Justicelist

ALERT: 5/8 House Leadership Set To Fund War Into 2009: Tell KY Congressmen NO!

(This is a national alert issued 5/6/08 by United for Peace & Justice, the broad-based coalition that is leading the struggle to end the Iraq War.  This vote has been delayed until an unspecified time later in May while Democrats debate educational benefits for veterans that are included in the bill.  Fiscal conservative ("Blue Dog") Democrats are demanding budget cuts to offset the cost of such benefits.  You can still call to let your Congressperson know you oppose funding.)

WHAT:

House Leadership Set To Fund War Into 2009: Tell KY Congressmen NO!

WHO:

Call Rep. Chandler (KY 6th) or your Kentucky Representative

MESSAGE:

Vote "No!" on this funding bill.  It's long past time to bring all the troops home and end the war.  Stop playing political games while lives are being lost.

WHEN:

Call today.  This vote has been delayed until later in May.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

(202) 224-3121

DETAILS:

The House of Representatives will vote as soon as tomorrow -- Thursday, May 8 -- on an additional $178 billion for the war and occupation in Iraq!

Amazingly, the bill includes $70 billion for fiscal year 2009. This means the funds for the occupation will keep flowing well into the next administration, allowing the new president a free hand to continue the war and occupation with little or no accountability to Congress until next spring. This is an appalling abdication of responsibility.

At a time when money is urgently needed in our communities, the new bill would bring the total for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an unimaginable $874 billion. By including FY09 funding, the Democratic Party House leadership is effectively taking the war off the congressional agenda for the rest of this year. This might be our last opportunity to fight a war funding bill before the next president takes office and the new Congress is seated.

Don't let the House Democratic leadership take us for granted. If this funding bill passes, Congress will have handed Bush $874 billion for the illegal war and occupation of Iraq. With this funding bill, they are laying the groundwork for the next president to continue the occupation. We must send them a message: The voters will remember in November!

BACKGROUND:

House leadership met behind closed doors on Monday evening to concoct a plan that will keep the war going into the next president's first term. They plan to bring a $178 billion war funding bill to the floor for a vote on Thursday, May 8. In addition to the funding bill, they will vote separately on two other measures. One will provide billions for unemployment benefits and veterans education benefits; the other measure addresses war policy, including a goal for troop withdrawal by December 2009, troop readiness requirements, and bans on permanent bases in Iraq and torture. It is an open secret that the Senate will drop the measure on war policy -- leaving only the war funding with no strings attached.

Impact of War on the Iraqi People

The U.S. war/occupation in Iraq has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, devastated families and ripped apart the infrastructure of Iraq. One striking fact is that more than 4.7 million Iraqis (in a nation of 27 million people) have been displaced by war and occupation. It is the world's fastest growing refugee crisis, and represents the largest refugee flow in the Middle East since the displacement of Palestinians in 1948. Click here for more information.

SPONSOR:

United for Peace & Justice

ALERT: Support Commission on Immigration's recommendations

NOTE: Adapted from an alert issued 10/24/07 by the Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (KCIRR)

ACTION:

Contact Mayor Newberry and your city council representative to show your support for the Commission on Immigration's recommendations.

WHEN:

As soon as possible.

MESSAGE:

A suggested message: "I want Lexington to remain a fair and welcoming city for all people.  I support the recommendations of the Commission on Immigration."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights applauds the work of the Lexington Commission on Immigration, which approved seven recommendations to ensure that Lexington remains a fair and welcoming city for all people. The Commission was convened in June by Mayor Newberry with the mission to study how the city could address immigration-related issues.  KCIRR strongly supports their recommendations, which will help prevent discrimination and advocate for equal rights for immigrants and refugees. Residents of Lexington and Kentucky can support these recommendations.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mayor Newberry’s Office:

859-258-3100
mayor@lfucg.com

City Council:

859-258-3200
councilmembers@lfucg.com

Click here to send a letter to the editor of the Herald-Leader.

