Brits and Yanks Unite to Demand Answers to Downing Street Minutes

[Kevin Spidel]

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2005
Brits and Yanks Unite to Demand Answers to Downing Street Minutes

Military Families Against the War, http://www.mfaw.org.uk/ , in Britain, and AfterDowningStreet.org, www.afterdowningstreet.org , in the United States, are working together to demand answers to the questions raised by the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence suggesting that the rulers of both nations conspired to deceive the public, Congress, and Parliament with regard to justification for the Iraq War.

Military Families Against the War is an organization of people directly affected by the war in Iraq. Our relatives and loved ones are members of the British Armed Services. We are opposed to the continuing involvement of UK soldiers in a war that is based on lies.

AfterDowningStreet.org is a coalition of organizations, including Gold Star Families for Peace and Veterans for Peace, and many other individual veterans and military families, including members of Military Families Speak Out.

Court Case Being Prepared Against Blair

Military Families Against the War (MFAW) is preparing to take Prime Minister Tony Blair to court to force through the demand for an independent and effective public inquiry into the background and decision to go to war in Iraq. This legal action is being taken in the names of 18 of the families whose sons and husbands have been killed in Iraq.

Memogate Hearings Scheduled for June 16 in Washington

On Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of House Judiciary Committee, and other Democratic Members will hold a Democratic hearing to hear testimony concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.

On May 1, 2005 a Sunday London Times article disclosed the details of a classified memo, also known as the Downing Street Minutes, recounting the minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair that describes an American President already committed to going to war in the summer of 2002, despite contrary assertions to the public and the Congress. The minutes also describe apparent efforts by the Administration to manipulate intelligence data to justify the war. The June 16th hearing will attempt to answer the serious constitutional questions raised by these revelations and will further investigate the Administration's actions in the lead up to war with new documents that further corroborate the Downing Street memo.

Directly following the hearing, Rep. Conyers, Members of Congress, and concerned citizens plan to hand deliver to the White House the petition and signatures of over a half million Americans that have joined Rep. Conyers in demanding that President Bush answer questions about his secret plan for the Iraq war.

WHAT: Democratic hearing on Downing Street Minutes and Pre-war intelligence

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2005, TIME TBD

WHERE: LOCATION TBD

WITNESSES: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.

For details on time and place and for downloadable flyers promoting the rally, please watch the top of this website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org

AfterDowningStreet.org is a rapidly growing coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.

[undeterred]

1. Thanks. I'm really looking forward to this.

I have a job interview that morning so I hope its in the afternoon.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Me too

This will be good.

[Al-CIAda]

3. Excellent! /nt

[RBHam]

4. Recommended and kicked!

nt

[Just Me]

5. I - CAN'T - WAIT!!!!

:woohoo:

[Supersedeas]

7. Let's do THIS!!!!

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. If it is between 11:30 - 2:30 I may very well cancel my

plans that day.

:popcorn:

[MelissaB]

8. Sounds like a good plan to me, too.

:popcorn:

[sellitman]

9. I'm with you

I'd cancel everything else!

:toast:

[EC]

10. Oh good, world wide attention

Now if we can get Italy and Japan and a few others to get on-board, I think we have a winner here....Impeach the sons of bitches...

[lostnfound]

11. Globalize dissent!! I hope the constituent groups are well-represented

so that it is clearly seen as a teaming up of the families of soldiers from both the UK and US.

(Pessimistically I will expect a US media blackout..?)

[SpiralHawk]

12. Mega Excellent

A heartening development

[Karenina]

13. And while they're at it,

bring Benderman, Meija, Darby and all of those REAL PATRIOTS in the U.S. military who are calling out the shit on board. MEGA PRESS CONFERENCE.

[LightningFlash]

14. It's time to mobilize.....

Our government should not dare to shut down hearings, they have up and over crossed the line this time. It's time to take the country back.

[DURHAM D]

15. Do you think they have minutes from March 18th meetings where

Saddam was offering any concession to the U.S. in order to stop the invasion? Let the U.S. in to inspect... Let the U.S. in to disarm them... He would leave the country ... but we and the Brits kept moving the goal posts. Finally White House told the back channel negotiaters so stop talking.

[tavalon]

16. I really think it's time to shoot higher on the petition

We are 95% of the way to 500,000 in just a few days of publicity. It's time to go for a million.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

17. Kick for a million to Downing Street!