The commentary by Robert Kelley, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency ("Let's not go to war with Iran on false pretenses," Jan. 12), was one of the most important the Star Tribune has published in a long time.
In contrast to all the posturing, questionable information and frantic wolf-crying that surround the "imminent threat" from Iran's nuclear program, we got a credible, concise overview not only of what has transpired over the past couple of decades in this arena, but also of the tragic events that ensue when a country falls victim to uninformed, self-serving cries that the sky is falling.
And we got that view from the best possible source: An expert who was in the middle of it all, whose knowledge is first-hand and whose motivation for speaking out is rooted in moral convictions about the dangers of "withholding facts" and of "officials who [keep] their misgivings to themselves."
He, and others in similar positions, will likely suffer for what might be termed "delayed moral courage."
Someone will surely ask, "You were not allowed to speak or you chose not to speak?" It's easy to judge actions after the fact.
It's never too late to exhibit moral courage. Let's hope that others will speak out now -- loudly.
It may be the only thing that will prevent us from plunging into another Middle East quagmire.
D. J. SCHOLTZ, MINNEAPOLIS
