United For Peace & Justice, Congressional Action, Investigate the Lies!

UFPJ CONGRESSIONAL ACTION DAYS LATE AUGUST:
MEET WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO

DEMAND INVESTIGATIGATION OF BUSH\'S LIES LEADING UP TO WAR ON IRAQ

A flood of government leaks and media reports have confirmed that the Bush administration lied about the alleged Iraqi threat to scare the public into backing their illegal, preemptive war on Iraq. The results: 6,000-8,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, 20,000 Iraqi civilians have been injured, and over 260 U.S. soldiers have died (See http://www.iraqbodycount.net.)

Millions of Iraqis have been deprived of reliable, affordable access to electricity, food, and gas. Hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs. The occupation is costing a staggering $4 billion per month, while veterans benefits, our children\'s schools, and vital social services are also becoming collateral damage.

You can help pressure Congress to investigate the Bush administration\'s lies, and to be sure that any investigation is open, timely, and broad in scope. In late August, while members of Congress are in their home districts, United for Peace and Justice is teaming up with EPIC (Education for Peace in Iraq Center) to coordinate a national grassroots advocacy/pressure day to win an independent investigation.

TAKE ACTION: ORGANIZE A MEETING WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Organize local delegations on or near August 27 to meet with Congressional Representatives and Senators. Use the meeting to demand an independent investigation into how and why the Bush Administration misled the public with claims that Iraq was a threat to the U.S. and its neighbors. Push Congress to end U.S. military and economic control over Iraq and bring the troops home now.

Form a local anti-war delegation and schedule a meeting with your Members of Congress. To become a CONGRESSIONAL ACTION DAY coordinator for your area, simply click the EPIC link below and follow the instructions.
http://www.epic-usa.org/programs/accountability.php

OUR GOALS: OPEN, TIMELY, BROAD INVESTIGATION

We want open, thorough, timely, televised public hearings and an independent investigation with a broad mandate. The people of the U.S. and the world need to know the truth about how and why Bush took us into an unjustified, illegal pre-emptive war.

Both Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) have introduced legislation (H.R. 2625 and H. Res. 307, respectively) into the House calling for investigation into the Bush administration\'s misuse of intelligence. Both bills address some but not all of our criteria. Both representatives have supported the other\'s bill, although Tauscher\'s is stronger in several regards - it calls for a House Select Committee rather than an independent commission, and it calls for reporting before the election. (Details can be found at http://www.thomas.loc.gov/).

Use the meeting to urge your Representative to sign onto both H.R. 2625 and H. Res. 307, and to strengthen each bill to meet our criteria. Push your Senators to create companion legislation in the Senate.

KEY BATTLE, GROWING MOMENTUM

The administration is currently on the defensive on this. Grassroots pressure for an independent investigation is mounting, and it\'s working. The number of co-sponsors of these bills has shot up over the last few weeks as UFPJ and other anti-war coalitions turned up the heat on Congress. Waxman\'s bill now has 110 cosponsors, and Tauscher\'s has 40. In parallel efforts, Win Without War, and Women\'s Action for New Directions, MoveOn.org, and Working Assets are organizing home district lobby meetings on August 21. If we ratchet up the pressure, we can win our demands.

A real investigation, and the campaign to win it, would go far toward discrediting Bush\'s rationale for the war on Iraq. If won, it would strengthen our case for bringing the troops home and ending the US/UK occupation of Iraq. It will also make it much harder for Bush to win public support for new pre-emptive wars on other countries. This legislative campaign also gives us great opportunities to give focus to growing opposition to the occupation and bring new people into our movement.
Become a Congressional Action Coordinator and organize a meeting with your representative. Find out how at http://www.epic-usa.org/programs/accountability.php
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GRASSROOTS LOBBYING RESOURCES FROM UFPJ/EPIC

--INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ORGANIZE A MEETING WITH YOUR CONGRESSPERSON: http://www.epic-usa.org/programs/accountability.php

--TIPS ON HOW TO RUN A LOBBY MEETING:
http://www.epic-usa.org/programs/lobbyresources.php

--TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR MEETING: To be posted online soon at http://www.unitedforpeace.org

--BACKGROUND INFO AND ARTICLES about the Occupation of Iraq: http://www.occupationwatch.org
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=359 http://www.epic-usa.org/programs/lobbyresources.php

--STICKERS: Our \"Bush Lies, Who Dies\" stickers are bold, eye-catching, and very affordable: Only $20 per 500. Ordering info at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

--LIST YOUR GROUP\'S PEACE AND JUSTICE ACTIVITIES ON THE UFPJ WEBSITE: http://unitedforpeace.org/calendar_gxinput.php
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for your activism :toast:

Actions/meetings targeting congresspeople are now posted at
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=1914


=thanks, and :toast: for your activism also! :-)

this thread say "kick me, before you go"


:kick:

again

while we are all waiting with baited breath for Clark to decide,<sarcasm> why not DO something constructive?
:shrug: