| |
To
bring the
Mandate for Peace to Congress in
Washington DC, Jan 27-29!
|
To read about
Reps. Woolsey & Lee's Troop Withdrawal Bill
|
Dear CODEPINKer,
CODEPINK
has surged into 2007 with a vengeance.
In the last two weeks, we have streamed into the world like comets,
showering powerful pink swaths of outrage
and protest and hope across the globe. We've said NO
to the infamous prison in Guantanamo -- taking our protest
right to the prison gates in Cuba and all over the country. We've
said NO
to Bush's proposed surge and his continued belligerence.
Now
all our work is starting to bear fruit.
Outraged members of the new Congress-including some Republicans
-- are opposing Bush's mad call to escalate the war. There are a
flurry of new bills aimed at stopping the troop build-up and bringing
our troops home.
Our
favorite bill,
introduced on Wednesday by our dear congressional allies Lynn Woolsey,
Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters, is H.R.
508: The Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration
Act. It's a comprehensive plan to withdraw US forces
and military contractors within six months of the bill's enactment;
repeal authorization for the use of force; prohibit permanent military
bases in Iraq; provide economic aid to the Iraqi people; and fully
fund health care for U.S. veterans. Call
your Congressperson today and ask them to support H.R.
508.
More
encouraging signs…
In the past, when CODEPINK members
protested at Congressional hearings, they have been dragged out
and often arrested. But at a Senate Judiciary hearing this week,
when CODEPINKers wore Close Guantanamo
shirts and stood in protest as Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez
testified, Committee Chair Patrick Leahy acknowledged them and their
right to protest. And at an Armed Service Committee hearing, Co-founder
Gael Murphy even had a chance to have a
civil conversation with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and General
Peter Pace about exit strategies from Iraq. See the clip
on MSNBC here.
Just
because the climate is improving, however, doesn't mean we can let
down our guard.
Hillary
Clinton still won't call for the troops to come home.
Nancy Pelosi refuses to defund the war. And the Bush Administration
is making moves to invade Iran.
 So
PLEASE do all you can to join us on January 27th
as we surge into Washington, DC by bus and train and plane and foot
and biodiesel truck to deliver the Mandate
for Peace. This mass mobilization organized by United
for Peace promises to be huge. Almost all the nation's
peace groups have put out the call to take to the streets of our
nation's capitol on January 27, and we will demand peace with the
force of all of our collective lungs. Come
for the march and stay for several days of powerful and creative
actions, including a Women Say
Pull Out convergence, a Walk
in Their Shoes installation, press conferences, activist
training, and a day of lobbying to educate Congress. We hope you'll
be able to be part of this inspiring, life-changing, world-changing
experience.
If
we can accomplish this much in the first month of 2007 alone, we
have no doubt we can bring our troops home by the end of the year.
With
peace, love and gratitude,
Dana, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Medea,
Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia
|
