[Peace-discuss] Obama-Durbin Watch

[sparenti at uiuc.edu]

Thank you, Morton.

Last week I bumped into Brandon Bowersox, who was EXTREMELY 
active in Obama's election(Brandon may have been the 
Champaign County campaign manager, though I'm not quite 
sure). When I mentioned me/our disgust with Obama's voting 
record in the past few weeks, he agreed wholeheartedly, and 
said we need to be one of the forces putting pressure on 
Obama, as we were one of the main groups to get him in 
during the primaries. So we can count Brandon in.

I am out of the country right now, but will be back this 
weekend, and will begin to see how can we can influence 
Obama.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 18:10:05 -0600
>From: "Morton K.Brussel" <brussel4 at insightbb.com>  
>Subject: [Peace-discuss] Obama-Durbin Watch  
>To: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>, "Morton 
K.Brussel" <brussel at uiuc.edu>, Lisa Chason 
<chason at shout.net>, Susan Davis <sgdavis at uiuc.edu>, Carl 
Estabrook <cge at shout.net>, polygraph911 at gmail.com, 
dharley at prairienet.org, Bob Illyes <illyes at uiuc.edu>, Al 
Kagan <akagan at uiuc.edu>, jw4peace at cs.com
>Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>
>Hi all,
>
>Below is a letter sent to Barack Obama on the subject of 
our presence 
>in Iraq. Feel free to use it, modifying it according to 
your tastes. It 
>does not by far cover all bases, Palestine-Israel, the 
approval of Bush 
>nominees Gonzales and Rice, the phony justifications of the 
war of 
>terrorism,  "rogue nations" etc.; there is so much more to 
ask/demand 
>of Obama and Durbin. Let's circulate your thoughts to the 
group in the 
>form of letters to our representatives, preparing for our 
onslaught on 
>media outlets, and preparing pamphlets for distribution at 
events where 
>AWARE is present. mkb
>
>
>The Honorable Barack Obama
>United States Senate
>40B Dirksen Basement (Temp)
>Washington, DC 205101305
>
>Re: Iraq and US
>
>  Senator Obama:
>
>It is clear that the United States is in a quagmire in Iraq.
>
>There are growing calls for the United States to withdraw 
from Iraq 
>coming from all parts of the political spectrum.  I urge 
you to add 
>your voice to this chorus.
>
>Please do whatever you can to make the United States 
withdraw from Iraq!
>
>There are those who argue that the United States has a 
moral obligation 
>to rebuild Iraq. That does not require keeping troops and 
bases in 
>Iraq, thus maintaining our grip there. The only moral and 
reasonable 
>recourse is for the President to withdraw all U.S. troops 
as quickly as 
>possible.
>
>Some argue that withdrawal from Iraq may lead to disaster: 
Civil war 
>may break out; an extremist Islamic government may take 
over; outside 
>countries may intervene; the country may be partitioned. 
But all these 
>possibilities have been engendered by the U.S. troop 
presence in Iraq.
>
>Pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq will leave American forces 
less 
>vulnerable to attacks by the armed resistance, will 
diminish the 
>casualties among Iraqis and the destruction of their 
society, and will 
>bolster the American standing in the world, especially if 
the United 
>States truly helps Iraq reconstitute itself by giving ample 
financial 
>resources as reparations for our aggression there.
>
>The United States must withdraw its troops from Iraq 
despite its 
>obvious, if denied, original motivations, i.e. to secure a 
strategic 
>base to control this oil rich region.
>
>Please make this a top priority. You were elected by many 
who had faith 
>in your good judgment to stop the war in Iraq. Act with 
others to do 
>so.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>M. K. Brussel
>
>________________
>_______________________________________________
>Peace-discuss mailing list
>Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss