Letter to Senators - Please comment.

I haven't yet sent this...but i'm curious- do you think it's to the point enough, or too long to get at the point, and too longwinded in general?  Your input is GREATLY appreciated! thanks.
                  




January 31, 2007

Senator Joe Biden
201 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
20510

Senator Biden,

I am writing concerning the message of freedom and the path of victory in Iraq.  Seeing what I have in the news, reading the reports that I read, I am deeply troubled.  I have an idea that if you have not already considered, I would consider it an honor if you did.

The news that radical Muslim Mullahs have taken over the role of some of the schooling in Iraq and other troubled zones worries me in that it makes victory all the more illusive.  Even if we were to beat back resistence in the war zones, this could only be a temporary fix as the next generation of combatants learn to tie their shoes, say their alphabet and hate our flag and the good people that stand beside it.  Our message of peace and freedom is marred in their eyes, and this is our opportunity to polish and reinstate it as the cultural ideal in the hearts of the citizens of the world. 

Instead of thinking of this as a setback, we should capitalize on the opportunity we have- to unite region and world by providing an alternative, by showing them we truly do care for their future by moving forward with education.  This is truly the ultimate peacekeeping mission.

Calling for Muslims of all lands to step up and defend the honesty of their religion, unsullied by radical ideals of carnage, hate and a twisted form of redemption, we defend that which those who peg themselves as our enemies value most- their religious identity.  Send a troupe of teachers so faithful and convicted in their religion that they would risk themselves for its better and honest values and be an example of dignity and courage to the region, whose current role models may be those with hate clogging their moral judgements.

Calling for Muslims with a true understanding of the peace which religion begs of us, the internal battle between good and evil that the scriptures enlighten in us, and the adaptation that the world demands of us is surely our best defense against “terrorism” or intolerance. 
       

The trick really, for winning the war, is to win the public of Iraq back, to win back the fancy of the world.  Through peacekeeping, through helping them meet their  needs, we will show them who their real enemy is.  If we do not move forward with this, we risk giving extremists the opportunity to aid in restructuring society, winning allies in the process.  If we move quickly, the true intentions of all concerned will be exposed, and  the extremists will be ostracized and eventually fade from existence and memory. 

The key concept in this world that is now completely interdependent is making sure that every area and concern gets its due attention.  Likened to a living organism, if a part is neglected and starts to fester, the whole body is to suffer. In fighting our battles with weapons alone we risk cutting off our nose to spite our face.  We must be part of a force of healing if we aim to succeed in these trying years to come.   

By setting up aid in the name of the American people and all free people of the world, inviting those in the war torn region to take our hand and climb towards a better life, we interact on the personal level of compassion, which is the path to success.   Because the world has displayed an increasing lack of trust in our executive branch, this initiative may be best received coming from elsewhere. This may require work between Senators and leaders of the public sector to achieve proper scope and to send the correct message, but it cannot be government alone.  We must demonstrate to those we aim to aid and to all the people of the world that the American people are not their enemies.
                                   



Sincerely,




Jordan Epstein