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

[E. Wayne Johnson]

Jimmy Carter said there was no need for reparations to Vietnam because 
there was mutual destruction.

Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
> Yes, it is a great letter... and yes, if only. For sure the 
> reparations from (or even infrasturctural repairs by) the US won't 
> happen (even tho' the US is responsible for all that death and 
> destruction -- Obama/Biden are on record as saying (paraphrasing), 
> "Why should the US pay for these things when Iraq has many billions of 
> $$ in surplus and can cover this themselves??" Unbelievable.
>  --Jenifer   
>
> --- On *Sat, 11/8/08, E. Wayne Johnson /<ewj at pigs.ag>/* wrote:
>
>     From: E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag>
>     Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] IVAW's open letter to Obama
>     To: kmedina at illinois.edu
>     Cc: Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>     Date: Saturday, November 8, 2008, 8:54 AM
>
>     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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>>     http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>>       
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>
>
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