<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Rep. Davis:<div><br></div><div>Every American president for more than a quarter century - up to and including the current incumbent - has bombed Iraq.</div><div><br></div><div>President Obama's excuses are no better than those of his predecessor(s).</div><div><br></div><div>Please read the following statement from Veterans for Peace, a group of which I am proud to be an associate:</div><div><br></div><div>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*</div><div><br></div><div>Veterans For Peace is disappointed but not surprised by the so called strategy President Obama presented last night. We are disappointed because it is more of the same. The U.S. will continue to be “the greatest purveyor of violence” on the earth. It will continue to follow a failed policy of war-making in the Middle East. It will continue to waste precious financial resources which should be directed toward human needs and to support the U.S. economy.It will continue to put U.S. service members into harm’s way when other solutions are possible and it will continue to take the lives of innocent people, most of whom will undoubtedly be women and children who are always disproportionately impacted by war.<br><br>We are not surprised because it has been made clear to us that our leaders are not interested in finding solutions other than war to solve international conflicts. After thirteen years of war what has been accomplished? Iraq and Afghanistan are in shambles, the Taliban has not been defeated, al Qaeda has further decentralized to at least thirty countries, ISIL has emerged as a power of sorts in Iraq and Syria and a State Department report outlines that terrorism increased by 43% in 2013. By any objective measure, U.S. foreign policy in the Iraq and Afghanistan from Bush to Obama has been a failure. Yet more war is put forth as the answer, even though President Obama himself in the recent past said there is not a military solution to the violence in Iraq and last night explained that ISIL does not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. Why then do we continue down this path<br><br>There are solutions to confronting ISIL which do not include U.S. military action.<br><br><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Stop the airstrikes because the Sunni leaders and militia, who President Obama acknowledges must be persuaded to break with ISIL, see the U.S. as acting as the air force for the Kurds and Shia against Sunnis. The driving force for the Sunni-ISIL alliance is the alienation of Sunnis from Baghdad by the previous Iraqi administration. Bombing Sunnis will not help mend this relationship.<br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Stop the slippery slope of sending troops to Iraq and stop sending more weapons that fuel the conflict killing more civilians and ignoring human rights violations committed by “allies.”This includes pressuring countries to stop supporting and selling arms to ISIL and stopping all black market weapons sales.<br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Make diplomacy the number one priority. Since it is clear there is no military solution, seriously engage with everyone in the region, including Iran who is needed to force the Iraqi government to be more inclusive with Sunni leaders. Without an inclusive government in Iraq there is no way to effectively confront ISIL.<br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Initiate a new effort at building a broad diplomatic solution in the United Nations to use diplomatic and financial pressure to stop countries from financing and arming ISIL and other fighters in Syria. An arms embargo on all sides should be on the long-term agenda.<br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Make a real effort to restart UN negotiations to end the civil war in Syria. Set aside preconceived demands and work to end the violence. Once that is achieved the people of Syria can begin to chart their destiny.<br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>• Massively increase humanitarian efforts through the UN and any other means. Real and effective efforts to relieve suffering will go a long way in convincing people to break with ISIL. More U.S. bombings and killings will only confirm that the U.S. is the enemy of Islam.<br></div>President Obama outlined a strategy no different from what the U.S. has done for the past thirteen years. It is not a plan for success, it is a gamble that war will work this time when it has spectacularly failed thus far. We at Veterans For Peace challenge the American people to ask whose interests does endless war serve? Who is paying for these wars, whose children are dying in these wars and who is getting paid to finance and provide weapons for these wars? We the people are being driven by manipulated fear to support polices that are not in our interest. Peace is harder than war, but it is cheaper in blood and treasure. After thirteen years it is time to take another path, the path of peace.<br><br>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>*</div><div><br></div><div>Regards, </div><div>C. G. Estabrook<br><br></div><div><div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Sep 12, 2014, at 2:01 PM, Rep. Rodney Davis <<a href="mailto:rodneydavis-no-reply@mail.house.gov">rodneydavis-no-reply@mail.house.gov</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><table style="background-color: #ffffff; margin: 10px auto; border: 1px solid #cccccc;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="700" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr valign="top">
<td style="text-align: center; font-variant: small-caps; width: 200px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1em;" valign="top"><br>
