The Full-page Ad from the Wall Street
Journal, Monday, January 13, 2003
I couldn't find an online version of
the ad, so I copied it from the Journal and typed it in. Text in blue is my
descriptions of the page; Text in black is what is actually in the ad. I have
tried to reproduce the bold print and italics as they exist in the ad.
A Republican Dissent on Iraq.
To President Bush, his advisors and the American People:
Let’s be clear: We supported the Gulf War.
We supported our intervention in Afghanistan.
We accept the logic of a just war.
But Mr. President, your war on Iraq does not pass the test.
It is not a just war.
The candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble
nation in our dealings with the world. We gave him our votes and our campaign
contributions.
That candidate was you. We feel betrayed. We want our money
back. We want our country back.
War is the most extreme action a society can take. It can
only be unleashed after exploring every other road. You have not explored all
the roads.
How many young American lives will be lost in this dubious
war? How many more innocent Iraqis will be killed and maimed and made homeless?
Haven’t they suffered enough, after two decades of terrible wars and
sanctions?
Among the one billion Muslims in the world there is now a
steady trickle of recruits going to Al Qaeda. You will turn the trickle into a
torrent. A billion bitter enemies will rise out of this war.
And out of war may rise an Iraqi regime every bit as
brutish as the present one. What will you do then? Our jaws drop when we read
that you may decide we have to occupy Iraq for years, that the next ruler of
Iraq may be…an American general! Is there anyone who thinks that will work?
Your odds of success are infinitesimal!
The world wants Saddam Hussein disarmed. But you must find
a better way to do it. Why would you lead us into a situation where we are bound
to fail? You cannot keep proclaiming peace while preparing for war. You are
waltzing blindfolded into what may well be a catastrophe. Pride goeth before a
fall. Show the humility and compassion that led us to elect you.
In the center, there is a blurry picture of children’s
faces with this text over it:
"A BILLION
BITTER ENEMIES
WILL RISE
OUT OF
THIS
WAR."
At the bottom, it says:
War with Iraq is not inevitable. Now is the time to stop
it. Speak out at your place of worship, at your business, among your friends and
relatives. Make your convictions known to your Mayor and Governor and—above
all—to your elected leaders in Washington.
The following are listed as signers:
- Edward
H. Hamm, Republican Regent, former Chairman, The Northland Company
- Richard
S. Johnson, Founder, former CEO, Hotjobs.com
- Barbara
Lifflander, President, Hastings Art Ltd.
- Huyler
C. Held, Esq.
- John
C. Haas, Rohm & Haas (Ret.)
- Howard
S. Brembeck, Founder, CTB Inc., Chairman, Fourth Freedom Forum
- Betty
B. Blauner
- Peter
A. Benoliel, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Quaker Chemical
Corporation
- Vice
Admiral (ret.) John J. Shanahan
- Chris
Berghoff
- Starr
Tomczak, Attorney
- George
Zeo, Psy. D.
- Professor
Jeffrey G. Barlow, Ph.D.
- Linda
and Larry Black, Owners, College Park Bicycles, Inc. and Mt. Airy Bicycles,
Inc.
- Albert
Lowe
- Roger
Mumford, President, Matzel and Mumford Org.
- Martin
Resick, Chapter President, World Federalist Assn., Pittsburgh, PA
- Paul
Hally, Esq.
- Elizabeth
Viering
- Peter
B. Viering, Atty.
- Brenda
Ungerland, M.A., LifePath
- Brooks
Jealous
- Nancy
F. Puls
- Pamela
Davis
- Frank
K. Martin, CFA, Managing Partner, Martin Capital Management, LLP
Affiliations for identification only.
It has a clip-out donation form, giving the address as:
BUSINESS LEADERS FOR SENSIBLE PRIORITIES
P.O. Box 1976 Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113
Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of $_______.
Please use it to help prevent a potentially disastrous war in Iraq.
It then gives the TrueMajority.com web address, and says
that TrueMajority is a partner in Win Without War.