1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

Stop Bombing Civilians   I am writing in outrage and alarm at the United States’ escalating military strikes in Iran and the growing reports that civilians and civilian infrastructure are being hit.   Americans watched in horror as Israel’s war in Gaza destroyed homes, hospitals, schools, and basic infrastructure while tens of thousands of civilians were trapped in the devastation. Now we are watching our own country repeating the same pattern.   Reporting from The New York Times describes widespread strikes across Tehran and other areas. One Iranian told the paper: “It seems they are striking everywhere: homes, schools, mosques, hospitals.” He added: “If they keep hitting Tehran like this for another 10 days, nothing will remain.”  Those are not military targets. Those are the places where ordinary people live, worship, learn, and seek medical care.   Instead of expressing urgency about protecting civilian life, the administration has reacted cavalierly, treating the war as a show of machismo strength rather than the grave and deadly reality it is for the civilians living beneath the bombs. The consequences of these reckless actions could last for decades—including retaliation on our own soil, a possibility Trump acknowledged, but brushed off: When asked whether Americans should worry about retaliatory attacks on U.S. soil, President Trump shrugged it off, responding simply, “I guess,” and adding, “Some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” This response should horrify every member of Congress.  Before another bomb falls, Congress must act immediately to rein in this dangerous and unchecked military escalation by the President and the Department of Defense and impose strict limits to ensure civilian populations and civilian infrastructure are not targeted or harmed.   The United States has spent decades and trillions of dollars in wars that began with confident rhetoric and ended in devastation for civilians abroad and disillusionment at home. We cannot allow that cycle to begin again.   Stop this escalation. Protect civilian life. Do your constitutional duty and bring this madness to an end.