Law Party is against the massive military invasion of Iraq, and stands in solidarity with tens of millions of patriotic Americans who oppose the Bush administration’s reckless actions.

The Natural Law Party in no way condones the brutal leadership of Saddam Hussein, one of the most ruthless tyrants in the world today.

However, the current, massive U.S. military invasion is illegal and unnecessary. The U.N.-sponsored process of inspections was at last succeeding in its efforts to disarm Iraq peacefully—and much credit goes to the U.S. and its allies for their perseverance. However, by placing intentionally unattainable and disingenuous deadlines on the disarmament process—and ultimately mounting a massive unilateral military assault in clear defiance of the international community—the U.S. undermined its legitimacy as a world leader and lost the precious opportunity for a peaceful resolution.

War never creates peace. War always sows the seeds of deep resentment, which inevitably sprout as future conflict. The inescapable consequences of killing and destruction always return to the killer, irrespective of whether the sin is committed next door or 7,000 miles away. This is why all the world’s religious and spiritual leaders are united against this war.

Indeed, Pope John Paul II told President Bush that if he invaded Iraq without United Nations sanctions, the Catholic Church would consider him a war criminal. “A war would be a defeat for humanity and would be neither morally nor legally justified,” he told President Bush. But President Bush and his White House colleagues appear blind to the most basic spiritual and moral principles.

National security?

From the standpoint of U.S. national security, the wisdom of a U.S.-led war is dubious. Terrorism—not Iraq—poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests and U.S. security. But following the U.S. assault on Afghanistan, the number of potential suicide terrorists—those willing to sacrifice their own lives to kill Americans at home or abroad—has grown at least fivefold. According to U.S. government sources, Americans are far less secure now than before President Bush’s aggressive campaign in Afghanistan.

Iraq is now the second Muslim nation to face a massive U.S. invasion justified in part by that nation’s alleged links to the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11. This time, however, no one—not even the CIA—accepts a meaningful link between Iraq and Osama Bin Laden. Now, as a result of the new assault, the entire Arab world and much of the global community of nearly a billion Muslims are vehemently united against the United States. The pool of potential terrorists is exploding. Rather than protecting our national security, Bush is inciting a potential conflagration.

Economic fallout

The U.S. economy has been in precipitous decline for the last three years. Bankruptcies and unemployment are on the rise, while corporate profits are plunging, and consumer confidence has reached record lows. The federal deficit for the next fiscal year is estimated to be the worst in history. To this we now add the $80 billion cost of military deployment in Iraq and approximately $600 billion over the next five years for military occupation, reconstruction and essential humanitarian aid. We cannot afford to divert such massive financial resources away from dangerously underfunded education, health care, social security and other federal programs.

500 peace candidates

The Natural Law Party believes it is vital that we all work together to put an immediate end to this war. To this end, the Natural Law Party plans to run at least 500 “peace candidates” for federal, state and local offices—a campaign spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has endorsed our programs, and whom we are supporting in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Rep. Kucinich is America’s most outspoken and courageous Member of Congress dedicated to the cause of peace.

Ending the legacy of war

In keeping with our principle of prevention-oriented government, we believe our most important goal should be the prevention of all future wars. We can end the legacy of violence and conflict by addressing the root cause of war—the acute ethnic, religious and political tensions that fuel violence and conflict.

Our Natural Law Party policies and programs will fulfill the aspirations of peace-loving people everywhere and will achieve a peaceful, harmonious family of nations. For example, through the application of proven technologies of consciousness that dissolve social stress and enliven the fundamental field of peace—the Unified Field of Natural Law—we can stop open warfare in war-torn areas and prevent new conflicts from arising. This has been demonstrated in dozens of countries throughout the world, and by more than 50 scientific studies published in the world’s leading, peer-reviewed scientific journals.

In this context, we gratefully acknowledge those peace activists who have organized group meditations and weekly prayer vigils. To their efforts, the Natural Law Party adds the power of numerous groups of several thousand full-time experts practicing highly advanced peace-promoting technologies throughout the world. Located in every time zone, these groups are radiating peace around the clock, around the world—producing a global effect of “rolling silence”—the antidote to President Bush’s “rolling thunder” (his 24-hour air campaign against Iraq).

Though Bush has remained fixated in his commitment to war, these collective meditations have produced dramatic effects. They have helped spark an unprecedented global backlash against the war and have crystallized the most powerful and dynamic peace movement in world history.

Harvey Wasserman, author of The Last Energy War, cites what he calls “the emerging Superpower of Peace . . . the transcendental force . . . of an intangible human network determined to stop this war.” Wasserman predicts, “No matter what ultimately happens in Iraq, the new millennium will be neither American nor Chinese nor European, nor military nor corporate nor dictatorial. It belongs to the Superpower of Peace, being born before our eyes.”

We invite peace-loving Americans across the nation to join us in our efforts to quickly end this horrifying and unjust war, and bring peace to the world—now and for future generations.

John Hagelin, Ph.D.
2000 Presidential Candidate

P.S. To support the Natural Law Party, please visit http://www.natural-law.org/contribute/index.html. You may also contact us by phone at 800-332-0000 or by mail (please make checks payable to “Natural Law Party”) at Natural Law Party, P.O. Box 1900, Fairfield, IA 52556. Thank you in advance for your crucially important support.