Regarding Syria Strike: to my Senators and Representative

I urge you to vote against the President's plan that is to be before you this week to take military action against Syria.

Like you, I have read the reasons for and against this proposal. I would only add that I hope you will take seriously the words of the many religious leaders both within and outside of Syria who are urging you to vote no.

I have little new to add to anyone’s arguments. Except this: as a young child I learned that "Two wrongs do not make a right." The purpose of that admonition was to make you think at least twice before responding to a wrong with a wrong.

“Two wrongs do not make a right” works on many levels in this situation. No doubt, using chemical weapons at all is a grave wrong. It cannot be ignored. But responding to it with the "wrong" of missile strikes that may or may not kill or injure civilians, that may or may not hit useful targets, that may or may not lead to a wider conflict, that may or may not stop Assad, that will most likely lead to the kind of situation we left in Iraq is wrong because it is nearly certain that greater harm will be inflicted on more people than was done by the original act itself, and the US will be no more secure.

Further: killing civilians and destroying their homeland is always the wrong way to enhance our credibility and standing in the world. It’s a sad day when that's what the US must do in order to be considered credible.

Our President has put us in a serious predicament. I am dismayed; I hoped for so much more from him. Now he is asking Congress to pull him out of that predicament. Make him work harder at it–vote against striking Syria.

Sincerely,

Keith Dean Myers