[Peace-discuss] IVAW's open letter to Obama

[E. Wayne Johnson]

I really like IVAW.

Karen Medina wrote:
> [Iraq Veterans Against the War wrote the following open letter to President-elect 
> Obama - kem ]
>
> Dear President-elect Obama,
> Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War congratulate you on your victory, and 
> we admire and respect both Senator John McCain and you for your strong, 
> patriotic dedication and desire to fix the deep problems our country now faces.
> We appreciate your inspiring words spoken at Grant Park in Chicago on Tuesday 
> night - words which should give all Americans hope for our future. But we also 
> remember the hope your words gave to many Americans in an August 2007 
> speech - especially those serving in our military: "Ending this war will be my 
> first priority when I take office. There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's 
> leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war."
>
> Much has changed in our country since that speech, and the prevailing 
> sentiment among Americans is that our faltering economy must now be your 
> first priority. We understand and share their concern, but we believe that our 
> faltering economy cannot be corrected if we continue the costly occupation of 
> Iraq – an immense financial cost which is simply unsustainable. The American 
> people are giving billions of dollars every week to continue an occupation that is 
> draining our wallets, our respect, our security, and the lives of thousands of U.S. 
> and Iraqi men, women, and children.
>
> We fervently ask you to use all possible political and diplomatic pressure to 
> quickly and completely end the occupation of Iraq. Though none of us know 
> what the future will bring, we do know this: our service members are tired of an 
> occupation seemingly without end, and they want to return home to their 
> families.
>
> And when our brave men and women return home, they need to be given full 
> benefits, and adequate healthcare (including mental health) to repair their 
> physical and emotional wounds. They deserve no less, and we as a country owe 
> that care to them.
>
> We also call on you not to ignore the humanitarian crises of enormous 
> proportion that the Iraqi people continue to endure. Over four million Iraqis 
> have been displaced or become refugees since the U.S. invasion of their country. 
> Iraqi deaths are most accurately estimated at over 600,000 people, with many 
> hundreds of thousands more having suffered physical and emotional injuries. 
> The Iraqi people will be coping with the aftermath of our unjustifiable invasion 
> and occupation of their country for generations to come. IVAW believes that it is 
> the duty of our country to pay reparations to the Iraqi people for the damage we 
> have caused to their lives, infrastructure, and culture.
>
> We acknowledge the shift in focus from the war in Iraq to the war in 
> Afghanistan. At the same time, Afghan President Karzai is calling for a change 
> in strategy and Afghan families are mourning the deaths of their loved ones 
> who have been killed in U.S. air strikes. We encourage you to listen to the 
> Afghan people and U.S. veterans of that conflict before making any decision to 
> escalate military force there.
>
> We call on you to end the occupation of Iraq and repair our economy, and by 
> doing so you will demonstrate that a "new dawn of American leadership" has 
> arrived, a "defining moment of change" that will benefit and give hope to all 
> Americans - young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, 
> white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not 
> disabled.
>
> You once said that “change won’t come from the top. Change will come from a 
> mobilized grass roots.” We agree, which is why Iraq Veterans Against the War 
> will continue organizing for an end to the occupation of Iraq, health care and 
> benefits for returning veterans, and reparations for the Iraqi people. We hope 
> that these are areas we can work together with you to address.
>
> Respectfully,
> Iraq Veterans Against the War
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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