<br>
<span style="text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 12px;">Rodney Davis</span><br>
13th District, Illinois <br>
<hr style="background-color: #356bad; width: 30px; height: 1px; border: 0px; margin: 12px auto;">
<span style="font-variant: normal; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.rodneydavis.house.gov">www.rodneydavis.house.gov</a><br>
www.facebook.com/reprodneydavis<br>
www.twitter.com/rodneydavis</span>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center; font-size: 10px;" valign="top"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<img alt="Congress of the United States // House of Representatives // Washington, DC 20515" src="http://rodneydavisforms.house.gov/images/davisletterhead2.jpg"> <br>
<br>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; width: 200px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px;" valign="top"><br>
<br>
Committee on Agriculture
<div style="text-transform: none; font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 0.9em;">
<div style="line-height: 0.5em;"> </div>
Subcommittee On <br>
General Farm Commodities<br>
and Risk Management<br>
<div style="line-height: 0.5em;"> </div>
Subcommittee on <br>
Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology,<br>
and Foreign Agriculture<br>
</div>
<br>
committee on transportation<br>
and infrastructure
<div style="text-transform: none; font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 0.9em;">
<div style="line-height: 0.5em;"> </div>
Subcommittee On Aviation-ViceChair
<div style="line-height: 0.5em;"> </div>
Subcommittee on<br>
Highways and Transit
<div style="line-height: 0.5em;"> </div>
Subcommittee on <br>
Water Resources and Environment
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px;" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px;">September 12, 2014 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 25px; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px;" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px;"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Dr. Estabrook, <br>
<br>
Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns with U.S. military intervention in Iraq.<span> </span>I appreciate hearing from constituents in my district and the time you took to share your thoughts.<span> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011, the Middle East has become increasingly less stable.<span> </span>The Syrian Civil War, which started in March 2011 and continues today, has allowed the spread of radical Islamic terrorists, such as groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to spread into Iraq.<span> </span>This poses significant national security concerns to the region, the United States, and our allies.<span> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Our military sacrificed too much during the long Iraq War to allow the gains we made there to slip away. The crisis in Iraq could also have an impact on gas prices and the supply of energy which have the potential to hurt the U.S. economy.<span> </span>Although I do not believe we should send troops into Iraq, I do believe we need to analyze all other possible options to halt these terrorists from moving further into Iraq and from possibly capturing Baghdad.<span> </span><span style="">The Iraqi people have shown that they are now willing to try to stand up to these radicals and it is important that we keep the safety of innocent citizens in mind as we look at ways to stop the bloodshed.</span><span style="color: red;"><span> </span></span>I will continue to monitor this situation carefully.</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Again, thank you for contacting me with your concerns about this issue.<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Please let me know if my office can be of assistance to you in the future. In addition, if you would like to stay informed on what is happening in Washington, DC and around the 13<sup>th</sup> District, I encourage you to sign up to receive my e-newsletter by visiting </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://rodneydavis.house.gov/contact/newsletter">https://rodneydavis.house.gov/contact/newsletter</a><span style="">. It is truly an honor to represent you.</span></span><br>
<br>
</p></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0px 25px;" colspan="3">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="55%" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="font-family: serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px;">Sincerely, <br>
<img alt="(signed)" src="http://rodneydavisforms.house.gov/images/rodney-davis-sig.jpg"><br>
Rodney Davis<br>
Member of Congress<br>
</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 25px; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px;" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px;">RD/RC<br>
</span> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 25px 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px; font-variant: small-caps;" colspan="3">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px; font-variant: small-caps;">2004 Fox Drive<br>
Champaign, IL 61820<br>
(217) 403-4690</td>
<td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px; font-variant: small-caps;">108 East Market<br>
Taylorville, IL 62568<br>
(217) 824-5117</td>
<td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px; font-variant: small-caps;">1740 Longworth House Office Building<br>
Washington, DC 20515<br>
(202) 225-2371</td>
<td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #356bad; font-size: 9px; font-variant: small-caps;">243 Water Street, Suite 100<br>
Decatur, IL 62523<br>
(217) 791-6224</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></body></html>