[Peace-discuss] Letter to our senators, representative

[C. G. Estabrook]

[I suggest as an agenda item for Sunday that a letter of this sort be sent
in AWARE's name to Durbin, Obama, and Johnson. --CGE]
  	
	Published on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
	Filling the Congressional Cop-Out Gap
	An Idea for Local Peace Groups and Local Peace Activists
	by Ralph Nader
 
Dear Member of Congress (Representative and two Senators):

According to a Harris poll last month, 59 percent of Americans want US
troops brought home within the next year. We are among them. You are not
listening to us. Here is what we propose: To meet with you in a public
auditorium with the media invited on [insert date]_ when you say you will
back in your state (district). We wish to discuss specifically with you
the following issues:

1. Do you support continued funding of the Iraq War and occupation without
a specific exit strategy and timetable?

2. Will you announce an exit strategy for Iraq?

3. Will you investigate contracting abuses found by DoD auditors regarding
the reconstruction of Iraq?

4. Will you investigate the $9 billion dollars unaccounted for in the
Coalition Provisional Authority budget in Iraq?

5. How will you hold President Bush accountable to Congress?

If we do not hear favorably from you within a week of your receipt of this
email (or letter or fax), we will double the number of signatures and
renew the request.

If one week later we do not hear from you, we will again double the number
of signatures and present some of us at your local office so you and your
staff can meet your constituents.

If a week later we do not hear from you, we will peacefully and diligently
street march in front of your local office to secure your attention.

You have often said how much you want to enjoy hearing from your
constituents -- well, here we are. Please do not take this as a hostile
message; rather it is an effort to indicate to you the serious urgency we
take to ending the occupation of Iraq and bringing U.S. troops home as
soon as possible. Civilians, little children and soldiers are dying or
being seriously injured every day.

In the meantime, we would appreciate answers to the following questions:

1. Do you have a summary of Paul Bremer's vast directives which are still
the governing authority of Iraq? These include extending Saddam's ban on
trade union organizing and allow a U.S. takeover of Iraq businesses.

2. Have you protested to President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld that they
do not officially disclose the injuries to our troops there, diseases and
severe mental trauma when they do not occur in combat situations - even if
they are evacuated from Iraq? If yes, send us a copy of your letter. If
not, why not?

3. Will you sign a simple pledge that henceforth you will vote against any
attack on another nation unless Congress itself declares war as required
by the U.S. Constitution? See: The United States Constitution's War Powers
Clause, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11.

4. Finally, would you propose a very selective service draft just for the
children of members of Congress? The purpose of this request is that such
a draft will focus the responsible attention on members of Congress in
terms of realistic risks and consequences from the initiation of military
hostilities.

Sincerely,

(signed by a group of constituents)

cc: members of the press and many other interested parties

Why don't you and your local anti-war advocates try this out today. The
sooner we get serious about pressuring Congress, the sooner the war and
occupation of Iraq, the sooner the killing will stop, the sooner our
troops will come home.

[Ralph Nader is a noted consumer advocate who has worked a wide range of
issues including opposing the Iraq War. The column above is based on a
blog published on DemocracyRising.US. Comments on this blog are welcomed
on the site.]