Armed drones in Iraq? | ||
June 30, 2014 Dear Alli, No war on Iraq: it’s why CODEPINK started in fall 2002. We all know the horrors that followed: the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead and the millions displaced; the country in ruins and contaminated with depleted uranium; thousands of young Americans dead; $2 trillion-and-counting of our tax dollars spent on an illegal war of aggression. Now there’s a buildup to yet more US “involvement” with 300 military advisers on the ground and armed drones in the skies. The violence in Iraq is escalating quickly, but we need to stop the President from using military might in response. Our best tool to stop this rush to war on Iraq is to force President Obama to come to Congress for authorization before using military force, as required by the US Constitution. This is how we used people power to stop the U.S. from going to war in Syria last year. Representatives Scott Rigell (R-VA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) have initiated a bipartisan letter to President Obama on Iraq, calling on the President to respect the Constitutional requirement to come to Congress for authorization before using military force. Please take a minute to ask your Representative to sign the Rigell-Lee letter. Then, call your Representative’s office (the Congressional switchboard is 202-224-3121) and make the same request. Want to do more? Check out our Rapid Response Action Toolkit to find out ways you can make a difference from your couch or out in the streets. Spending our tax dollars and risking American lives yet again in Iraq is only one part of several failing military strategies in the Middle East. In Egypt, Secretary of State Kerry has pledged over $500 million dollars and 10 Apache helicopters to dictator Al-Sisi. In the FY15 military spending bill (House version), $500 million has just been allocated to “rebels” in Syria. We need to stop sending military aid to fuel more conflicts, and focus on diplomacy instead. Take action now: Email your Representative. Call their office. Spread the word. We stopped a US bombing campaign against Syria last fall; with your active support we can stop it against Iraq. Make peace not war, Alli, Anastasia, Ashley, Ben, Colleen, Farah, Holly, Jodie, Janet, Medea, Nancy, Sophia, and Tighe |
