Time to Protest the War Expenses

President Bush continues to call for increased American military presence in Iraq and for a larger American military overall. These calls continue in spite of contrary advice and a recent election in which voters repudiated the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The President’s stubborn resistance to following advice from others is wearing thin. As a result of his failure to change our course in Iraq, increasing numbers of Americans are dying on a daily. Nearly 3000 have paid with their lives for his intransigence.

The time has come for the American public and member of Congress to stand united in opposition. The country cannot afford the ongoing losses in terms of money, lives, international repute, and failure to care for our own at home. With the holiday season in full bloom we should all make a part of our celebration the writing of a letter or the making of a telephone call to register our protest with our Congressional representatives. So long as we, the public, remain quiet nothing will change. Our voices must be heard loud and clear lest we lose all our country has come to stand for in the last 200 years.

Iraq Costs Rising For a Failing Course

Recent news reports suggest the Pentagon is coming to Congress once again. This time the request will be for an additional $100 billion to continue the occupation of Iraq. The current bill is approximately $800 million per day. At the same time we are spending enormous sums to continue the war effort all indications show a failing course for our investment. Attacks against Americans are at an all time high. Americans are dying at a rate of about 3 per day so far in December. At the same time we have thousands of people in this country without adequate food or housing or both. We have hundreds of thousands without adequate medical care for lack of insurance. We have elderly people struggling to pay for necessary medication thanks to a donut hole in the pharmacy bill.

Given the costs of the war we can no longer afford to continue this course. We as a country need to redirect our resources toward saving our country and end this occupation and ongoing destruction of Iraq. The cost of this occupation will be borne by many future generations lest we reverse course and reverse soon. The new Congress will be seated in January. We every one must let our elected officials know we oppose any additional funds for Iraq beyond what is necessary to bring our troops home. We are squandering resources on a failing cause in Iraq that could be much better invested at home.

Free Rosemary Jackowski NOW!!!

Rosemary Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in Vermont. On March 20, 2003, she was arrested for participating in a peaceful protest against the war in Iraq. Ms. Jackowski was found guilty of disorderly conduct by a local jury. The original conviction was overturned by the Vermont Supreme court. Now the local district attorney wishes to retry Ms. Jackowski. Ms. Jackowski deserves to be recognized as a patriotic human acting on her first amendment rights of free speech. In addition she needs to be seen as a person whose rights are being abrogated by double jeopardy.

This issue is one that may affect any one of us at any given time. We, the American people, as a whole need to take a stand not only in support of Ms. Jackowski as a person but a stand against any future legal action of this sort. Write your local district attorney, your local politicians, your governor, and your Congressional representatives. Tell them of the miscarriage of justice being perpetrated in Vermont and ask them not only to intervene in this case but to work to prevent any such occurrence in their jursidiction. If we fail to stand up and speak out when we see injustice done we stand to lose more of our rights in the future.

Too Much Spent in Iraq Already

The $450 billion spent so far in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is not the end just yet. The administration is preparing another supplemental request that is rumored to be as much as $160-170 billion. At the same time increasing amounts of money are being spent, increasing number of Americans are dying in the cause. We as a country can no longer afford either of these expenses.

Congress controls the purse strings. The President has control of military forces. The time has come for the Congress to allocate funds for bringing our troops home. No more money should be allotted to the ongoing occupation of Iraq. Our country will be in deep debt for generations at the current rate of expense and we have no more children to lose.

No Civilian Draft for Iraq!

The Iraq Study Group finished its work with a series of recommendations. Among those suggestions was the drafting of the government’s civilian employees to serve in Iraq. A call for volunteers found few takers among qualified and needed government employees. Now the Pentagon is reported to be studying how essential emergency employees are assigned.

Even though this issue has seen little or no mention in the press, the situation is very real for government employees and their families. The risk of working in Iraq is so large that few are willing to volunteer for the duty. Since this is an occupation of choice and not necessity no drafting of any civilian should be allowed. Our legislators need to be made aware of this recommendation and should be active in eliminating the possibility. We have lost enough citizens already. We have no more to lose.

Time for Congress to Budget and Take a Stand

President Bush remains in the seat of power as commander-in-chief of American military forces. In that position he has always kept his own counsel and ignored the advice of outsiders and of his own advisors. Once again we see the likelihood that recommendations from the Iraq Study Group, a high profile, bipartisan group, will be ignored or at least parts will be picked over and chosen to support the President's current course. This must change and needs to change today.

Congress must take control and set the course for this war by managing the funds available. The current course is losing American lives and squandering American money at a rate that is far too high to be sustained. Future generations will be paying the debt generated by this war for many years. Congress needs to take responsibility for budgeting war expenses. If there is not enough money for war and peace, I suggest we choose peace as the best course.

The Decider Needs Congressional Control

The Iraq Study Group has completed its work and submitted a proposal for ending the fiasco that the Iraq occupation has become. President Bush has already declined some of the major proposals. As the News Journal reported today, he is the “Decider.” The President decides to ignore the advice of appointed advisors, the Congress, the courts, and now his high profile Study Group. When will the Decider decide to take good advice and get off this course of destruction the country is following today?

The Congress has the responsibility to appropriate monies to fund the Decider's poor decisions. If our elected officials would accept their responsibility and do right by the electorate President Bush's control of the country would be lessened. Then maybe the Decider would decide to cooperate with Congress for a change.

Congress Must Act to End the Iraq Occupation

As the situation in Iraq deteriorates on a daily basis our Congress is sitting on its collective hands and doing nothing to change the course. The American presence in Iraq inflames tensions both in and out of Iraq. Even moderate Islamists are becoming increasingly anti-American as a result of our continuing destruction of Iraq. In the meantime the President continues to ignore advice from nearly every sector. Various committees and study groups have recommended diplomatic efforts including approaches to Syria and Iran. Our illustrious President can’t see fit to try any such. So our forces continue to occupy small areas of Iraq and we continue to see death notices in the newspaper as our soldiers are killed on a near daily basis.

There appears to be no real solution that includes our staying in Iraq as a military presence. Withdrawal seems to be the most rational and sensible course available. Why then can our President and our Congress not see this? When will our leaders begin to lead in the ways the voting public most approves? While we continue to squander large amounts of money in Iraq our country is failing to support its own people.

We need to bring the troops home and begin to invest in our own country lest we lose more than we can afford. Congress must get into action and stop funding this illegal and immoral occupation. The sooner we see action to end the occupation the better for all concerned.

Iraq is a Losing Quagmire

The Iraq Study Group released its long-awaited report this week. The report contains no big surprises as the committee recommends increasing support for Iraqi forces while withdrawing American forces over time. The report supports the President’s position of staying the course until the Iraqi government can sustain the country. At the same time the report criticizes the Pentagon for underreporting the level of violence in Iraq.

Just how many more expensive committees must we sustain before someone has the courage to stand up and tell the truth about Iraq and the situation on the ground over there? This most recent group traveled to Iraq to spend three days in their armored limousines and in the Green Zone. What sort of real information can be garnered that way?

Reports from the ground inside Iraq show a spiral of increasing violence and decreasing public service. Basic services such as electricity, clean water, and sewage treatment are in short supply these days. The country is approaching total destruction on a daily basis.

We must end the occupation to allow humanitarian aid and support in non-military ways. This along with diplomatic efforts with Iran and Syria is the only reasonable way to resolve this crisis. Our Congress members must pressure the administration to change the course. Otherwise we stand to lose even more than we have lost to date.

Death Hits Too Close To Home Today

One more time the ongoing occupation of Iraq has struck home. Once again a Delaware soldier has been killed. To the family and friends of Sgt. Keith Fiscus I extend my heartfelt sympathy. The loss of a dear friend and loved one is a terrible event for all who must suffer such.

Just how many more must die before we take action to bring our troops home? We have no more children to lose. The situation in Iraq is spiraling out of control. Increasing numbers of our troops are being killed on a near daily basis. Congress continues to twiddle its collective thumbs and take no action to end this mess. As we offer our dead the honor they so deserve, we must also protest the continuation of a war with no end so we lose no more.

War With Iran is on the Horizon

The rattling of sabers continues as the White House declines any face to face talks with Iran until nuclear activity is suspended by the Iranians. Once again we see an administration bent on its own course in the face of opposition around the world. Our Congress continues to be content to just let this happen. We will soon face another unwinnable war if this course is allowed to continue. We are on a downhill slide in the morass that is the occupation of Iraq. In Afghanistan NATO forces are losing ground to the Taliban. And now our government wants to pursue yet another invasion.

When will the folk in charge of this country come to their senses and realize that diplomacy cannot be carried out at the end of a gun barrel? We need to pursue international relations to begin to solve some of the issues of the world today. The report of the Baker Commission even suggests diplomatic alternatives. The White House needs to take heed of their advisors instead of continuing to mount new threats of military force.

The Dems Are Leading the Effort to Increase the War in Iraq

Now even the Democrats are getting into the Iraq act. In spite of a recent election which was a strong message against the war, Representative Reyes, soon to be Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is calling for increasing American troop numbers in Iraq. This is unconscionable. The voters have spoken loud and clear. The time has come for our Congress to pay attention. The ongoing expenses in Iraq let alone the deaths of our soldiers can no longer be supported.

A new defense spending request is on the horizon. We should each and every one let our Senators and our Congressman know we oppose any expenditure beyond what is necessary to bring our troops home. We cannot afford any more money or any more lives in this war. We must tell the Democrats what our votes meant. We cannot lie still and let them take the failed Republican course any longer.

End the Occupation NOW!!

The weekend of December 2-3 thirteen American service members died in Iraq. This was an unusual number of deaths, but the fact highlights the increasing numbers of American dead in Iraq. With the total of American dead now over 2900 and climbing almost daily, we have no end in sight. President Bush continues to assure us we are winning the fight. That seems difficult to believe in view of the numbers of both Iraqi and American dead.

The time has come to recognize our mistake, accept our losses, honor our dead, and bring the living home. The more time our troops spend in Iraq, the more dead soldiers we will bring home. The sooner we end the occupation and bring our forces back to American soil the better.

The Morass in Iraq Continues Day by Day

We are now 3 ½ years into the occupation of Iraq. The President continues to insist we will “stay the course” until final victory is achieved. How that final event is to be accomplished or defined we have not yet been told. The course to date has meant expenditures of immense amounts of money and American military deaths approaching the 3000 mark. Just how much longer can we sustain this approach.

New ideas are needed and needed soon. With a Democrat controlled Congress on the horizon we have hope for a new direction. Until that time we seem mired in a slow and agonizing slide to a final defeat. This must not be allowed to continue. The time has come for each of us to speak up and let our Congressional people know our thoughts. Unless we speak up we stand to keep on losing this war. We have no more children to lose