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Star Wars to Europe?

Oct 24, 2007

Dear Friend,

Urge your Senators and Representatives to cut funding for Bush's missile defense program!
Urge your Senators and Representatives to cut funding for Bush's missile defense program!

We've already written to you about President Bush's threats to attack Iran. Now, Bush is compounding the problem by using Iran as a justification for deploying a dangerous and costly missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

This provocative action is further damaging our already frayed relationship with Russia.

The House and Senate have dealt a major blow to Bush's plans to put missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic by cutting the funds for this project - the House cut $139 million of the $310 million request and the Senate $85 million. Senators and Representatives are now meeting to work out the final number.

You can take action to help prevent building Star Wars in Europe. Write to your Senators and Representative today and urge them to cut the funding for the third missile defense site in Europe.

Our Senior Military Fellow, General Robert Gard (USA-Ret.), argues that the decision to proceed with this project "is premature, misguided, wasteful of billions of dollars, and damaging to U.S. relationships with our European allies and Russia." An arms race is already emerging as Russia announced this weekend that it would respond to the missile defense system by building a new generation of nuclear weapons.

The U.S. cannot afford to further weaken our relationships with key allies. Write to your Senators and Representative today and urge them to cut the funding for the third missile defense site in Europe.

Yesterday, Defense Secretary Gates contradicted President Bush by announcing that the Pentagon might not go ahead with the system until a more concrete threat emerged from Iran. In addition, Poland has just elected a government less than friendly to missile defense.

However, President Bush is intent on going ahead, saying "We need to take [the threat from Iran] seriously -- now. . . . The need for missile defense in Europe is real, and I believe it is urgent."

Write to your Senators today and urge them to cut the funding for the third missile defense site in Europe.

Sincerely,

John Isaacs and Guy Stevens