Call for Legislation to End the Iraq War and Statement of Commitment to Nonviolent Direct Action

To:  Senator Ron Wyden

Whereas the United States has already expended more than 2,200 lives of its service people, more than $200 billion of its treasure and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives on a war which has no clear purpose, and

Whereas this war has seriously contaminated Iraq’s environment, and

Whereas the Bush administration has given no indication under what conditions or when this human, financial and environmental bleeding will end, and

Whereas the reasons given by the administration for embarking upon this war have been shown to have been false, and

Whereas there is no acceptable moral principle which allows the United States to maintain its armed forces in Iraq, now therefore,

We, the undersigned, your constituents, are so anguished and outraged by the ongoing participation of the United States in the current conflict and occupation in Iraq that we can no longer stand quietly by as it proceeds. We request, in the most urgent manner, that you introduce a bill into the Senate which provides for:

1. No permanent bases in Iraq.
Declare that the U.S has no interest in permanent military bases or controlling Iraqi oil or other resources.

2. Withdrawal in months, not years.
Set goals for ending the occupation and bringing all our troops home, in months, not years, beginning by at least mid-2006.

3. U.N.-monitored peaceful reconstruction.
Request that the United Nations monitor the process of military disengagement and de-escalation, and organize a peaceful reconstruction effort.

4. An independent peace process.
Appoint a peace envoy independent of the occupation authorities to underscore U.S. commitment to an entirely different mission — a peace process ending the occupation and returning our soldiers home.

5. Cooperative political settlement.
Empower the peace envoy to encourage and cooperate in talks with Iraqi groups opposed to the occupation, including insurgents, to explore a political settlement. The settlement must include representation of opposition forces and parties, and hold power-sharing and the protection of women’s rights as core principles of governance and economic and energy development.

We appreciate your vote three years ago against beginning this war and we seek your leadership now in ending it. We have engaged in many forms of public education, both directly and through the mass media, and a majority of Oregonians now supports U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. We have brought up this issue with you at town meetings and in our letters to you.

We now say that if you do not take immediate action to this effect, a delegation of us will take direct nonviolent action at your Portland office, through which we will seek — by means of discussion, prayer, meditation and media appeal — to persuade you to do so.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Call for Legislation to End the Iraq War and Statement of Commitment to Nonviolent Direct Action Petition to Senator Ron Wyden was created by Civil Resist Portland and written by Tom Hastings (civilresistpdx@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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