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights

Aaron Hutson

859-685-0387 phone
859-685-0399 fax

ALERT: Contact Congress: Listen to the people - End the War

ALERT:

Contact Congress: Listen to the people - End the Iraq War

WHEN:

Contact them Now

DETAILS:

We urge you to write, call, or email your Representative and two Senators.  Ask them to listen to the will of the people and end the Iraq War.  We will be asking our congressman to do four things.  We include them below to inform you of our position and to give you ideas for your own message.  The addresses of Congressman Chandler and Senators McConnell and Bunning are given below.  For the contact information of other Kentucky U.S. Representatives click here.  Please forward a link to this page to friends and colleagues.

CKCPJ's Peace Action TG will be asking our congresspersons to ensure that Congress acts to:

1. Support our troops by bringing them home now.  Say no to endless war. This war can have no 'successful' end for the U.S. Moreover, the occupation has become an unrelenting tragedy for the Iraqi people. At least 100,000 civilians have been killed. While there is no sure way to stabilize Iraq, it is clear that a U.S. withdrawal is a necessary prerequisite to positive change. Far from stabilizing Iraq, the U.S. occupation has been a catalyst for insurrection and sectarian violence. If stability is to come to Iraq, it will the Iraqis themselves and the international community, not U.S. troops, who will bring it. Our troops have served courageously. Many have had an idealistic belief in their mission, but they have been betrayed by unstated agendas and incompetent leaders. Our troops are faced with an impossible task. Not one more American soldier should be killed or wounded in this ill-conceived and incompetently conducted enterprise.

2. Investigate the war and the occupation to determine whether crimes have been committed. There is evidence that the administration misled Congress to gain its support for the war, violated civil liberties and international law in pursuit of the war, and is knee deep in graft and corruption in the conduct of the occupation. It is Congress's duty to scrutinize the evidence and determine whether laws have been broken.

3. Make it clear to Iraqis and the world that we do not intend to permanently occupy Iraq. U.S. actions in Iraq are seen by most Iraqis and much of the world as motivated by the twin desires to control access to Iraqi oil and to achieve geopolitical control of the region. We must declare our intention to leave all U.S. bases and to do so rapidly.  Furthermore, we must NOT adopt the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that we coerce the al-Maliki government to open Iraqi oil to privatization by international companies.

4. Provide the funds for peacekeeping and an Iraqi-led reconstruction. Our nation's actions have caused untold suffering in Iraq. We have a responsibility to the Iraqi people. We must not abandon them. Our financial assistance can help pay for the national and international police and peacekeeping forces needed to ensure all Iraqis daily safety and security. Furthermore, we can provide funds to enable an Iraqi-led reconstruction of their country. To be effective, both security and reconstruction aid must not be seen as acting to advance U.S. strategic objectives. Few nations will offer their soldiers to serve in peacekeeping forces that are seen as surrogates for U.S. troops. To ensure that U.S. aid is effective, it must be channeled unconditionally through international organizations such as the United Nations.

ADDRESSES:

Senator Mitch McConnell
361-A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510-1702
Email: senator@mcconnell.senate.gov

Phone: 202-224-2541
Fax: 202-224-2499

Lexington:

771 Corporate Drive, Suite 530
Lexington, KY 40503
Phone: 859-224-8286
Fax: 859-224-9673

Senator Jim Bunning

316 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
EMail: jim_bunning@bunning.senate.gov

Phone: 202-224-4343
Fax: 202-228-1373

Lexington

771 Corporate Drive, Suite 105
Lexington, KY 40503
Phone: 859-219-2239
Fax: 859-219-3269

Representative Albert Benjamin 'Ben' Chandler III

Washington DC Address:
1504 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-1706
Phone: 202-225-4706
Fax: 202-225-2122
ben.chandler@mail.house.gov

District Address - Lexington

1021 Majestic Dr., Ste. 180

Lexington, KY 40503
Phone: 859-219-1366
Fax: 859-219-3437

SPONSOR:

Peace Action Task Group
Central Kentucky Council for Peace & Justice

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Mitchell
(859) 327-6277