CPTnet
17 December 2005

IRAQ URGENT ACTION FOLLOW-UP: Provide information for Democratic rebuttal to
President Bush's speech

President Bush will be making a rare address from the Oval Office this
Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST to describe how he believes the U.S. war effort
should proceed in Iraq. The Democratic leadership will likely issue some
sort of rebuttal.

ACTION: Help provide the Democratic leadership with expert information from
the Iraq team. Email and Fax--and follow-up with a call--the two
Congressional offices listed below. (Please use all three communication
methods to make sure the message gets through over the weekend in
preparation for the President's speech.)

1) Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). Rep. Murtha is a Democratic war veteran who has
publicly called for a withdrawal from Iraq. He has come under fire from the
Republicans.

E-mail: via Web form at http://www.house.gov/murtha/write.shtml

Washington Office: Phone: (202) 225-2065 Fax: (202) 225-5709 Web Site:
www.house.gov/murtha

2) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader (D CA). Ms. Pelosi has joined
with Rep. Murtha in calling for a withdrawal, but her position could be
stronger. Help her know where to stand by passing on information from CPT
Iraq. (Ms. Pelosi's office was very helpful to CPT last year when a CPTer
from her district, Chris Brown, was brutally beaten by Israeli settlers and
hospitalized. When you contact her office, please thank her again.)

E-mail: sf.nancy [at] mail [dot] house [dot] gov?Subject=Re:%20IRAQ%20URGENT%20ACTION%20FOLLOW-UP:%20Provide%20information%20for%20Democratic%20rebuttal%20to%20President%20Bush's%20speech&In-Reply-To=<1134846589@mennolink>

Washington Office: Phone: (202) 225-4965 Fax: (202) 225-8259 Web Site:
www.house.gov/pelosi

PLEASE COMMUNICATE the following via email and fax, and then follow-up with
a phone call to alert the office you sent the information:

The Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq would like to provide Congressional
offices with information about what team members have observed and the
appropriate steps they and the CPT constituency think the President should
take toward ending violence and human rights abuses in Iraq.

CPT's Iraq team are experts on the Iraq situation and they have observed the
following regarding the U.S. and Multinational Forces in Iraq:
· Loss of faith and trust in the United States government by both
Iraqis and
Americans
· Absence of security
· Iraqi and American injuries
and deaths
· Lack of basic services
· Limited reconstruction
· Continued bombing of civilians
· Kidnapping, torture and extrajudicial deaths
· Continued illegal detentions
· Continued mass arrests, house raids and theft of personal
property
·
Alienation of Iraqi people and of the Muslim world
· Growing number of people in the international community who
perceive the United States as the enemy because of our policies and actions
in Iraq

After noting these facts from CPT reports, encourage the congresspeople to
1) Clearly state that the U.S. government should withdraw all U.S. troops
and military bases promptly
2. Recognize the human rights of all people
of Iraq by

· Withdrawing U.S. troops from urban areas immediately · Stopping
U.S. bombing
· Providing sufficient funds to the Iraqi
people to rebuild basic infrastructure
· Ending illegal detentions and
torture in U.S. detention facilities both in Iraq and in locations outside
Iraq
· Ensuring a fair and speedy judicial process for detainees held in
U.S. facilities
· Using diplomatic means to pressure the Iraqi
government to take corresponding actions regarding detainees held in Iraqi
detention facilities
· Using diplomatic means to pressure the Iraqi
Ministry of Interior to end the use of government- sponsored commando units
and extrajudicial killings