[Think] U.S. Integrity Act

[Jason Weston]

I send political updates to a list of friends and family who are interested
in receiving them. The following is one of my most recent, and I have
received considerable response. I hope you find it interesting.

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A few weeks have passed since I sent out my first occasional political
updates, and much has happened since then on the political scene. Today I am
sending a link to an exceptional article by Wendell Berry, a poet,
philosopher, and conservationist whose writings deserve careful attention.
Please see http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1207-01.htm.

In addition, like most of us, I've been giving a lot of thought to why the
U.S. has responded to the September 11 attacks in the way we have, ignoring
the very existence of the United Nations and the Geneva Convention, not to
mention the U.S. constitution. The actions of our government only make sense
within the context of the pursuit of a secondary agenda that would never
hold up under the scrutiny of congress and the American people. For this
reason I am very concerned that the attacks are being used to push a right
wing agenda that will benefit a few at the expense of everyone else. To help
prevent this, I have written the following proposal that I am sending to my
congressman, Sam Farr. I encourage others to review it and, should you
agree, to kindly send it to your congressional representative. And of
course, send it to your politically-minded friends. Perhaps if enough people
demand holding our government to account we can get something like this on
the agenda.


Thanks for taking a few minutes to read this, and for caring.

Jason

Jason Weston
jason@seekingpeace.org

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Dear Sam,

I'm Jason Weston, a constituent in your district, and I'm very concerned
about what some are saying may appear as impropriety by President George W.
Bush. I'm hoping you will introduce a bill along the lines of what I've
written here. I call it the United States Integrity Act.

In response to the brutal terrorist attacks against the United States of
America on September 11, 2001, the United States has taken necessary steps
in an effort to track down suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and his Al
Qaeda terrorist network.

It's well known that President Bush, before taking office as president, was
in the oil business. This is also true of Vice President Dick Cheney, as
well as National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. It is also known that
extensive oil reserves exist to the north of Afghanistan, and that a
pipeline through Afghanistan would be by far the most efficient way to bring
that oil to market. Some have suggested that preventing future terrorist
attacks is only one of the goals of the Bush administration, and that they
are using the U.S. military to accomplish goals associated with business
interests as well. I believe that it is imperative that the United States
protect the integrity of the presidency and the legitimacy of the military
actions taken by assuring that no person or company associated with the U.S.
government profits as a result of these actions.

Thus, while the actions taken may have been necessary and appropriate, a
number of citizens as well as friends from around the world have expressed
concern that President Bush and others in his administration might have
economic motivations for engaging in this action. To assure the American
people, as well as our allies abroad, that there is absolutely no
impropriety, and that the actions taken are solely for the safety of free
people everywhere, we hereby enact the following:

1. The United States government, and specifically George W. Bush, hereby
certifies that the military actions taken in Afghanistan are singularly
motivated by our effort to remove the threat of terrorism, and to bring
Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network to justice.

2. Although it is true that some members of the U.S. government have ties to
oil companies, neither those members of government nor the companies they
are associated with will benefit economically from the military actions the
United States has had to take, or will take in the future.

3. To assure the integrity of the United States government and the
legitimacy of its actions, it shall be a felony for any person or company to
knowingly profit as a result of the military action taken in Afghanistan in
2001 or subsequent military actions that are an extension of this conflict.
Should a person or company discover they are inadvertently profiting from
these actions, they will be subject to a 100% tax on those profits, to be
put into a special fund to relieve and rebuild Afghanistan. Specifically,
this section prohibits profiting by installing or using an oil pipeline or
transport mechanism in Afghanistan, or in any manner receiving, purchasing
or selling oil transported through Afghanistan. Should a company be found
guilty of intentionally violating this act, its CEO and each member of its
Board of Directors shall be personally liable for felony criminal charges,
and punishment by fine, imprisonment, or both.

4. Should a future government of Afghanistan request a pipeline or other
transport mechanism be installed for their benefit, the United States
government agrees to pay for such a pipeline or transport mechanism to be
installed by Afghan workers, either through the Afghan government or a
company that does not do business in the United States. If such a contractor
cannot be located, then a non-U.S. company with no ties to the U.S.
government shall be found to install it. This shall be considered a gift to
the Afghan people to demonstrate the veracity of our friendship. Neither the
U.S. government nor a U.S. company shall profit by building the pipeline or
transport mechanism, taxing the oil transported by it, leasing the use of
it, receiving free or discounted oil or proceeds of the oil transported by
it, or by any other means. The only means by which the United States, its
citizens or corporations may receive oil transported through Afghanistan is
to pay the full market value for that oil after it has been transported by
others, plus any taxes levied by the Afghan government.

5. No proxy corporation or other company shall be set up or used to
circumvent this law. Should a person or company be found guilty of employing
a proxy to circumvent this law, punishment shall include restitution of all
profits, in addition to double the penalty that would otherwise be imposed.

6. Nothing in this bill shall prevent the United States or any person or
company from purchasing oil transported through Afghanistan at fair market
price, provided all other provisions of this bill are met.

7. This law shall be effective immediately upon becoming law, and shall
remain in effect for a period of 25 years.

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I hope you see the value of creating a bill such as this. As you can tell, I
have no experience writing law, so certainly it would need to be rewritten
by an expert. But I think the intent is there.

Thanks for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Jason

Jason Weston
jason@seekingpeace.org