Four Arrested Asking Rep. Delahunt to Stop Funding Occupation of Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Four Arrested Asking Rep. Delahunt to Stop Funding Occupation of Iraq

On March 19th, 25 citizens stood in the cold rain outside of Congressman Delahunt’s office for a reading of names of US soldiers and Iraqi children who have died in Iraq. Also, Cape Codders for Peace and Justice and Veterans for Peace members asked for a response to a petition to end war funding. This past December, CCPJ sent a letter to Rep. Delahunt requesting he pledge a ‘No” vote on any bill which included funding to extend the war in Iraq. In July ‘07, Rep. Delahunt had signed a pledge (along with Rep. Lynn Woolsey and others) to President Bush to vote only for funding ‘to carry out a safe and orderly redeployment of our troops’. However, Rep. Delahunt’s vote in November ‘07 for the $50 billion in supplemental funding was contrary to this pledge. No response to their petition was forthcoming.

Sarah Thacher, Paul Rifkin, Mike Tork, Mike Risch, and Diane Turco then attempted to negotiate with Rep. Delahunt on the position to not vote for funding to extend the war. With the help of his staff member, Michael Higgins, they negotiated with Chief of Staff, Mark Forest, until 9:30 PM. Not receiving a direct response to the petition, they stayed the night in the congressional office, sleeping on the floor. The next morning, conversations were engaged directly with Rep. Delahunt. He was unable to make a commitment. The group remained to bear witness to peace and respectfully asked for his reconsideration. At 3:30, another call came in from Rep. Delahunt. Hopeful that he had reconsidered his position, the call was actually to ask them to leave. Rep. Delahunt suggested to the peace advocates, “In the best American tradition, why don’t you take your protest out on the street?” Their response was “In the best American tradition, we will bear witness to peace right here in this office. The funding for the war needs to end now and we call upon you to vote not to extend war funding”. Police were called in and the four were arrested.

We must continue to lobby Rep. Delahunt to pledge no funding to extend the war.

Please call his office at 1-508-771-0666 or DC 1-202-225-3111 daily. Or email Rep. Delahunt at [e-mail] Iraq is not a war to win but an invasion and occupation to end now. End the funding to end the war. Fund human needs.


Rest of article at: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32082