Update on Legislative Activites

[UFPJ Action Alerts <listmaster at unitedforpeace.org>]

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Legislative Initiatives

Included in this alert you will find information on the following items
related to legislative work. We also want to remind you that United for
Peace and Justice is organizing a Grassroots Lobby Day on Monday, Sept.
26th as part of our call for three days of antiwar activism in Washington,
DC. For more information about the Sept. mobilization click here
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe>http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe
.

Included in this alert:
1)     Reports on successful July 23rd Downing Street Minutes activities.
2)     Rep. Barbara Lee introduces resolution of Inquiry into Iraq War
Planning.
3)     Congress Our Of Iraq Caucus formed.
4)     Bipartisan resolution – H.R.55 “Homeward Bound Bill”


THANK YOU for making July 23 Downing Street Minutes day a huge success.

Your work last Saturday turned out overflow crowds at events around the
country to mark the third anniversary of the Downing Street Minutes.

Here's more information:

<http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/991 >Summary of what happened

<http://www.afterdowningstreet.org>Reports from around the United States
and Europe

<http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/306 >Photos

<http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/314 >Audio and video




PASS REP. BARBARA LEE'S RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY INTO IRAQ WAR PLANNING  (H.R.
375)


Let’s keep up the pressure to hold Bush accountable for his war mongering
ways. On  July 21st, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced - along
with 26 co-sponsors - a Resolution of Inquiry in the House of
Representatives which, if passed, will require the White House and the
State Department to "transmit all information relating to communication
with officials of the United Kingdom between January 1, 2002, and October
16, 2002, relating to the policy of the United States with respect to Iraq."

The text of the Resolution, a list of current co-sponsors, a list of the
relevant committee members, and a new flyer are here:
<http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902>http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902

The resolution must be voted on in committee within 14 legislative days of
its introduction. It is expected to be referred to the House International
Relations Committee. The Republicans who control the committee may take the
matter up right away, hoping to vote it down before the August recess. If
they do not, they will be required to take it up by September 16th.

The more House Members co-sponsoring the resolution, the more likely
committee members are to vote for it. And committee members should be asked
not only to vote for it but to engage in a substantive debate when the
committee meets, so that members who oppose it have to give reasons.

This <http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902 >Resolution is
important because the information in the Downing Street Documents so
strongly suggests that President Bush intentionally deceived Congress about
the reasons for war. If that is not the case, then releasing the documents
requested here will clear that up – something the President should be eager
to do. 

<http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/50 >
Contact Your Congress Member Now!



CONGRESSIONAL “OUT OF IRAQ” CAUCUS



In June, over 60 Members of the House of Representatives formed the Out of
Iraq Caucus which is working to increase pressure on the Bush
administration and Congress to end the war in Iraq and bring U.S. forces
home. Much of the leadership of this new caucus, people like California
Reps. Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee, have been urging a
withdrawal for some time. To quote from their Mission Statement: “The ‘Out
of Iraq’ Caucus is established to bring to the House of Representatives an
on-going debate about the war in Iraq and the Administration’s
justifications for the decision to go to war, to urge the return of US
service members to their families as soon as possible, and to provide a
voice in Congress for the individuals and groups who support these efforts.

We urge you to call on your member of Congress to join the Out Of Iraq
Caucus now!


H.R. 55 – “HOMEWARD BOUND BILL”

We also want to bring to your attention that only 36 members have so far
agreed to co-sponsor the first bipartisan legislation supporting eventual
withdrawal, which has been offered by Representatives Neil Abercrombie
(D-Hawaii), Walter Jones (R-North Carolina), also known as the "Homeward
Bound" bill. While this bill is considerably less than UFPJ's position
calling for immediate withdrawal, it sends a very poor message that so few
Members are willing to put their names on it.

We think that at a minimum, all members of the new Out of Iraq Caucus
should be pressured to co-sponsor Abercrombie-Jones. Here is a list of
those Members, including many leading progressives (only sixteen members of
the Caucus are co-sponsors, as of today). If you live in one of their
districts, please contact them immediately to ask why they have not yet
co-sponsored this moderate legislation.

<http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ufpj/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=737>Find
your member of Congress

Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. John Conyers
Rep. Charlie Rangel
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Xavier Becerra
Rep. Corrine Brown
Rep. Michael Capuano
Rep. Julia Carson
Rep. Donna Christensen
Rep. William Lacy Clay
Rep. Danny Davis
Rep. Lloyd Doggett
Rep. Lane Evans
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Luis Gutierrez
Rep. Rush Holt
Rep. Michael Honda
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones
Rep. Marcy Kaptur
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick
Rep. John Larson
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee
Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Jim McDermott
Rep. James McGovern
Rep. Cynthia McKinney
Rep. Nick Rahall
Rep. Jim Moran
Rep. Grace Napolitano
Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton
Rep. James Oberstar
Rep. John Olver
Rep. Major Owens
Rep. Frank Pallone
Rep. Donald Payne
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
Rep. Bobby Rush
Rep. Linda Sanchez
Rep. Bobby Scott
Rep. Jose Serrano
Rep. Hilda Solis
Rep. Pete Stark
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Rep. Ed Towns
Rep. Diane Watson
Rep. Albert Wynn




<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe>
END THE WAR ON IRAQ! BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

Massive 3-day mobilization in Washington, D.C.

September 24-26, 2005

Visit our website today to download leaflets, endorse the mobilization, and
learn more about the plans for this powerful weekend of action

<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe>http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe


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