Blocking War Funding Just Got Easier

[davidswanson]

Last June we were handed an opportunity to block the funding of our illegal, murderous, counterproductive, catastrophic, and hated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president insisted on an off-the-books "emergency supplemental" bill, and the Senate added an IMF bailout to the bill, leading all the Republicans in the House to commit what for years they'd called treason: they all voted No on war money.

So, we only needed 39 Democrats to vote No, and we could have stopped the thing, at least temporarily. We had a week-long knock-down drag-out fight, with the White House telling freshmen Democrats they would be "dead to us" if they didn't vote Yes. And we still persuaded 32 Democrats to vote No.

Then we continued building opposition to the wars, and awareness of the need to choose between wars and jobs. But we had to hope that we would again be handed a "supplemental" vote and that again some crazy scheme would be found to get all the Republicans to vote No. If these wishes could be granted, then we would only have to find 40 Democrats to stand with the majority of Americans, soldiers, Iraqis, and Afghans. Otherwise, we'd need 218 congress members.

Our wishes have come true. President Obama has insisted on another "supplemental" this spring for $33 billion. And funding to close Guantanamo and move "the Terrorists" to "the Homeland" has been added into the bill.

Of course, the Democrats think this will force the Republicans to vote for closing Gitmo. Democratic loyalists and president worshippers are celebrating this genius stroke, oblivious to the fact that the funding of wars will destroy our nation along with those the wars are waged against, nevermind exactly where we imprison people. In reality, this maneuver will force the Republicans to vote against the war funding. And that will give us a chance.

We only need 40 No votes from Democrats in the House if the Republicans are voting No, and we can get them. Here's the whip list: http://defundwar.org Have at it!

[asdjrocky]

1. Perhaps a pipe dream..

but a beautiful one.

[ThomCat]

2. Oh, this would be a really sweet kick in the ass to the

warmongers. :)

[Goldstein1984]

3. It's hard, these days, to tell a warmonger from someone who

just feels compelled to support President Obama, no matter what. We're not doing President Obama any favors by supporting illegal wars that have the potential to earn him a place in history next to George W. Bush.

People are slowly waking up, and even the die-hard Obama supporters will eventually realize that we're fighting the same wars with the same tactics used when George Bush was President.

My son deploys to Iraq on February 22nd. Today (Feb 1st) I started a hunger strike that will last until I receive word that he has arrived in Iraq safety. I've sent letters to the President, my elected representatives and a number of my adopted elected representatives, and I've posted notice of my action on my Facebook page. My (mostly Republican) coworkers are aware of my action as well.

I don't know how I will continue this during the time my son is in Iraq, but I'm considering fasting every other day during that period, with notifications describing my initial strike and my ongoing actions sent out on each of those days.

My protest is not only fasting, but also non-consumption--no purchases of any goods.

I'll start working the Whip List.

Thanks!

[gimama]

6. You & Yours will be in my thoughts, G..

I've been through it, my Heart goes out to You.

I'm sure You have thought thru the Fasts, but please consider..

I would suggest Your future Fasts be 3 days at a time, with a week or 2 in-between. You will need Your Strength, & Your Health, every other day is kind of a physical roller-coaster.

It's also helpful to Fast when You can separate from 'the World', ie, NOT Fast during a work-week, maybe just on Fri,Sat,Sunday.. It is very much a Mind-Body-Spirit PROCESS..
If You can be away from distractions, & irritating or insensitive People('specially republickers!), it will be a strengthening, HEALING, & enLightening Process.
If You do the 3-day Fasts, the 2nd day is physically tough, but by day 3, not only will it be physically easy, but if You spend time in Nature, &/or Meditation.. You will likely have some amazing Insights & Visions. You may even find it possible to connect with Your Son, across time & space.

You know to drink lots of goood water, & choose food wisely coming off the Fast..

I don't ck into DU every day, but try to.. please let me know if I can be of any help while Your Son does this.

My best advise..do NOT fear for him.. WHEN You feel the fear coming, stop whatever You're doing, and envision Your Boy..see him SAFE,& STRONG, & WHOLE & HAPPY. HOLD that vision of him, for as long as You need to.
In MY Belief system, I felt my Own could feel my fear, 9,000 miles away, & I wanted him to stay focused, sending him POSITIVE energy.. When mine came HOME, Whole & Healthy, he told me things that reinforced what I intuitively knew.
I HOPE(!) my posting this doesn't offend..YOU & Yours are NOT alone, ok?
I send YOU & YOURS LOVE & LIGHT~===]

[Goldstein1984]

8. Thank you. You sound like you have experience in the place

where we are now.

