HOME BEFORE CHRISTMAS

and I had to blog this, big-time!

If we leave Iraq without them rebuilding their military, Iran and Syria will fight for the land and the Iraqi people will have no chance.  Not to mention that the American Military is the only defense for them against Al Queda. Then soon it will become yet another breeding ground for terrorists.  So you want you want to achieve this chaos through peer pressure and sheer ignorance that not 2/3 of congress want this.

 Care to give me a good reason to leave the Iraqi people for dead? E-mail me: marishtar@comcast.net

I heard you speak at Lafayette Park on the monday after Mother's Day, and you talked about this plan for making the war in Iraq illegal. Brilliant!!! It's too bad the Democratic leadership does not have the backbone to carry out a plan like this.

 I also appreciate your call to have the troops "home by Christmas"... that is exactly what those of us in CODEPINK have been advocating in the halls of Congress for the past several months.

 Thanks being a true leader!

It's so good to know that there are still people that have the guts to call things for their real name and color; and don't be afraid to unmask the bad politicians in power. 

I though there was no hope, but I was wrong, we still can light up the darkness we're being for the last 6 years.

People like Sen. Gravel really deserve being called American Heroes 

God Bless the Real America.

A BETTER WAY TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ

When Congress passed the Iraq war supplemental funding bill in late May, it was very disappointing to lose that opportunity to downsize war in Iraq. A narrow focus on withdrawal dates did not compete effectively against the neo-colonial agenda that also incorporates energy and terrorism issues.

But the good news is that the Peace Faction can still compete effectively by presenting a much better alternative to the current quagmire. There is nothing to stop us from offering a more comprehensive Iraq policy that is much more viable than the status quo.

Step 1:

Reframe the debate:

• In order to end the war in Iraq, we should redefine our strategic objectives based on the principles of the UN Charter, which outlaws wars of aggression. We should instead pursue a policy of reconciliation and peaceful relations with that region.

• Instead of a choice between “victory” or “surrender”, what’s really at stake is a choice between a neo-colonial quest for oil agenda, versus a UN Charter agenda. The war in Iraq is seldom framed in this perspective and Congress never had a chance to vote on this question.

• If we don’t talk about the oil, we probably won’t make much progress towards ending the war.

• If Iraq freely chooses to sell us their oil, fine. If not, it’s their oil and their country. Use of force to gain access to Iraqi oil is as immoral as bank robbery, piracy, or terrorism. We can do better. We can diversify our energy mix. We can conserve. We are not hugely dependent on Iraqi oil. In 2006, Iraqi oil accounted for only about 9% of U.S. average daily oil imports from OPEC.

• If competing with OPEC is an unofficial objective of the war in Iraq, alternative energy and conservation can be effective tactics for doing so.

• The proposed Iraqi oil law would enable foreign oil companies to lock oil prices at poverty levels and siphon off Iraqi profits and jobs. If our goal is to help rebuild Iraq, those aspects of the oil law which exacerbate Iraqi poverty and unemployment will not be helpful.

• Discounted oil prices are not worth dying for. That is not the strategic objective that Congress authorized.

• Subjugating Iraq is not the same as fighting Al Qaeda and we should not accept the administration’s big lie that these two initiatives are one and the same. Occupying Iraq fuels the radicalism that we’re simultaneously trying to extinguish.

Step 2:

Market a better Iraq policy to Congress and the public. Remind everyone that things don’t have to be this grim – reconciliation and alternative energy really is a more secure, more economical, more forward-looking strategy than neo-colonial occupation, oil addiction, and global warming. The new Iraq policy should include:

• Implement Senator Byrd’s strategy of canceling the Iraq use of force authorization. The authorization still defines Iraq as our enemy and gives the President loopholes to continue the war in Iraq indefinitely -- with a very different objective than the original mission – which was based on false information to begin with.

• Replace said authorization with Representative Kucinich’s 12-point multilateral peace plan, which would replace the U.S. occupation with UN peacekeeping troops and adopt a “hands-off” policy with respect to Iraqi oil.

• Utilize Senator Gravel’s strategy of a daily veto override vote to spotlight members of Congress who insist on prolonging the war.

• The billions being spent in pursuit of Iraqi oil could be better spent on alternative energy here at home. It would be a win for the economy, the environment, and national security. Government should lead the way as a test bed for alternative energy and conservation technology.

• Emphasize a multilateral, common sense approach to fighting Al Qaeda:

1) Focus on use of existing law enforcement and foreign policy tools.

2) Make full use of intelligence.

3) Make full use of our allies. Don’t assume sole ownership of the battle with Al Qaeda.

4) Avoid colonial adventures that radicalize more terrorists, create more poverty, and poison our foreign relations.

5) Avoid hysterical rhetoric that seeks to link a neo-colonial agenda to real, but separate, terrorist issues.

6) Recognize that fighting stateless terror groups is not the same as war against nation states.

7) Global poverty exacerbates terrorism, thus fighting poverty is integral to fighting terrorism.

8) Recognize that massive spending is no way to win a war of attrition.

You can't stop the War Machine from committing mass murder without first dismantling the War Racket that feeds on blood!

Any other ‘promise’ is merely rhetoric.
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Stop the Merchants of Genocide! Please take a few moments to endorse
the Petition, forward widely and post on your network/forum.
War is Just a Racket: Take a Stand; Dismantle the War Machine! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/774011915

Without your consent, explicit or implied, the Merchants of Mass Murder
cannot profit from killing our children!
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If the war is declared illegal (excellent idea) then the rest of the world would realise that this is about abuse by those in power - not about what 'we the people' want.  

Namaste,

Tina Louise

www.armsagainstwar.info

“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” Einstein

I am 100% for all policies proposed by Sen. Gravel.

I have always questioned why citizens of a country "By the People" ultimately have had no say in what the LAW of the land was or decisions that would essentially affect all Americans.

Sen. Gravel will give the people what they rightfully deserve. I have always thought of freedom as being a state of mind, but with the continuous loss of personal freedom that we have experienced in these current times, I realize there is more to it. Without my voice and others like me being heard, are we really FREE? The power needs to be with the people.

Thank you Sen. Gravel for having the courage to be an example of what an American should be. You are my HERO! My family and I will support you all the way to the White House...and beyond! We are spreading your name like wildfire, and will continue to do so throughout your campaign.

We sincerely Thank You Sir!