|
http://www.unitedforpeace.org On January 12, sixteen Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Bush calling on him to begin the immediate withdrawal of U. S. troops from Iraq. This initiative is a clear reflection of the breadth of antiwar sentiment across the country, and a sign that the demand to bring the troops home now is gaining more and more mainstream support. The Congressional letter comes at a pivotal moment when, according to the New York Times (January 10), discussions of how the U. S. might disengage from Iraq are “bubbling up in Congress, in the Pentagon and some days even in the White House.” The grassroots antiwar movement can make a real difference right now, if we act quickly and decisively. See below for details on action steps you can take today. Every day brings news of more defections from Bush’s “stay the course” policy:
Now, as the nation honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, is the time to re-double our efforts. UFPJ encourages you to make sure that newspapers large and small around the country are deluged with antiwar letters, and that everyone in Washington, D. C. is flooded with antiwar calls, letters and e-mails. Now is the time to call for an end to the war in Iraq and for the troops to be brought home. The overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people want the U. S. out. The overwhelming majority of the world’s people want to the U. S. out. If we can do our part in mobilizing and activating millions of people here, success is within our grasp. “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1) If you are represented by any of the signers of the letter to Bush be sure to call their office and thank them for this initiative. We’ve listed their phone numbers after their names below.
LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM 16 MEMBERS OF CONGRESSJanuary 12, 2005
Dear Mr. President, We write to urge you to take immediate steps to begin the withdrawal of U. S. forces from Iraq. Although the initial invasion of Iraq may have occurred with minimal troop deaths, the subsequent occupation of the country has been anything but successful. Already more than 1, 300 American troops have lost their lives since the war began on March 19, 2003. At least 10, 000 American troops have been injured as well, and it is impossible to know exactly how many thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed. Despite the enormity of the war’s casualties, the Iraqi insurgency continues to grow stronger with every passing day. Iraq is no closer to becoming a stable democracy today than it was two years ago, as evidenced in recent weeks by the daily torrent of insurgent attacks on American forces and Iraqi civilian leaders. On January 4th, insurgents assassinated Ali Haidari, the governor of the Iraqi province that includes Baghdad. Just as devastating to the prospect of democracy, on December 30th, al-Jazeera satellite channel reported that all 700 electoral workers in Mosul quit their posts out of fear of being killed. Two weeks later, on January 10th, the entire 13-member electoral commission in the Anbar province, just west of Baghdad, resigned after being threatened by insurgents. If even Iraqi election officials fear for their lives, how can we possibly expect Iraqi citizens to feel safe going to the polls? How can we continue to put our own troops in harm’s way, the continued targets for Iraq’s thousands of malcontent insurgents? It has become clear that the existence of more than 130, 000 American troops stationed on Iraqi soil is infuriating to the Iraqi people - especially because Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction and did not have a connection to the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 or to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Indeed, the very presence of Americans in Iraq is a rallying point for dissatisfied people in the Arab world. The events of the last two years have not only intensified the rage of the extremist Muslim terrorists, they have also ignited civil hostilities in Iraq that have made Americans and Iraqis substantially less safe. Therefore, by removing our troops from the country, we will remove the main focus of the insurgents’ rage. Again, while it may be logistically difficult to immediately remove every American soldier, we urge you to take immediate action to begin the withdrawal of U. S. forces from Iraq. This is the only way to truly support our troops. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Representaives Lynn Woolsey (CA-06) 202-225-5161
SUPPORT THE TROOPS - BRING THEM HOME NOW!SATURDAY, MARCH 19: GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST
|