Another Mother for Peace

Peace Homework

Another Mother for Peace believes that it is our patriotic duty to speak out against war. Our precious democracy allows us as citizens to voice our opinions and to influence the debate in Washington. Peace Homework is how we make our voices heard.

CURRENT HOMEWORK

√ The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, commonly called the “Supercommittee”, was created by the Budget Control Act of 2011. By November 23, the committee is charged with making recommendations on how to cut $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

Take Action: Contact each member of the Supercommittee. Tell them to rebalance government priorities. AMP believes we should NOT sacrifice our citizens’ needs for healthcare, retirement, education, a sustainable environment, and housing in order to continue fighting endless wars. Tell them to cut $1 trillion in military spending over the next 10 years. If the Pentagon budget is to be cut significantly, Congress needs to continue to hear our support for this issue. Supercommittee contact information is found on the AMP Fall 2011 Newsletter.

√ Donate political posters to the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (cspg@politicalgraphics.org) and help continue their work for social justice and peace.

PREVIOUS HOMEWORK

Tell the Mayor of Your City to Bring Our War $$ Home! When city mayors gather in Baltimore at the end of the week for their annual meeting, a resolution “Calling on Congress To Redirect Military Spending to Domestic Priorities” will be on the agenda. Call, write, fax, Facebook or tweet your mayor NOW and tell her/him to support this resolution!

Ask your congressperson to co-sponsor legislation introduced by Representative Roscoe Bartlett (MD) to stop funding military action in Libya. H.R. 1323 would “…require the President to recommend specific reductions in nonsecurity discretionary appropriations for fiscal year 2011 to offset the costs of military operations in Libya.” The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Harris (MD), Jones (NC ), Kucinich (OH ), and Paul (TX).

Urge your Representative to support HR 780. An important reason to oppose America’s involvement in foreign wars is the diversion of funding away from domestic healthcare, education, social – and now – retirement priorities. Federal and state budget crises are being used to further erode domestic programs. Instead…Let’s cut Defense spending! A place to start is H.R.780, which cuts funding for the Afghanistan war. The war will cost an estimated $116 billion this year, nearly twice what House Republicans say they want to save through cuts in domestic programs.

Learn about The Raise Hope for Congo project, which has surveyed the 21 largest electronics companies to determine what progress they’ve made towards conflict-free supply chains.The Democratic Republic of the Congo is host to the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Since 1996, more than five million people have died. Militias in the region use rape as a military tactic, subjecting hundreds of thousands of women and girls to sexual violence. This conflict is fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals essential to electronic products. The armed groups perpetuating the violence generate an estimated $183 million each year by trading in four main minerals: tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold.

Ask your congressperson to co-sponsor legislation introduced by Representative Barbara Lee (CA) to repeal war funding. Her bill, H.R. 6282, states: “Congress finds that the Authorization for Use of Military Force… signed into law on September 18, 2001, has been used to justify a broad and open-ended authorization for the use of military force and such an interpretation is inconsistent with the authority of Congress to declare war and make all laws for executing powers vested by the Constitution in the Government of the United States.”

Let’s Approve START: Now’s the time to approve the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Why should a lame duck session of Congress delay a treaty that reduces nuclear warheads by 30%? AMP can’t think of any reason.

Tell your senators and representative to co-sponsor the newly introduced bill to establish a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan: H.R. 5015/ S. 3197. If passed it would allow Congress a fundamental vote on the direction of our foreign policy.

Ask your members of congress to co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act, H.R. 4594/ S. 2982. If passed, our government would have to respond to outbreaks of gender-based violence (like the mass rapes occurring in the Congo), put violence-reduction solutions into foreign assistance, and make ending violence against women a diplomatic priority. For more information, go to www.amnestyusa.org or womenthrive.org and enter IVAWA in the search box.

Insist on support for thousands of trained Congolese women police officers. Write to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ask her to allocate funding for training women to protect their sisters in the bush.U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington DC 20520.

Get informed about what Afghan women are doing to advance their cause.

Let’s make sure President Obama and Congress hear our voice as they reformulate strategy. Let’s tell them that a war in Afghanistan does not promote security.

AMP wants to know why Western forces are in Afghanistan. Fighting terrorism? Combating corruption and fraud? Improving the government and the economy? Protecting the human rights of women and children? Training the Afghan army? Supporting Pakistan?

Is the fight in Afghanistan a war of necessity? Is America more safe by “staying the course”?

  • Afghans are fed up with the corruption of the Karzai government.
  • Does Karzai’s disputed reelection promote democracy?
  • While some Afghan women and girls have benefited from new
    opportunities for education and political participation, a majority of women still suffer from domestic violence and forced marriages while still teenagers.
  • There are no clear objectives for continuing military action and
    certainly no benchmarks for success.
  • America does not have unlimited resources.

Support H.R. 1084, the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act of 2007. Introduced by Representative Sam Farr (D-CA 17th), this legislation would create a Response Readiness Corps as “a critical first step toward changing the way the U.S. engages the world. Many of the problems in the world today cannot be solved by military force. Problems such as economic disparity and the lack of a functioning, legitimate government can’t be solved by the military. Yet U.S. policymakers lack a corps of civilian experts to send to crisis torn areas to help countries help themselves and provide basic services to their citizens. This legislation addresses that need.” Press Release, Ann Vaughan, Friends Committee on National Legislation, March 5, 2008.

Attack Iran? No! Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support S. 759/HR 3119. Introduced by Senator James Webb and Representative Mark Udall, these bills reassert that only Congress can declare war. Specifically, they prohibit the use of funds for military operations in Iran without congressional authorization.

Vote for Presidential candidates who will bring the troops home from Iraq.
The Presidential primaries begin in early January and extend into June, 2008. Make sure your vote counts. We want strong peace candidates in November. A chronological listing of primaries is available at: http://www.vote-smart.org.

Contact your Senators and urge them to support S. 759 – a bill introduced by Senator Jim Webb (VA) that would prevent President Bush from attacking Iran without congressional authorization

Contact your Representative’s office and urge them to co-sponsor H.J. Res 14, a measure introduced by Representative Walter Jones (NC) that would require the president to obtain congressional approval for any use of force against Iran, barring “a demonstrably imminent attack” by Iran on the United States

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON WASHINGTON:
Make the Armed Services Committee Accountable.
Prevent the Temporary Increase of U.S. Troops in Iraq; Support the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops.
Stop the Escalation of the Iraq War; Support the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops.

Contact Your Representative to Support House Joint Resolution 73
Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha’s H.J. Res 73 calls for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq. If your representative is already a sponsor, then encourage them to work with Murtha to get the bill to a debate and vote on the House floor.

Contact the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to let them know that supporting our troops means caring for our veterans.

Let’s Add Laura Bush to the List of People to Get the AMP Message
Send Laura the letter on page 1 of the Fall Newsletter. Download the letter to send by fax or mail. Spread the word: WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER. IT NEVER WAS, AND IT ISN’T NOW” Send the letter to:
Laura Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC 20500

Support Cindy Sheehan
Join AMP in supporting Cindy Sheehan’s courageous stand against the war.

Stop High School Recruitment!!!
Every day American High School students are the targets of U.S. Military recruiters. Did you know that you can opt-out so that your child is not approached? Tell the military to – “Keep your hands off our kids!!”

End the Back-door Draft!!!
Join AMP in urging the media to cover the stories of families victimized by U.S. military “retention policies” – The Back-door Draft must end now!

Register to Vote!!!
Your vote is your voice. We hope you’ll make sure you are registered to vote in your state and that you stay on top of all the candidates’ positions on war and peace.
»»Download a national voter registration form