RE: STOP FUNDING WAR! FULLY FUNDED WITHDRAWAL ONLY!

I am writing to you because of your role in the Leadership of the Democratic Party. I am a citizen and a voter who strongly opposes any further funding of the illegal war in Iraq. The only funding we as a country should be approving at this time is a FULLY FUNDED REDEPLOYMENT OF OUR TROOPS AND THE CONTRACTORS.

I am strongly urging you to allow a full debate on the floor of the House so our more progressive members of Congress can make their case against any further funding of the war effort, and so they are able to introduce AMENDMENTS that clearly tie any further funding to bringing our troops home.

To help you in your deliberations, let me just say that:

1)Our goal in Iraq was to oust Saddam Hussein. That goal was reached long ago. To continue to debate whether the U.S. presence in Iraq is beneficial, utilizing only the opinions of military professionals whose sole purpose in life is to serve the military, is fruitless. We want our troops to come home to prevent further waste of life, and we need our money home so we can re-stabilize our own economy.

2)The recession in the U.S. is directly tied to the outpouring of borrowed money going to private interest contractors and military support in Iraq. It’s time to fix our own problems and rejuvenate this economy for all U.S. citizens instead of continuing to destroy a sovereign nation halfway across the world using dollars we need at home.

We have heard that the leadership is set to not only approve the current funding request, but to add another $80 billion to take the funding into 2009 when a Democrat is in office. As a progressive, I want to stress to you that you will lose my vote, and likely that of thousands of my fellow progressives, if that were to occur. Funding into 2009 will send a clear signal that the Democrats in office would be exactly the same as McCain in office.

cc: Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Maxine Waters