14 ARRESTED OPPOSING
FUNDING OF IRAQ OCCUPATION
Eight staff members of the 8th Day
Center and a friend were arrested last Tuesday for refusing to leave
the office of Illinois Senator Durbin. In a simultaneous action, five
other persons were arrested in the lobby of the building. They want the
Senator to publicly commit himself to vote against any funding for the
occupation of Iraq. Senate Democrats, including Durbin, voted for $150
Billion for Iraq and Afghanistan on October 1, 2007.
Thankfully, this vote merely “authorizes” the money to be spent but it
does not guarantee it. Congress must pass a separate “appropriations”
bill before war funds are transferred to military coffers.
All fourteen of those arrested were participating in the Occupation
Project, a nonviolent civil-disobedience campaign to end funding for
the occupation.
Within the next several weeks, Congress is set to vote for the transfer
of funds to the Pentagon for the continued occupation of Iraq.
(See the article below about “The Lie that Keeps the Occupation of Irag
Going”)
ACTIONS
1. Even if you have done so before, call
your Representative and Senators and demand that they use their
influence to steer the House and the Senate along the lines indicated
in the article below AND to vote only for funding to bring the troops
home. As one of Durbin's staff persons said, they are not hearing from
many who oppose the occupation.
To reach them, call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and
ask for them by name. If you don't know who they are, tell the operator
your zip code and s/he will connect you to the appropriate persons.
2. Participate in the Occupation Project
On February 5, 2007 Voices for Creative Nonviolence launched the
Occupation Project, a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil
disobedience aimed at ending funding for the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
CODEPINK, Declaration of Peace, Veterans for Peace and other national
organizations joined in organizing the campaign.
Between February 5 and April 17 (Tax Day), over 320 arrests occurred in
the offices of 39 Representatives and Senators, including Senators
Durbin and Obama.. The campaign spread nationally, with campaigns
taking place in over 25 states from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon
and from Fairbanks, Alaska to Huntsville, Alabama.
On August 6, 2007 a reinvigorated Occupation Project campaign
was launched with acts of nonviolent civil disobedience / civil
resistance and office occupations occurring through at least the end of
October.
The demand of the campaign is simple. Representatives and Senators:
Publicly commit to voting against any funding for the Iraq war or we
will nonviolently occupy your offices.
For info on the Nonviolent Occupation Project, see http://www.vcnv.org
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THE LIE THAT KEEPS THE
OCCUPATION OF IRAQ GOING
Last November, Americans voted to end
the illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq by electing a Democratic
majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The idea
was that Democrats would cut funds for the occupation which would force
president Bush to bring the troops home.
Democrats have passed funding bills which include a timetable for
withdrawal of US troops, but President Bush vetoed each of these bills.
Democrats say they have been unable to muster enough votes (67 in the
Senate) to over ride Bush vetoes. As a result, most Democrats in both
houses of Congress agree to vote for funding bills, without timetables
for withdrawal, because they say they do not want to cut supplies and
equipment necessary for the safety of US troops.
Because of this rationale, Senate Democrates voted overwhelmingly
for an additional $150 Billion for war funding on October 1, 2007.
Obama was absent.
Still the occupation goes on: 3,800+ U.S. soldiers killed, over 20,000
wounded, many seriously. 1,000,000 Iraqis killed, untold numbers
injured with little if any medical care available. 4 ,000,000 Iraqis
are refugees. Much of Iraq and its culture destroyed. The U.S. has
spent $460 billion on the invasion / occupation at the expense of
health care, education, transportation and housing at home.
THE BIG LIE
It is a lie that Congress must pass a
bill to end the occupation of Iraq. The occupation can be ended with an
announcement by Congressional leaders that there will be no more
funding. Should someone offer a proposal to fund the war, Democrats can
block it in several ways.
For example, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid could, if they wanted, announce today that the House
and Senate will no longer bring to a vote any bills to fund anything
other than withdrawal of the troops. They have many colleagues already
on board with that position, not to mention two thirds of the country.
In the House, a bill cannot come to the floor for a vote without
Pelosi's approval unless 218 representatives sign, what is called, “a
discharge petition” to force the bill to the floor. It is unlikely
enough House Democrats would oppose their party to fund Bush's war in
that way. (The house is composed of 435 representatives: 233 Democrats
and 202 Republicans.)
In the Senate, Reid alone could refuse to bring a bill to the floor, or
another senator could put a secret hold on a bill.
Should either of these methods fail and a funding bill comes to the
floor for a vote, Senate Democrats could tie up the bill by conducting
a Filibuster. A filibuster is an extended debate upon a proposal in
order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. It takes a
super-majority, three-fifths of the Senate (60 Senators, if all 100
seats are filled) to bring a debate to a close. Thus, just 41 votes in
the Senate would block any attempt by those in the Senate who wish to
continue funding the war.
ANOTHER LIE
To further justify their support of war
funding, members of Congress use their supposed concern for U.S. troops
as a human shield. They are hiding behind soldiers and the threat that
if they cut off funds U.S. soldiers would wake up tomorrow and not have
food, water, or even funds to pull out.
This is also a lie. The Pentagon does not live pay check to paycheck
like working people do. The budget and supply process is decided months
and years in advance. There is a long supply chain – planning and
allocation are known many months in advance.
Bush has billions of dollars for withdrawal in the pipeline and could
be given more for that exclusive purpose.
So, when Democrats say they are voting to protect the troops or that
they don't have the votes to end the occupation, they are lying to you.
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For more info on funding, see End the War - Keep War Funding Off
The Floor! at http://encampmenttostopthewar.blogspot.com/2007/09/end-war-keep-war-funding-off-floor_22.html
and Congress Ignoring Critical Report on Pentagon Spending http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/101007J.shtml