WarIsACrime.org

End Vietghanistan This Week

Little known secret: if the U.S. House of Representatives stops funding a war, or any other crime, neither the Senate nor the President nor the military can continue the killing. The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey, can single-handedly block funding to escalate the war in Afghanistan, and currently he is doing so by refusing to advance it unless schools and jobs are funded. Call him every day to thank him and ask him to reject war escalation funding even if jobs and teachers are funded: (202) 225-3365.

There are two ways this can go down, and one of them is likely to play out this week. Now is the moment, if you care about peace, to speak up for it, in public, in the media, in the local office of your congress member. Your House member. Stop thinking about senators and presidents for a minute. Your House member can be pressured to vote No, especially if you make clear that otherwise you will work to unelect them (nobody else can be much worse than someone who keeps funding wars).

Scenario One: With or without Senate agreement, the House passes everything (war escalation, schools, jobs) in one bill. Because the Republicans will all vote against such a bill, fewer than 40 Democrats can vote against the war they claim to oppose. This outcome can be resisted by pressuring Democrats to commit now to voting No, regardless of what lipstick is applied to the pig, regardless of whether they get a clean vote on the war escalation funding for show before voting on the package, and regardless of the inclusion of presidential-court-jester amendments requesting nonbinding "exit plans". Here's where they stand now: http://defundwar.org (looks good on paper). Ask them to join the Coalition Against War Spending: http://caws.us and call them through the Capitol Hill switchboard: (202) 224-3121.

Scenario Two: The House passes funding for war escalation and for useful projects in two or more stand-alone bills. This scenario would mean that more than 40 Democrats refused to vote for war even with lipstick applied. It would mean that pretending these unrelated matters had to be combined in one bill was for purposes of lipstick. And it would mean that the leadership of the Democratic Party is more closely alligned with Republican members of the House than Democrats when it comes to our biggest public program: war.

Whichever of the above two scenarios plays out, the Senate will likely block the good stuff and pass the bad. This can be resisted by insisting to Obey that he get Senate passage first. If he does not get it, he will have to block the war bill, which is what he should do immediately and permanently regardless. Tell him: (202) 225-3365.

Scenario Three: The madness ends here and now.


If We Don't Stop War Funding, They'll Slash Social Security and Medicare

That's the plan which was pushed by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer last week and by unsuccessful corporate pseudo rallies this weekend.

It's time to choose.


Don't Let a Bigger War Begin


When you call Congress also let them know that you will hold them accountable for any war they allow our country or Israel to launch against Iran.

Will they commit to ceasing to provide weapons to Israel?

Will they inform the Secretary of Defense that illegal war is grounds for impeachment?

Get the latest news at
http://dontattackiran.org