[Peace] All Hands on Deck: Iraq Vote Imminent (fwd)

[patton paul]

Moveon.org urges everyone to call their congresspersons repeatedly every
day until the vote is taken on authorizing use of force against Iraq.  The
last time I called, Senators Durbin and Fitzgerald weren't taking the
names and addresses of callers, so they would have had no way of detecting
this.  This morning when I called Sen. Fitzgerald's office they were taking
names and addresses of callers.  Sen. Durbin's line was busy.  Representative
Johnson's office took my name and address last time I called, and did so
again this morning.
-Paul P.

 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 4 Oct 2002 04:42:04 -0000
From: "Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org" <moveon-help at list.moveon.org>
To: Dr. Paul Patton <ppatton at uiuc.edu>
Subject: All Hands on Deck: Iraq Vote Imminent

Dear MoveOn Member,

This is it.

For the last seven months, MoveOn members have been working hard to
prevent a unilateral, pre-emptive war on Iraq.  We've written over a
quarter million emails and thousands of letters to the editor.  We've
made well over 40,000 phone calls to the offices of Congresspeople,
and we've met with the offices of nearly every Senator in the country.
The purpose of all this work has been to impart a single, clear
message to our elected representatives: that a war on Iraq, based on
the evidence we have now, is a very bad idea.

Early next week, Congress will likely vote on a resolution to
authorize the use of military force against Iraq.  As a result of our
pressure, we've won a few small but important concessions.  The
resolution no longer authorizes the President to use military force
anywhere he pleases in the Middle East.  It pays homage to the UN and
the system of international law, and it requires the President to
report back frequently about the status of the conflict, the plan for
reconstruction, and the impact of a war on Iraq on the campaign
against terrorism.

But while the language has softened slightly, the resolution still
allows the President to go it alone, without any allies.  It permits
him to wage war against Iraq indefinitely, and it doesn't require him
to work within the dictates of the UN Security Council. If Congress
passes this resolution, the President will be able to launch a war
against Iraq on a moment's notice.  No more authority or Congressional
approval is needed.

In lobbying calls over the last week, we've heard again and again that
Congresspeople are taking this vote very seriously.  The sheer volume
of calls and letters, some aides have told us, has caused
Congresspeople to think twice about rubber-stamping Bush's proposal.
Many Senators and Representatives are still on the fence about how to
vote; Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) called this the most difficult
issue she's ever wrestled with.

It is absolutely critical that we keep the pressure on in these last
few days.  Please call your Senators and Representative right now at:

   Senator Richard J. Durbin
   DC Phone:    202-224-2152
   Local Phone: 217-492-4062

   Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald
   DC Phone:    202-224-2854
   Local Phone: 217-492-5089

   Representative Timothy V. Johnson
   DC Phone:    202-225-2371
   Local Phone: 217-403-4690



For contact information for other Senators and Representatives, go to:

   http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Don't worry if you've called before -- call again.  In fact, feel free
to call every day until the vote.

Let the staffer you speak to know you're a constituent. Then tell the
staffer that you strongly oppose a war on Iraq and you sincerely hope
the Senator or Representative will vote against the Bush Resolution.

Once you've made your call, please let us know by filling out the form
at:

http://www.moveon.org/callmade_iraq.html?id=788-483317-T%2BB3U400L%2BFbxfbzE4xA2w

Keeping a count helps us lobby Congress more effectively.

Please call immediately to stop a war on Iraq.

Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
  International Campaigns Director
  MoveOn.org
  October 3, 2002

P.S. For more information, go to our page of links and resources on
Iraq at:
http://www.moveon.org/infoiraq.html

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