Please, Pretty Please, Ms. Pelosi

The recent news about the United States' possible nuclear strike in Iran was disturbing enough that I was compelled to write a polite letter to my Congresswoman, Nancy Pelosi, asking her to please disavow the insanity.



I decided to deliver the letter personally to her office in the Federal Building on Golden Gate Avenue and was accompanied by Markley, the organizer of the weekly Thursday peace vigil in front of the same building.



The letter read as follows:

Dear Congresswoman Pelosi:
The recent report by journalist Seymour Hersh in “The New Yorker” concerning the Bush administration’s plans to possibly attack Iran pre-emptively with nuclear weapons is deeply alarming on many levels. Having shown they are capable of any atrocity over the last five years, this administration adamantly refuses to take the nuclear option “off the table.”

What is equally alarming is the almost complete silence this insane idea has elicited from the Democratic opposition. As House Minority Leader, I especially looked forward to hearing you speak out on this issue, and how the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons against anyone for any reason is deeply immoral. It would also be the beginning of the end for humanity, but again, we haven’t heard a word from you on this. Please do your constituents a favor and speak out on this important issue. The fate of the world may hang in the balance.

There is a weekly peace vigil in front of your offices here in San Francisco that meets from noon to one every Thursday. Please come and join us. You would be most welcome.

Respectfully,
Michael Strickland

Once past the heavy-handed security at the front door of the building, there didn't seem to be any further security at all.



In fact, it looked as if you could just use Congresswoman Pelosi's Xerox machine unmolested if you were so inclined.



We were greeted in Pelosi's office by her receptionist, Tina, who could not have been more gracious, welcoming and altogether charming.



The sour-faced staffers in the room next door did not seem as thrilled with our presence in their inner sanctum.



Having fulfilled a bit of my civic duty, I marveled again at how the elaborate concrete barriers against "terrorists" were unintentionally the most perfect skateboard park I've ever seen.



Here's another request for Congresswoman Pelosi. Why not take off all the little metal impediments and the threatening signage, and actually make this plaza a world-class skateboard park?



Skateboarders are cool, always have been, and they could keep an eye out for evildoers.



I can see the T-shirts now: "Skateboarders Protecting Us Against Terrorism."