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from moveon.org: As you know, President Bush often holds "town hall" events where he takes questions from a hand picked crowd of "real people." Yesterday one of the people was, well, real. In a hostile room, with the attention of the national media focused on him, here's what Harry Taylor stood up and said to the President of the United States: HARRY TAYLOR: You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what's your question? HARRY TAYLOR: Okay, I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that Iin my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo! PRESIDENT BUSH: No, wait a seclet him speak. HARRY TAYLOR: And I would hopeI feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about. If you want to say thanks to Harry, go to http://thankyouharrytaylor.org --------- fwd... Forcing a Congressional debate on the Iraq war Dear Win Without War member, It's time. Tomorrow morning we will formally launch our campaign to force a Congressional debate on the Iraq war and votes on alternatives to the US military occupation. The success of the campaign depends on you. Please consider becoming an active participant and urge your members to take part in a grass-roots campaign that could literally take control of the House of Representatives from Republican leadership on this crucial issue. The campaign will urge Members of Congress to sign House Resolution 543, the "discharge petition" that will force a 17 hour Congressional debate on Iraq. Tomorrow morning at least four Republican members will sign the petition and urge their colleagues to do the same. They will announce their challenge to Republican House leadership and President Bush at a news conference at the Capitol. Signatures of 218 Members of Congress will force the hands of Republican leaders and initiate an immediate debate on the Bush war in Iraq. We are launching a web site dedicated specifically to this campaign: http://www.openiraqdebate.org Please visit the site to learn more about the campaign and how your members can participate. You can download the radio and full page print ads that will be launched tomorrow in Ohio and Minnesota. You can also see a roll-call of those Members of Congress who have - and have not - signed the petition. And, you can see our news releases, a "Dear Colleague" letter from supporting members of Congress and materials that can help your members talk about the campaign. For more that three years the Congress of the United States has gone along with everything the White House has wanted regarding the war in Iraq without an open debate and without considering alternatives to the open ended U.S. military occupation. Since that time - · More than 2,300 Americans have been killed; · More than 17,000 Americans have been wounded; · Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens have perished. We think that Americans - particularly those serving in Iraq - deserve more from their elected representatives. Most disagree with President Bush and all deserve to have their points of view heard in Congress. 72% of American servicemen and women believe that the U.S. military has done all that it can for Iraq and that U.S. forces should withdraw within a year. They are doing their job. It's about time that Congress start doing theirs. A majority of Americans believe that American troops should start coming home from Iraq. A strong majority of Iraqi citizens agree. A recent poll of Iraqis showed that more than 80% believe that they would be safer and Iraq would be more secure if American troops withdrew. The problem is that Congressional leaders have refused to allow an open debate on the floor of the House where Members of Congress would consider and vote on alternatives to the Bush war in Iraq. Now, members of Congress - including Republicans whose party controls Congress - are openly challenging Congressional leaders and demanding an immediate debate and vote. Please join this effort by asking your members to participate. You are the key to the success of this campaign. And, please plan on attending this Thursday's Win Without War coalition meeting at 1320 18th Street NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC, or by calling into our conference call line at 877-381-8833 code: 44383#. Many thanks for all that you do. Tom and Carly PS Below are some facts on the discharge petition. You can find more on our new campaign web site. What's a Discharge Petition? A discharge petition provides a majority of members of the House of Representatives with the power to order action - even over the objection of the Congressional leaders - on a pending piece of legislation. It is literally a petition with space for members of Congress to sign. Once filed, the discharge petition literally sits on the floor of the House at the Speakers' Rostrum. Members can sign a petition on the floor at any time during House business. Once a majority of members sign (218 is a majority) regular business is suspended so that the action ordered by the discharge petition is brought to the floor for action. What does House Resolution 543 do? House Resolution 543 is a discharge petition that requires that previously scheduled House business stop and that a 17-hour debate on US policy on Iraq begin immediately. The 17 hours would be equally divided between the House Democrats and Republicans. The resolution calls for consideration of a specific option for US policy - House Joint Resolution 55 requiring the development and implementation of a withdrawal of US forces from Iraq - BUT it allows consideration of any alternative. Any member can offer an alternative to the Bush war in Iraq and it must be considered and voted on by the House of Representatives. Why should Members of Congress sign House Resolution 543? Because after the deaths of more than 2,300 US servicemen and women and the wounding of more than 17,000 others at a cost of over a trillion dollars to US taxpayers, it's about time for a debate by those sent to Washington to represent the American people! Signing H. Res 543 does not commit a Member of Congress to a particular policy or course of action on Iraq. In fact, members of Congress who have signed H Res 543 have differing opinions on what the United States should do. Signing H Res 543 puts a Member of Congress on the side of an open, honest debate of all alternatives to the open-ended military occupation of Iraq that President Bush now says could last at least until 2009. _____________________________ Note: This message comes from the peace-justice-news e-mail mailing list of articles and commentaries about peace and social justice issues, activism, etc. If you do not regularly receive mailings from this list or have received this message as a forward from someone else and would like to be added to the list, send a blank e-mail with the subject "subscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or you can visit: http://lists.enabled.com/mailman/listinfo/peace-justice-news Go to that same web address to view the list's archives or to unsubscribe. E-mail accounts that become full, inactive or out of order for more than a few days will become disabled or deleted from this list. FAIR USE NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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