Let's Stop a War, Before It Starts

[Alan Grayson]

The United States should not attack Syria. And I need your help to make sure that we do not.

The White House is seeking permission from Congress to attack Syria. Let’s make sure Congress says “NO.”

Ask your Member of Congress to vote NO on ANY legislation authorizing a U.S. attack on Syria. You can call here: 202-224-3121

Right now, calls to Congress are running 100:1 against intervention.

And Members of Congress are listening. More than half the members of the U.S. House of Representatives have said they are leaning against authorizing an attack. But we need more than that. We need them to say “NO,” loud and clear.

So call! Ask your Member of Congress to vote NO on ANY legislation authorizing a U.S. attack on Syria, under current circumstances. You can call here: 202-224-3121

Or you can e-mail your member here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

This is when it matters.

After you’re done with your call or e-mail, please tell me what you heard from your Member’s staff by going to this website: http://dontattacksyria.com/call-congress-now-dont-attack-syria/

Using the information you give me, I will be compiling a list of Members to whom I need to talk about this.

Finally, get your friends and family to sign up at DontAttackSyria.com. More than 60,000 people are working together RIGHT NOW to stop this attack on Syria. Let’s add more and more. Share this on Twitter and Facebook, and forward it to your friends.

We’re all in this together. And we’re going to win.

Courage,

Alan Grayson

[Bjorn Against]

1. Thank you for all you are doing, history will look kindly on you

[idwiyo]

2. K&R

[Evergreen Emerald]

3. What is our duty?

What is our duty to the people of the world? Are we so damaged by the lies from Bush, et. al, that we are taking a superficial view of Syria and willing to turn a blind eye to the use of WMDs?

Are we sticking our heads in the sand and abrogating our responsibility?

Is this Iraq? Or is this Kosovo? Or Libya?

Can we live with ourselves while he continues to slaughter the people?

What else can we do, beside bombing? Is Congress considering other options?

[truedelphi]

4. reports are out that Great Britain sold Assad the chemical

Weapons... So I guess we could start bombing a whole lot of the world, including ourselves. We are guilty of proliferating a genocidal weapon of cancer-causing radiation with all the Depleted Uranium that our government used in Serbia and Iraq, and is still using in Afghanistan. Unlike sarin, Depleted Uranium will still be causing health problems a hundred years from now.

Or are illegal weapons only worthy of revenge-style actions when utilized by other nations?

[Evergreen Emerald]

6. Manufacturing bullets versus shooting them into a body.

I don't know the source of the information regarding GB. And I know we are not the police of the world, and cannot get involved with every conflict in every country around the world.

But, there are differences. There are differences between creating, selling bullets and shooting them into a young child. We all know that difference.

Where is the line? I guess that is the question we are debating right now--at what point will we stand up and say to the Syrian government, "Enough?"

Obama gave us his line. McCain, apparently doesn't have a line that he won't cross ("bomb bomb bomb Iran&quot .

[truedelphi]

8. It would be so very nice if Obama had the awareness that there is already a system in place

To handle war criminals. Sabrina has a DU rec'ced article on the greatest Threads, that discusses how well that system works.

As far as his line in the sand, if his big banker, Wall Street friends and buddies didn't think war was good for their business, I bet he'd be told to ignore that line.

He certainly has ignored that line in the sand about middle class suffering. He ignores that line every day of the week, and twice on those days when he comes up with ideas like putting people like Larry Summers in charge of the Federal Reserve or Treasury.

[Evergreen Emerald]

10. So you are saying that Obama's only motive is his banker friends?

[truedelphi]

18. Based on his appointments, yes.

And also based on what he lets his Banker/Wall Street buddies get away with once appointed.

[Dragonfli]

16. I'm afraid you don't understand what we have done, we've actually USED White Phosphorous and DU

We've used it on many thousands, not hundreds of men women and children, we also kill children all the time by drone because they are near someone that someone thinks might be exhibiting behavior that could indicate he is a terrorist (AKA signature strikes), or sometimes because a child is among parents that see someone hurt after a wedding party or something was blown up and try to help. why? Because drone operators get bonus points for picking off first responders (a little tactic we copied from Hezbollah that we re-branded "double tap" strikes).

We should post pictures of these children dead from our weapons and compare numbers, perhaps a decent man will see those pictures of the victims of our WMD and "be moved" to DO SOMETHING to show the monsters responsible that there is a line that was crossed and someone has to deter such atrocities, somehow, perhaps by doing something really stupid like blowing up more people, many of which will be innocent American children, why? Because somehow more killing will lead to the end of killing or something and more civilian deaths will show those maniacs what for, damn it.

Define hypocrisy and then thank what ever mythical being you thank that no one is strong enough to try to play Judge Dredd with us the way we are constantly fantasizing about actually being a self appointed Judge Dredd to the world. Often committing atrocities that dwarf even that evil shit Assad in the process because we have some insane idea that the way to help people that are being killed is to blow up, maim, burn to the bone with phosphorous, spread depleted uranium around from our shells with the added bonus of poisoning multiple generations of children and generally just bomb the shit out of them killing civilians the entire time. Why do we think of such things as "humanitarian actions" anyway?

