and on Earth peace, good will toward men

In a nation and world grown weary of war, there remain -- within our own borders -- powerful voices opposed to peace. President Obama and Western nations have reached an interim agreement with Iran which would prevent another war by assuring the world that Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon. Diplomatic negotiations are ongoing; yet, tragically, the voices of intolerance are already seeking to undermine Obama's diplomatic progress before negotiations for a final resolution can conclude. By setting double standards and violating the spirit of the existing accord, Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor has produced a bill which would undermine the interim agreement almost as soon as it was reached. I say: Give Peace a Chance! We must work cooperatively with the entire international community. Most ordinary Iranians love America and want peace. Those opposed to peace negotiations with Iran should recall that WMD's were not located in Iraq, but only in the hearts of those who were certain of their existence elsewhere.

In this season of peace, let us remember that our greatest enemy is the fear and hatred in our own hearts. Our nation must demonstrate its true power by a willingness to first seek peace. Let's join our voices with the angel who said, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people…and on earth peace, good will toward men." Please sign my petition urging Virginia congressmen to support President Obama's negotiations for peace.

Thank you!
Herbert Fitzell

*Hoyer Praised For Backing Off Eric Cantor’s Iran Resolution; Think Progress, December 12.

Update 12/20/13: News reports indicate that VA Senator Mark Warner will support increased sanctions against Iran. A senior Obama administration official put it very succinctly to the Huffington Post:

“The fact is, passing new sanctions now would split the international community, embolden Iranian hard-liners, and likely derail any prospect of a diplomatic resolution. Members of Congress pressing for this bill are effectively choosing to close the door on diplomacy, making it far more likely that we’ll be left only with a military option.”

Update 1/14/14: As of this date only Congressman Forbes has submitted a formal response to my petition. In a letter dated January 3, Congressman Forbes responded: "The Iranian regime has also sought to disrupt our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq and continues to threaten our Israeli allies. Clearly a stable Middle East can only be realized when Iran stops supporting terrorism and ceases its pursuit of nuclear weapons."

But it was the teenage Katniss Everdeen who got it right in Mockingjay when she said of these Hunger Games, "Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settle its differences. You can spin it any way you like...The truth is, it benefits no one to live in a world where these things happen." (Collins 377).

Update 1/24/14:
It appears that congressional support for new Iran sanctions is growing weaker. Several days after my original petition, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate. The Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act (S.1881) was introduced by Senator Menendez (D-NJ), which proposes new sanctions on Iran. This is a bad idea. See article below by Steven L. Spiegel.

I received an e-mail today from Senator Mark Warner who said: "I believe that it is important to allow this interim agreement a chance to proceed as a verifiable diplomatic solution is the preferred outcome. Nonetheless, Iran must live up to the terms of the compact or risk additional sanctions."
Senator Warner is cosponsoring S.1881, the Iran Nuclear Weapon Free Act of 2013.
Fortunately, this bill does not have enough votes for a veto-proof majority in the Senate. Public pressure has turned the tide. According to Sara Haghdoosti of MoveOn.org, "...we made this happen. Over the last few weeks since this legislation was announced, over 150,000 people have taken action, we've made over 10,000 phone calls and had petition deliveries all across the country.

What we're doing is working and that's exactly why we can't let up now. What we've achieved over the last few weeks is proof that not only can we fight back against war—we can help create the space for politicians to become champions for diplomacy."

All we are saying is Give Peace A Chance! Thanks so much for signing my petition.

Support for new Iran sanctions wanes
—MSNBC. January 17

January 23, 2014, 02:00 pm
Congress, don't pass the Nuclear Weapons Free Iran Act
By Steven L. Spiegel

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/196154-congress-dont-pass-the-nuclear-weapons-free-iran-act#ixzz2rLiKsM6H

2/7/14 Update: Great News. Today i declare victory - for now. We Gave Peace a Chance and we won! See the details according to MoveOn:

Starting in late November, after the interim deal with Iran was announced and reports surfaced that Congressman Cantor was trying to work with Congressman Hoyer on a sanctions bill, nearly 150,000 MoveOn members signed a petition calling on Democrats not to join with Republicans and torpedo negotiations. MoveOn members also made thousands of phone calls to the House and Senate prior to the holiday recess.

· In January, when the Senate returned and new sanctions were on the table, MoveOn worked with progressive allies like Berim.org to generate more than 10,000 phone calls to Congress from MoveOn members demanding diplomacy, not new sanctions that could lead to a rush to war with Iran.

· In early February, MoveOn, again working with Berim.org and progressive partners, flew MoveOn members from across the country to Washington for meetings with their representatives on Capitol Hill as Sen. Menendez held a Foreign Relations Committee hearing on sanctions legislation.

· On Tuesday, Sen. Chris Murphy partnered with MoveOn.org to continue to mobilize grassroots support for diplomacy by auth...