To: True Majority, Moveon.org, Open Left, David Sirota, TPM, Campaign for America’s Future, the Center for American Progress, and Daily Kos
The following groups and individuals are working very hard to block a war supplemental bill in Congress that would fund the continued war and occupation of Iraq and an escalated war and occupation in Afghanistan: After Downing Street, American Friends Service Committee, Nick Baumann, Brave New Films, Jennifer Brunner, Brendan Calling, Buzz Flash, Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Dday, Declaration of Peace, Democrats.com, Digby, Docudharma, FireDogLake, Bruce Gagnon, Glenn Greenwald, the Hip Hop Caucus, Howie Klein, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Just Foreign Policy, The Nation, Cynthia McKinney, Linda Milazzo, Michael Moore, Military Families Speak Out, Out of Iraq Blogger Caucus, Patriot Daily, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, Jason Rosenbaum, Coleen Rowley, Jonathan Tasini, True Maine Blue, Doug Tudor, United for Peace and Justice, US Labor Against the War, Veterans for Peace, Voters for Peace, Joan Wile, Marcy Winograd, World Can’t Wait, and the Young Turks.
We could use your help.
We’ve elected majorities to Congress to get us out of Iraq in 2006 and 2008. But we’ve allowed Congress to toy with us. 51 Democrats voted against the current war supplemental when they were sure it would pass. Two years ago 89 House Democrats signed a statement committing to voting against any war funding except for a withdrawal. This year 85 have signed onto a bill requiring an exit strategy for Afghanistan. And 73 belong to something called the Out of Iraq Caucus. And yet we are being told that the way to “clear the decks” and “move on” to healthcare and energy is to further fund the wars that elected Democrats claim to oppose and that we all claim to oppose.
What are our chances of success? They are much better in the long term if we push hard in the short term. If we can strip unrelated measures out of war bills, if we can force war bills to be passed primarily by Republicans, if we can create an anti-war caucus with negotiating power, if we can change the discourse to include the peace movement we will be closer to achieving peace. Every day that we delay the current bill is a victory. Will you help us? Will you send an Email to your list and post a blog on your site asking your members to phone Congress and ask for No votes on the war supplemental? Will you be part of a growing peace movement now, when we might succeed, just as you were when we had no chance?
We need you.
In Solidarity,
David Swanson