Help prevent attack on NKorea

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, has sponsored U.S. Senate Bill 2047 to bar the executive branch from using taxpayer money to launch a military strike against North Korea or introduce the armed forces into hostilities in North Korea unless Congress explicitly authorizes such actions or unless such actions are taken to rescue U.S. personnel or repel a sudden attack on the U.S. or allies.

We need to get Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman to co-sponsor this bill. Halting nuclear proliferation through diplomatic channels is a prime directive for our security. When the Iran nuclear deal went into effect in 2015, it halted Iran’s nuclear weaponsgrade materials program by unlinking its activities related to terrorist support in order to get the deal. Did we like the deal? No, but to put a halt to Iran’s capability to produce a nuke, it worked.

The eventuality of not reaching this agreement would have been a cataclysmically costly war for both the U.S. and the people of Iran — a war with Iran would have been a U.S. commitment of Iraq times four.

We now face the same prospect with North Korea, but President Trump does not seem to have a motivated focus on diplomatic channels. Our country would pay dearly if we attack North Korea, as would the population of South Korea. Creative diplomatic channels must be thought through and used until completely exhausted, as this always produces a clearer and brighter future for the world rather than plunging into war. House Resolution 4837 is the sister bill through the House, and Rep. Joyce Beatty is the only Ohio representative to co-sponsor.

Readers should contact Brown and Portman to co-sponsor Murphy's bill, and their congressional representative to support HR 4837.

Greg Pace Columbus