( – promoted by buhdydharma )
This was the lead story on the June 5th Urban Journal: listen.
Whip list here with contact info and updates. (Help us update the list!)
Will Congress Member _______ vote No with those Democrats who support peace?
Will he/she vote No with those Republicans and Democrats who oppose the expense and destructive activities of the IMF?
Will he vote No because both measures put our grandchildren into debt?
Will he vote No against the blocking of torture photos from being released?
Or will he vote Yes for war, Yes for the IMF, and Yes for immunity for torturers?
The House is about to vote on another supplemental spending bill for continued and escalated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (without any exit strategy for Afghanistan whatsoever — having refused to include that amendment). We're not accustomed to winning in our efforts to block war money, but the Democratic leadership has delayed the vote out of concern that we will — and is resorting to accusing Republicans of “not supporting the troops”. Here are three reasons to join with the peace movement in asking your representative to vote No: This bill funds illegal and immoral wars; it funds the IMF; and it bans the release of torture photos and videos from the Bush-Cheney years. Republicans may vote No because of reason #2 (good for them!) and 41 Democrats have signed a letter from Rep. Maxine Waters asking for good changes to #2 (good for them! but why monkey around with a war bill?). Democrats may try to get reason #3 removed (good for them! but why monkey around with a war bill?). The “leadership” may stick in a cash-for-clunkers measure or other bribe to get “progressives” to vote for the war money (measures that could be passed on their own). (Apparently 27 Dems want to be bribed with mass transit funding.) But what we need are No votes on the war funding, no matter which other outrages or good measures are attached to it. Call your Representative and urge them to vote no: 202-224-3121.
Whip list here with contact info and updates. (Help us update the list!)
Another list here (FireDogLake).
Email your Rep here (Voters for Peace).
Robert Naiman has been blogging about this at Just Foreign Policy, and so has Digby at Hullabaloo, and Glenn Greenwald at Salon, and Nick Baumann at Mother Jones, and Jason Rosenbaum at the Seminal, and Dday at D-Day, and Howie at Down With Tyranny.
Taylor Marsh loves wars but opposes the protect-the-torturers measure.
United for Peace and Justice is fully on board opposing war funding.
Progressive Democrats of America is about to blog on this.
MIA but expected to join in any moment: The Out of Iraq Caucus, Code Pink, Peace Action, World Can't Wait, True Majority, Win Without War, Moveon.org, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Open Left, David Sirota.
Military Families Speak Out just asked the president to end the wars and so, presumably, will ask Congress as well.
Declaration of Peace was on board with this a month ago and should be still.
These Democrats voted No last time:
Baldwin
Capuano
Clarke
Cohen
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Doggett
Edwards (MD)
Ellison
Farr
Filner
Frank (MA) — has told reporters he'll switch and vote yes now, and also said he'll vote No if photos ban included
Grayson
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Honda
Inslee
Kagen
Kaptur
Kucinich
Lee (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren, Zoe
Markey (MA)
Massa
Matsui
McDermott
McGovern
Michaud
Miller, George — has told reporters he'll switch and vote yes now
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Payne
Pingree (ME)
Polis (CO)
Schakowsky
Serrano
Shea-Porter
Speier
Thompson (CA)
Tierney
Towns
Tsongas
Velázquez
Waters
Watson
Weiner
Welch
Woolsey
These Democrats did not vote last time:
Delahunt
Sánchez, Linda T.
Stark
Tanner
These Democrats have newly told us they'll vote No this time:
Jim Moran
Slaughter – No if photos ban included
12 comments
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I appreciate how you are keeping this matter in people’s consciousness.
My own repub rep is completely worthless, but I have aquaintance with the DC Chief of Staff for Jerry Costello (D-IL). I called him yesterday, thanked for Rep. Costello’s previous no vote on the supplemental, and urged that Rep. Costello continue to vote against the supplemental, regardless of whatever crazy things get attached to it.
Military Families Speak Out is opposed to any further war funding such as this supplemental. Many people are afraid that if such supplementals are not passed, then our troops will suddenly be naked, defenseless, and have no ammunition. Military families know better. These procurements go out many years in advance. All these supplementals do is provide our government with more boards and nails to crucify our troops.
If you support our troops, and want them brought home, then contact your congress critters and YELL LOUDER.
It is important to me to know what our representatives are doing to end the wars to earn our votes. We need at least one hundred years of peace on the planet so that we can get our social policies and our prosperity acts together.
Thanks for posting and for all your hard work!
looks good. it is here.
thanks, all. Remind me again on Monday? Sheila Jackson Lee is my rep, …
and was not happy to see nadler’s name not on the list. will follow up with his office and build support in the district through pda on this.
it is critical that we do not allow this to pass, both re war funding and the hiding of evidence of war crimes. if frank and slaughter are indicative of what we can expect from progressives i think using the ban on photos as leverage is key.
david, good to see you at docudharma.
Thank you for the culmination of all that information, as well. I plan to do some calling first thing, Monday a.m.
prevalent in the Obama adminstration the re-allocation of America’s energy “allotment” towards far more profitable eco-unfriendly locations of the world will in fact reach Argentine depression type proportions.