Code Pink sent me this email, and their points for what we should do in Iraq are simple, comply with the wishes of the Iraqis, and it's easy to see how moving in this direction would reduce any insurgency.
Four points in particular seem so obvious they shouldn't need to be said:
- Pull out all troops and foreign fighters.
- Renounce any plans for enduring bases.
- Return control of Iraq's oil to Iraqis. Restructuring their oil industry to our oil companies liking and putting a Bush stooge like Chalabi in charge of the OIL ministry.
- Undo the privatization scheme for Iraq drafted by Grover Norquist and implemented by Paul Bremer.
What prevents our elected officials from proposing something this simple?
Money. Obviously, the GOP was paid to commit this war for the profit of the oil companies and other contractors who have cashed in.
a Distant second is FEAR. Democrats that aren't getting some of the cash probably fear an untimely car accident, plane wreck, or double shotgun blast suicide. At the very least, they don't like the prospect of being run out of Congress like Cynthia McKinney her accurate criticism of the Bushies (even though she got her seat back).
Fear should be fading as a plausible motive with the fading popularity of Bush.
The more time passes before the majority of Democrats come out in favor of a plan like this, the more it will look like they approve of the war and the theft of Iraq's oil at the cost of the lives of Iraqis and our troops.
Their silence on the oil and privatization schemes are especially damning.
Code Pink wants 100,000 women to sign the statement with these points, but it would serve well as a starting point for all discussions of Iraq.
We have seen how the foreign occupation of Iraq has fueled an armed movement against it, perpetuating an endless cycle of violence. We are convinced that it is time to shift from a military model to a conflict-resolution model that includes the following elements:
- The withdrawal of all foreign troops and foreign fighters from Iraq;
- Negotiations to reincorporate disenfranchised Iraqis into all aspects of Iraqi society;
- The full representation of women in the peacemaking process and a commitment to women's full equality in the post-war Iraq;
- A commitment to discard plans for any foreign bases in Iraq;
- Iraqi control of its oil and other resources;
- The nullification of privatization and deregulation laws imposed under occupation, allowing Iraqis to shape the trajectory of the post-war economy;
- A massive reconstruction effort that prioritizes Iraqi contractors, and draws upon financial resources of the countries responsible for the invasion and occupation of Iraq;
- Consideration of a temporary international peacekeeping force that is truly multilateral and is not composed of any troops from countries that participated in the occupation.
http://www.womensaynotowar.org/article.php?list=type&type=100
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