So..... the proposal is to:

"Punish" Assad for killing his people by killing more of his people,
because we have some sort of "moral high ground" and
more death will help the "dead children" (how it will help is quite unclear)
even though that "high ground" is really a mountain of corpses, many of them children we have killed in the process of being "so moral".

Really?

If you buy that line of reasoning then you are insane, hypnotized, or delusional because such rationalizations are insultingly absurd no matter how eloquently you spread the propaganda.

How people fall for it astonishes me.

We have done and do far more than "manufacture bullets" as you put it, we build mountains of dead civilians many of which are children so where DO YOU draw the line? And just how will war help the children when many more will die due to it?

[ellenrr]

21. yes, Juan Gonzalez on Dem Now has documented US using chemical warfare, Of course Israel

has also dropped white phosphorous on Palestinian civilians.

Did Obama condemn that? did the congress? did the media?

no, actually they all celebrated Israel.

[truedelphi]

27. And just about the only American I have ever seen on mainstream TV

cry out against Israel's activities was Anthony Bourdain, who rather accidentally decided to do some filming of restaurants in the World Class city of Beirut right before Israel decided to bomb Lebanon.

He had like 36 hours inside Beirut before the bombs began falling. The Bush Administration did not care that many tourists were visiting Beirut, nor did they care that Bourdain was not able to get out.

Undaunted, the guy took his camera crew out into the streets and kept filming. Such an inside look at what Israel's policies are toward civilian neighborhoods was very chilling.

[ellenrr]

28. wow. didn't know that about Anthony Boudain... nt

[Carolina]

7. so true, truedelphi

but that's different to the blind loyalists, don'tcha know

[truedelphi]

5. I for one would love a Constitutional Amendment that

States that each voter gets to vote o the matter of any wars that are not the result of direct attacks.
(In Switzerland, the public votes on major issues, not just for candidates.)


And along with that, if the folks who want a war really want it, assure me that you will voluntarily increase your tax burden by thirty percent, and then go and volunteer. Put your body on the line. (Folks who were part of the National Guard forced to fight in Iraq often were in their mid-fifties, so age is not an excuse.)

[Vanje]

9. Done. K&R

[Starry Messenger]

11. k&r

[Rebellious Republican]

12. Thank you Mr. Grayson, good to know that there are still a few sane politicians

left in my state. I am on it like some of my brethren from Dixie, Levy and Taylor counties would say. Like stink on shit! Meant in a good way. Keep fighting the good fight sir.

[tavalon]

25. I spent more than half my life in two states that I hope never to step into again

Florida and Texas. Both have some good people and totally screwed up politics. It didn't and won't, in the future, stop me from sending money to Alan Grayson's campaign re-election fund. While I'm fairly sure this article was written by one of his staffers, it still pleases me that he chooses to lend his name to a far left leaning site like Democratic Underground. Most wouldn't dare. It might reflect "badly" upon them. Meh.

[Rebellious Republican]

26. Cheers my friend....

[totodeinhere]

13. I already called my congressman and my two senators. n/t

[AnotherMcIntosh]

14. K&R. Thank you for all your efforts.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. WHIP LISTS: Where Your Congressman and Senators Stand NOW

You may be shocked. I was sickened to see Al Franken as leaning FOR.
And Rep Mel Watt and David Price (D-NC) leaning FOR

SENATE WHIP LIST
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319933-the-hills-syria-whip-list

HOUSE WHIP LIST
http://firedoglake.com/syria-war-whip/

[TBF]

17. I've been e-mailing Pete Olson (TX-Idiot) --

but at least he's getting this one right. I'm sure it's a partisan move for him ... but I am just glad he's voting against.

[Dems to Win]

19. I'm in. I emailed my reps suggesting we bankrupt Assad personally rather than launch

cruise missiles to 'send a message.'

You're invited to read the thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023581450

[Norrin Radd]

20. kr

[ellenrr]

22. another thing to do (more effective imo) is to join a protest

check out either of these websites for protests in yr area:

http://www.iacenter.org/actions/syriademo090613/

https://unacpeace.org/

or you could create one yourself

[Triana]

23. Some DC Congressional offices are closed on weekends. Call anyway. Leave a VM if you can or...

...call FIRST THING Monday morning. The important thing is that you call on or before Monday and let them know your views.

[tavalon]

24. While I will call on Monday, I just had to share:

The article I read before yours was an article about National Penis Waving Day or some such, so when you kept repeating the word, member, I kept giggling like a school kid. I'm 50, but it just hit the tickle with me.

[whistler162]

29. About a year and a hald to late there Congressman!

but heck you can always pretend.

[FrodosPet]

30. Sarah PALIN?

Is this a correct quote?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023617389

"I'm in agreement with Sarah Palin. She said, let Allah sort it out."