The House of Representatives will vote as soon as tomorrow -- Thursday, May 8 -- on an additional $162.6 billion for the war and occupation in Iraq.

This might be our last opportunity to fight a war funding bill before the next president takes office and the new Congress is seated.

Amazingly, the bill gives the Bush Administration all that it wants for fiscal year 2008 and an additional $66 billion for fiscal year 2009. This will keep funds for the occupation flowing well into the next administration.

It will let the new president continue the war and occupation with no accountability to Congress for months into next Spring.

By including FY09 funding, the Democratic Party House leadership is taking the war off the congressional agenda for the rest of the election year, in a cowardly betrayal of the people’s will.

At a time when money is urgently needed in our communities, the new bill would bring the total of direct funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an unimaginable $860 billion. (The true cost of the war is actually close to 3 trillion as shown by Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes.)

This bill is an appalling abdication of Congress’ responsibility.

YOUR CALL TODAY IS CRUCIAL

Call your representative NOW:
House Switchboard: 202-224-3121, or use the phone list below.

Tell them to vote "NO" on the $162.6 billion war funding measure.

Tell them to stop playing political games while lives are being lost.

Background
House leadership met behind closed doors on Monday evening to concoct a plan that will keep the war going well into the next president's first term. They plan to add a $162.6 billion war funding amendment to a Veterans Administration Appropriation bill (H.R.2642) and bring it to the floor for a vote on Thursday, May 8.

In addition to the funding amendment, they will vote separately on two other amendments. One will provide billions for unemployment benefits and veterans education benefits; the other measure addresses war policy, including a goal for troop withdrawal by December 2009, troop readiness requirements, and bans on permanent bases in Iraq and torture.

Don't let the House Democratic leadership take us for granted
If this funding bill passes, Congress will have handed Bush $860 billion for the illegal war and occupation of Iraq. With this funding bill, they are laying the groundwork for the next president to continue the occupation. We must send them a message: The voters will remember in November!

Prepare to Call Senators to Demand a Filibuster
It is an open secret that the Senate leadership will drop the amendment restricting war policy -- leaving only the war funding with no strings attached.

If the new war funding bill passes from the House to the Senate, which may happen as soon as next week, we must demand that our Senators filibuster to block it.

Follow-up
The national coalition, United for Peace and Justice, is tracking calls. Let them know after you’ve called.

Representatives
OREGON

Earl Blumenauer
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 225-4811
Fax: (202) 225-8941

Portland, OR:
Phone: (503) 231-2300
Fax: (503) 230-5413

Darlene Hooley
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 225-5711
Fax: (202) 225-5699

West Linn, OR
Phone: (503) 557-1324
Fax: (503) 557-1981

David Wu
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 225-0855
Fax: (202) 225-9497

Portland, OR
Phone: (503) 326-2901
Toll Free: (800) 422-4003
Fax: (503) 326-5066

SW WASHINGTON
Brian Baird
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 225-3536
Fax: (202) 225-3478

Vancouver, WA
Phone: (360) 695-6292
Fax: (360) 695-6197

Senators
OREGON

Gordon Smith
Washington, DC
Phone: 202.224.3753
Fax: 202.228.3997

Portland, OR
Phone: 503.326.3386
Fax: 503.326.2900

Ron Wyden
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Fax: (202) 228-2717

Portland, OR
Phone: (503) 326-7525

WASHINGTON

Maria Cantwell
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-224-3441
Fax: 202-228-0514
TDD: 202-224-8273

Vancouver, WA
Phone: 360-696-7838
Fax: 360-696-7844

Patty Murray
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Fax: (202) 224-0238

Vancouver, WA
Phone: (360) 696-7797
Fax: (360) 696-7798

MAY DAY AGAINST THE WAR: An Injury to One is and Injury to All!

May 1st is International Workers’ Day, and in recent years a day of action for immigrant rights. May Day in Portland this year is shaping up to be a day of important anti-war actions. These actions put the spotlight on how the Iraq occupation and war hurts workers and immigrants.

PDX Peace as a coalition has endorsed three events on Thursday, May 1, and encourages all members and member organizations to join in and support them:

ILWU PROTEST AGAINST THE WAR – Flowers in the River

11:00 AM meet at Peace Memorial Park on the corner of NE Interstate and NE Oregon and march to the action

12:00 ILWU Flowers in the River action, on floating dock just north of the Burnside Bridge

The West Coast Longshore Caucus of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) recently voted to hold work stoppages up and down the west coast on May Day. The ILWU recognizes that working people bear the biggest burdens of the war, from the economic draft, to the deaths and physical, mental and spiritual wounds, to the war-induced recession, to the devastating effects of the conflict on working class Iraqis.

In Portland, the Local 8 rank & file will place 800 flowers in the Willamette River, each one representing 5 U.S. soldiers killed in the war. Local 8’s press release notes that "we would like to remember also the Iraqi dead, but flowers to represent them would fill the river.” Iraqi victims will be remembered with words.

This Flowers in the River event will take place on the floating dock just North of the Burnside Bridge. Veterans, antiwar activists and unionists will be gathering at Peace Memorial Park on the corner of NE Interstate and NE Oregon at 11am to march to join the ILWU action, which will take place at 12pm. Supporters unable to march at 11 are welcome to join the action directly at the floating dock. Wear your union colors and anti-war colors, and come support the longshoremen’s demand to End the War, Bring the Troops Home Now!

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY TEACH-IN: "End the War—It's Up to Us: A Community Information and Strategy Session"

10:00-4:00 Food for Thought Cafe, Smith Student Union Basement, Portland State University (1825 SW Broadway)

Inspired by the Longshore Workers’ call to strike on May Day to End the War and Bring the Troops Home Now, PSU professors, students, and staff, are organizing a May Day of alternative anti-war education and strategy discussions on campus. The event will feature presentations on key issues about the war in Iraq from PSU professors, students and community activists, performances, and a facilitated discussion about what we can do to end the war. The event is open to the public and will last from 10am-4pm, centered in the Food for Thought Cafe in the Smith Student Center. The organizers are particularly interested in sharing and spreading word about strategies different groups are using to oppose the war. Anyone interested in making a presentation or organizations that want to cosponsor this event should contact Mary King at kingm@pdx.edu.

Download pdf flyer

PORTLAND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS COALITION RALLY AND MARCH: “Stop the War on Working People at Home and Abroad!”

4:00 PM Rally and 5:00pm March, South Park Blocks (SW Park and Salmon)

The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition is hosting a mass rally at 4pm in the South Park Blocks at SW Park and Salmon, followed by a march at 5pm. The event will draw the connections between attacks on immigrant workers’ rights and those of all workers, and how the war in Iraq affects immigrants. The war causes and intensifies jingoistic and xenophobic nationalism, politics and violence based on fear and lies, militarism including militarization of the southern border, and special targeting of immigrant workers for military recruitment with citizenship incentives. Immigrant workers understand this, and oppose the war in higher proportion than the general population.

The organizers of this rally and march are making a point of speaking out against the Iraq war and connecting it to other attacks on immigrants and workers. The many cosponsors of the march and rally include Jobs with Justice, ILWU Local 8 and PDX Peace. So spread the word in your networks, and turn out for a day of solidarity to defend immigrant and worker rights against war at home and abroad!

download pdf flyer (english) (spanish)

MAY DAY AGAINST THE WAR: An Injury to One is and Injury to All!