Posted by Stella from 12-248-16-41.client.attbi.com (12.248.16.41) on Monday, July 29, 2002 at 1:06PM :
Maybe many of you get this info from Voices In The Wilderness directly, but I'm passing it on to those who don't.
On July 31, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold hearings
about whether or not the US should invade Iraq.
The Committee has announced the list of advisory participants. The entire list consists of people who hold pro-war views.
Experts on Iraq who hold anti-war views have not been invited to participate. The list of such experts includes:
Scott Ritter -- Former UNSCOM Weapons Inspector in Iraq
Edward Peck -- Former Ambassador to Iraq
Tun Myat -- Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (2000-2002)
Hans von Sponeck -- Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1998-2000)
Denis Halliday -- Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (1997-1998)
Based on their years of experience as first-hand observers and workers within Iraq, these men are ready to testify that Iraq's present capacity for creating havoc with "weapons of mass destruction" is nil. They are also ready to testify that millions of innocent Iraqi families are suffering terribly from the sanctions already imposed upon Iraq. Yet none of these men is an apologist for Saddam Hussein. The Senate Committee needs to hear them.
We must contact our senators today. We must "demand that the hearings include the perspectives of these men, each of whom has lived and worked in Iraq prior to resigning their UN posts over US policies. Ask why the Senate Foreign Relations Committee refuses to hear what they have to say. Contact information for each of these gentlemen can be obtained through calling EPIC at 202.543.6176 or VitW at 773-784-8065." (Quotes taken from VitW flyer).
We must also contact the offices of Committee Chairmen Joseph Biden and
Jesse Helms, as well as their committee members.
PHONE NUMBERS AND E-MAIL CONTACT INFO ARE LISTED BELOW
Questions to ask:
+What has Iraq done since 1990 to justify risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women -- and millions of Iraqi civilians -- in a new war?
+What is the hard evidence linking Iraq to the Sept. 11 attacks?
+How can we make sure that UN arms control programs will return to Iraq, in order to prevent war and lift economic sanctions?
+How can a unilateral invasion be justified under international law, given that the US signed the UN Charter and is a member of the Security Council?
+What will happen once Saddam Hussein is removed?
+How many troops will be required? What are plans for force protection?
What's the cost to taxpayers? Where will the money come from? How will our actions affect the international effort to bring those who are truly responsible for 9/11 to justice?
+Are we prepared to stay and commmit our resources for 5 or more years for
nation building efforts in Iraq? (VitW doesn't mention it, but our nation-building efforts in Afghanistan already appear to be fizzling out).
In calling senators who are out of our area, we should remind them that although we are not their constituents, we do help to decide the future of their parties on a national level.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Illinois senators: Durbin, 202-224-2152, or dick@durbin.senate.gov;
Fitzgerald, 202-224-2854, or senator_fitzgerald@fitzgerald.senate.gov
Committee Chair and Ranking Member: Joseph Biden, 202-224-5042; Jesse Helms,
202-224-6342
Committee Members, alphabetized by state (all numbers 202-224):
Barbara Boxer, D-CA, 3553; Christopher Dodd, D-CT, 2823; Bill Nelson, D-FL,
5274; Richard Lugar, R-IN, 4814; Sam Brownback, R-KS, 6521; John Kerry,
D-MA, 2742; Paul Sarbanes, D-MD, 4524; Paul Wellstone, D-MN, 5641; Chuck
Hagel, R-NE, 4224; Robert Torricelli, D-NJ, 3224; Gordon Smith, R-OR, 3753;
Lincoln Chafee, R-RI, 2921; Bill Frist, R-TN, 4944; George Allen, R-VA,
4024; Russ Feingold, D-WI, 5323; John Rockefeller, D-WV, 6472; Michael Enzi,
R-WY, 3424
E-MAIL:
http://capwiz.com/networklobby/home/on
UNder "Elected Officials" subheading, enter your zip code. Select a message (it can be modified). Click on "Hold Fair and Balanced Hearings on Iraq."
-- Stella
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