Good advice, and I'll try to incorporate it.

I hope you don't mind, but I've added you to my buddy list.

Your concern and empathy are as far from offending as I can imagine.

Again, thank you.

[gimama]

17. Let me know if I can help

..Yes, I've been through it,
Yes, it IS hell,
YES,
YOU, YOUR SON, & Family, CAN DO this.
Keep Your Heart in the right place,
take goood Care of YourSelf,
& REACH OUT for SUPPORT,
from Loved Ones,& "safe" Ones(ie,Veterans)
..don't isolate YourSelves.

I think I'll post a list of reSources, soon as I can do it,
so I'll let You know when it's up.
Meanwhile, I'm here if needed,
& sending You ALL Love & Light.~===]

[roody]

9. wow.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

11. You are a good man GS84

Sending you positive energy

I'm going to Peace of the Action for folks like you

[salguine]

4. These endless wars and the attempts to pay for them are going to accomplish what

Al-Qaeda couldn't; bringing down the United States of America. I guess the turriss' did win after all.

[gimama]

5. Callin' DC tomorrow! Please join me!

& let's compare notes here, tomorrow nite!


David, goood job.:woohoo:

[Truth2Tell]

7. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud...

and I think this effort is worth a 1000% push by all of us...

But David, we both know a sizable chunk of those 32 no votes from last time are only no votes as long as theirs isn't the deciding vote. You know how this game is played. Many of those Reps were "released" by leadership from voting for funding.

It's all about those last few votes, and it's an understatement to say they will not come easy.

I also suspect it will be far too easy to peel off as many Republicans as needed if it came to that. Push come to shove, they wouldn't allow the wars to end around an issue like Gitmo. And of course if push really did come to shove, they would go back and pull the Gitmo business out.

Ultimately the reality we face is that only a tiny minority of our Congress members presently stand in real opposition to our endless wars. I fully expect changing that to be a long, grueling haul. I think there's a lot of road between our present political reality and any meaningful paradigm shift - the kind of reversal of course that would give us a shot at national survival - or would lead to something as revolutionary as the U.S. Congress actually defunding wars.

Still, every possible opening is worth a shot, so let's have at it.

[davidswanson]

12. we do not know that

these people had the s--- kicked out of them and we didn't know the outcoem until the last hour

[midnight]

10. I have already written to sensenbrenner, and he wants to continue this war

because he believes that 9-11 justified it...

[davidswanson]

13. Do Those Who Oppose Torture Oppose War?

An Appeal on "Closing Gitmo"

Given that human rights organizations and activist groups want rights restored, not abuses moved from one location to another,

Given that said organizations are independent of and not legally bound in subservience to the Democratic Party,

Given that the funding to close Gitmo and move that particular illegal death camp to Illinois will be included in the "emergency war supplemental",

Given that this will likely lead all the Republicans in the House to vote No on $33 billion for wars, wars that involve murder and torture and lawless imprisonment, all on a larger scale than what happens at Gitmo,

Given that we then need only 40 Democrats to vote No to block the war funding,

Given that with the resources of human rights groups for once turned against the supreme international crime of aggressive war we could win over 40 Democrats,

Given that we had 32 last June and 34 in December and the public is turning further against the wars,

Given that many have publicly committed to voting No already at http://defundwar.org ,

Given that the public is increasingly understanding the need to choose between wars and jobs,

Given that a clean break with imperialism would open many new doors in our struggles for civil rights and the rule of law,

It is at least worth asking:

WILL ORGANIZATIONS THAT OPPOSE TORTURE OPPOSE OR SUPPORT THE $33 BILLION WAR BILL?

In Solidarity,

David Swanson

PS: You can't be neutral on a moving train.

[bvar22]

14. We simply must find a way to....

..End the Endless WARS.

I will NEVER support INCREASING Military Spending, no matter which Political Party is in power.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."
---President Dwight Eisenhower

[Echo In Light]

15. k/r

[maryf]

16. K&R

Stop the funding is the best way. Like getting rid of health insurance companies for good health care, lets see how small we can make the military!(And just how much would it cost to close Gitmo anyway??)