Posted by Joel Mathis August 15, 2006 at 6:51 a.m.

Brownback essay warns against Iran's intentions

Sen. Sam Brownback makes an appearance at CNN.com with an [essay about the nuclear situation in Iran:][1]_As with the Soviet Union, while the United States must stand up to Iranian aggression and should not rule out military options, there is much we can do without firing a shot.We must remind the Iranian people that we stand with them. We must continue to support democracy and human rights reforms in Iran. And most importantly, we must make sure that Iran's leaders hear all of our concerns about their behavior.If we discuss only nuclear weapons, we play into the hands of the brutal rulers in Tehran. If we take every opportunity to remind Iran's leaders and the rest of the world of the Iranian government's repression of its people, its terrible human rights record, and its support for terrorism, we can demonstrate that even a nuclear arsenal would not excuse the regime's arrogant and reckless behavior._The essay contains a link to a response essay from Javad Zarif, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations.Other links today:Sam Brownback[(Wichita Eagle) Brownback to campaign in Iowa:][2] U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., will be in Iowa Wednesday and Thursday, drumming up support for local candidates in a state crucial to presidential hopes. Brownback will speak at events for three Iowa state legislature candidates and two county-level candidates along with a Catholic group in Des Moines.[(U.S. Newswire) Helsinki Commission Report Describes Investigations into Wrongful Sterilizations in Slovakia and Czech Republic:][3] A United States Helsinki Commission staff report released today describes investigations into the practice of sterilizing Romani women without informed consent in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The report describes an investigation by the Czech public defender of rights as an "unflinching examination" of "highly sensitive issues." An investigation of the same issue by the Slovak government was "marred by numerous shortcomings and insufficient follow up." ... "I commend the Czech public defender of rights for his courageous and principled investigation into this sensitive issue," said Commission Chairman Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), "and I call on the next Czech government to move quickly to act on his recommendations."Pat Roberts[(UPI) Analysis: Controversy dogs Iraq estimate:][4] A National Intelligence Estimate is the classified distillation of the thinking of the United States' 16 intelligence agencies about a particular problem, and there has not been one on Iraq for more than two years. The office of the Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte announced earlier this month that it would "shortly" commence work on an updated estimate for Iraq. ... The staffer said that Roberts' concerns were based on the Senate Intelligence Committee's exhaustive examination of the flawed 2002 estimate on Iraq -- which wrongly assessed that the regime of Saddam Hussein had an arsenal of chemical and biological weapons and was actively working to build an atom bomb. "The thing that is most important to the chairman is that the analytic tradecraft underlying (the estimate) should be solid," said the staffer. "Care must be taken to properly explain any doubts or uncertainties about the judgments reached."How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][5] [1]: http://www.yahoo.com/ [2]: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/15272986.htm [3]: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=70709 [4]: http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060814-095731-7294r [5]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed