On Wednesday, July 31, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will conduct hearings on US efforts to overthrow the government of Iraq.  Not one of the invited participants represents a vigorous call for negotiation and dialogue instead of war.  Three UN officials who resigned their posts in protest over US led economic sanctions are available to participate in these hearings:

Mr. Hans von Sponeck., Former U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1998-2000)
Mr. Denis Halliday, Former U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1997-1998)
Mr. Scott Ritter, Former UNSCOM Chief Weapons Inspector

As Scott Ritter said, US war plans are on autopilot unless the people of the US speak up.

(For more info re Iraq click http://www.epic-usa.org or http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw )

ACTIONS
1. Call/Write the following Committee members to demand that the hearings listen to these voices of sanity. IF YOU CALL/WRITE THESE SENATORS AFTER JULY 31, LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU OPPOSE THE WAR ON IRAQ. Urge them not to overlook the expertise of those who know the situation in Iraq firsthand. Far too many American and Iraqi lives are at stake. If committee members want contact information for these witnesses, ask them to call EPIC (The Education for Peace in Iraq Center)  at 202.543.6176 or VitW (Voices in the Wilderness) at 773-784-8065. For writing these Senators, see the sample letter below.

CHAIRMAN JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE)
202-224-5042
Senator@Biden.Senate.gov

SEN. JESSE HELMS (R-NC)
202-224-6342
jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov

2. If your own senator sits on the Foreign Relations Committee (check list below), ask them to encourage Chairman Biden to include these witnesses. In addition, encourage them to ask all  witnesses some of the following questions re an invasion of Iraq:

Why?
+ What has Iraq done since 1990 to justify risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women  and millions of Iraqi civilians  in a new war?
+ What is the hard evidence linking Iraq to the September 11 attacks?
+ As a signatory to the UN Charter and member of the Security Council, how will a unilateral invasion be justified under international law?

At What Cost?
+ What will happen once Saddam Hussein is removed?
+ What are the expected numbers of civilian casualties?
+ How many troops will be required and how many are expected to be casualties?
+What will be the cost to taxpayers and where will the money come from?
+Will this deepen the anger already directed at the US and promote more attacks like 9/11?
+ Is the US prepared to stay and commit resources for 5 or more years for nation
building efforts in Iraq?

MEMBERS OF SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
(To find their email, click http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm )
Chair Joseph Biden (D-DE) 202-224-5042
Ranking Member Jesse Helms (R-NC) 202-224-6342
(And alphabetized by state)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 202-224-3553
Christopher Dodd (D-CT) 202-224-2823
Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274
Richard Lugar (R-IN) 202-224-4814
Sam Brownback (R-KS) 202-224-6521
John Kerry (D-MA) 202-224-2742
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) 202-224-4524
Paul Wellstone (D-MN) 202-224-5641
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) 202-224-4224
Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) 202-224-3224
Gordon Smith (R-OR) 202-224-3753
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) 202-224-2921
Bill Frist (R-TN) 202-224-4944
George Allen (R-VA) 202-224-4024
Russ Feingold (D-WI) 202-224-5323
John Rockefeller (D-WV) 202-224-6472
Michael Enzi (R-WY) 202-224-3424

SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Senator__________

It has come to my attention that the Foreign Relations Committee has called for hearings on the Administration's policy on Iraq.  It deeply concerns me to think that our government would commit troops to an invasion of Iraq when we have not fully explored the negative impacts of a war and whether or not we should even be considering a war on Iraq.

In addition to hearing from witnesses that support the Administration's war plan, I ask you to call for fair and balanced hearings.  To achieve that end, I suggest that you include such persons as Hans Von Sponeck, Former U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1998-2000); Denis Halliday, Former U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1997-1998); Scott Ritter, Former UNSCOM Weapons Inspector in Iraq. You may reach these persons by calling the following organizations:  EPIC (The Education for Peace in Iraq Center) at 202.543.6176 or VitW (Voices in the Wilderness) at 773-784-8065.

It would be a disservice to the American people, those who will fight this war, and the millions of Iraq citizens to commit to a war without a national dialogue.

Thank you for doing all that you can to ensure that the hearings are fair and balanced. I look forward to hearing from you about this critical issue.

Sincerely,
(Your name and address)