My father’s cousin Jack’s wife Abbie grew up a Quaker, and while she currently belongs to a Presbyterian church, she maintains her Quaker peace witness. She tells me via email that an organization called Democracy Rising is planning a nation-wide effort to contact Congressional representatives via telephone tomorrow, Thursday, September 6, to call for an end to the war in Iraq.<\/p>\n
If you’d like to participate in the peace witness, the phone number at the Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121. If you’re not sure who represents you in Congress, you can find out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you’re wondering exactly what to say when some low-level aide in your elected representative’s office answers your call, you could say: “As a voter, I want you to act now to end the war and occupation of Iraq. The Congress has the Constitutional right and a moral responsibility to use the power of the purse to withdraw all U.S. soldiers and contractors from Iraq on a responsibile and binding schedule.”<\/p>\n Democracy Rising offers the following background:<\/p>\n In September, Congress will focus on the war in Iraq. They will vote on the President’s request for continued funding of the war. At this writing, the request stands at $142 billion, but President Bush will probably ask for an additional $50 billion, for a total of more than $190 billion dollars!<\/p>\n Congress is not required to give President Bush any of this money, or even to bring the request to a vote. Congress can also put restrictions, firm withdrawal timelines and other conditions on any funding in order to force an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n