Hello there, > Anyone can go to this website http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and put in > your zip code to write to your Congressmember and urge them to sign on to > the House Joint Resolution 20 to take back the Congressional > responsibility of declaration of war, which was illegally given to Bush > last October. > > This is among the first signs of life from the opposition electeds and we > need to lend our voices to their small numbers, asking our Congressional > representatives to step forward. The 133 Congressmember who voted against > giving him war powers then should be among the first to step up and sign
on >> to this legislation sponsored by Pete DeFazio and Ron Paul. >> >> Please write to your representative today and ask them to take a stand and >> listen to their constituency. >> >> Thanks, >> Shelly and Joan >> ------------------ >> Ultimately, only Congress has the power to stop Bush, so whatever else >> you do in the next week, please email your Congressperson and urge > > her/him >> to sign onto a bill sponsored Cong. Pete DeFazio (D-Oregon) and Ron Paul >> (R-Texas) -- House Joint Resolution 20 -- which repeals last October's >> resolution giving Bush a free hand to use military action in Iraq. >> >> DeFazio's statement and summary of his bill is pasted below. So is the > > list >> of Congressmembers who so far have agreed to cosponsor DeFazio's bill. >> (Check to see if yours is on the list. DeFazio filed this within hours of >> Colin Powell's speech to the UN, so could only round up about 30 > > cosponsors >> immediately, but the number will grow if you and others put pressure on > > your >> Congressperson. >> >> Please forward this to anyone who might be concerned about our pending >> invasion of Iraq. The basic message to your Congressperson is: >> >> "Please support HJR 20 cosponsored by Cong. Pete DeFazio and Cong. Ron >> Paul to repeal the October resolution giving President Bush a free hand to >> use military force against Iraq." >> >> For more about this, see Peter Dreier's article in The Nation,"Lobbying > > for >> Peace" (http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030224 >> <http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030224&s=dreier&s=dreier) >> >> Cosponsors of HJR 20 as of 2/13: >> DeFazio, Paul, Kucinich,McDermott,Sanders,Baldwin,Lee,Grijalva,Owens,Tubbs >> Jones,Oberstar,Waters,Schakowsky,J. >> Carson,Conyers,Towns,Farr,Olver,Norton,Serrano,Watson,Kleczka,D. >> Davis,Filner,Frank,Rush,Jackson Jr.,Capuano,Stark,William Lacy Clay >> >> <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?108:1:./temp/~bdqkye:@@@P|/bss/ >> d108query.html> NEWS >> --------------------------------- >> from Representative PETER DeFAZIO >> Fourth Congressional District, Oregon >> >> February 5, 2003 >> >> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE >> >> DeFAZIO, PAUL INTRODUCE BILL TO REPEAL BUSH'S BLANK CHECK FOR WAR >> >> WASHINGTON, DC- Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Ron Paul (R-TX) today >> introduced legislation to repeal the Iraq Use of Force Resolution passed >> by Congress and signed into law by the President last fall. Following is >> DeFazio's statement: >> >> "I heard no new evidence today from Secretary Powell's address to the > > United >> Nations, that would convince me that military action in Iraq >> is necessary to improve security of Americans. >> >> "Americans want the President to lay a clear case for immediate >> military action in Iraq, but the Administration's message keeps > > changing-six >> months ago, their case hinged on regime change, three months ago it was >> Saddam thwarting inspections, three weeks ago it was possible possession > > of >> chemical weapons, today its tenuous terrorist links. If the case was > > clear, >> it would have been clear from day one. >> >> "Our nation's immediate threat is still Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda >> terrorist network. We have full knowledge of North Korea's equally >> rapidly developing nuclear weapons program under the control of an equally >> diabolical leader. There's well-published accounts of several Mid-east >> governments aiding and funding known terrorists. Of America's imminent >> threats, Saddam Hussein is much lower on the list. >> >> "Saddam Hussein is a brutal untrustworthy tyrant, but he is being >> contained, and we should allow weapons inspectors to continue their work. >> >> "The President seeks war, this is clear. The Constitution grants the >> Congress sole authority to declare war, and I believe the President >> should come before Congress to seek that authority. Our resolution allows >> him that option." >> >> The legislation introduced today would repeal Public Law 107-243. >> The bill text reads in total: >> >> "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United >> States of America in Congress assembled, Section 1. Repeal of Public Law >> 107-243. >> >> The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution >> of 2002 (Public Law 107-243; 116 Stat. 1498) is hereby repealed." >> >> The legislation repeals the broad delegation of authority Congress >> gave to the President in October, to launch military action against Iraq. >> Under this legally-binding resolution, the President would have to return > > to >> Congress to seek authority to launch a preventive attack on Iraq.
