"Troops Home" Hunger Strike to Begin on July 4

A Message and Invitation from Troops Home Fast organizers:

President Bush makes a stealth visit to the Green Zone in Baghdad for a quick photo op with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, while Iraqis are plagued by ongoing violence PROVOKED by the very presence of the US troops. Hillary Clinton, the most likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, supports the war and believes we shouldn't set a timetable for withdrawal. And when elected officials finally make a positive move, in both the House and Senate, by passing an amendment against permanent bases in Iraq, the amendment is simply yanked from the bill in the conference committee. If we don't do more to stop the US occupation of Iraq, we will be there for DECADES to come, and our children and children's children will live is a state of perpetual war.

US soldiers have been forced to put their bodies on the line; the lives of the Iraqi people are at risk every day. It's time for us to do something to show the depth of our commitment to bring our troops home and allow the Iraqis to rebuild their own nation. That's why CODEPINK and Gold Star Families for Peace, together with activists across the country, will be starting an open-ended hunger strike, called Troops Home Fast, on July 4th, in front of the White House and around the country.

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As a sign of solidarity with Cindy, CODEPINK and the other long-term fasters, we are asking you to join us by fasting for at least one day. It could be on July 4, our launch date, or any other time during the summer. You can fast from wherever you are, or better yet, join us in Washington DC. We've already received commitments from hundreds of people, including Susan Sarandon, Willie Nelson, Danny Glover, Dick Gregory, Dolores Huerta, Eve Ensler, as well as military veterans, religious leaders, students, and women's groups. Go to our new website to see who's fasting and to sign up.

Diane Wilson, who has engaged in several other hunger strikes in her history as an environmental activist, says she will not set an end date to her fast. "My goal is to bring the troops home. I don't know how long I can fast, but I'm making this open-ended," she says. "I plan to take this as far as I've ever taken anything in my 58 years. I fear our future is at stake, and I'm ready to make a major sacrifice." Click here to read more about Diane's reasons for making this commitment.

Throughout history, fasts have been used to end wars, gain the right to vote, free political prisoners, improve conditions for workers (click here to read more). With your help, this fast will awaken the public, pressure elected officials and move us closer to peace. Please join us for a day or more as a show of support for the Iraqi people and our soldiers, and your commitment to bring our troops back home-FAST!

Satyagraha Now!

Guantanamo War Crimes Trials Rejected by Supreme Court

Supreme Court Rejects Guantanamo War Crimes Trials
In 5-3 Decision Justices Rebuke Bush's Anti-Terror Policy

By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006; 3:20 PM

The Supreme Court today delivered a stunning rebuke to the Bush administration over its plans to try Guantanamo detainees before military commissions, ruling that the commissions violate U.S. law and the Geneva Conventions governing the treatment of war prisoners.

In a 5-3 decision, the court said the trials were not authorized by any act of Congress and that their structure and procedures violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949.

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion in the case, called Hamdan v. Rumsfeld . Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. recused himself.

To read more of article, go to WashingtonPost.com
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"TROOPS HOME" Hunger Strike Campaign to Begin July 4

While the Democrats in Congress have again failed to offer any unified opposition to the new Republican attempt to justify the continuing war in Iraq, the Organization CodePink is helping to coordinate a Hunger Strike Campaign, to begin on July 4, which is focused on supporting our troops, and promoting democracy in Iraq AND the United States, by getting our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible--

Until we can change the Democratic Party by voting into office democratic politicians who will be able to unify the Party in opposition to the Republican subversion of our democracy, we must rely on, and work with, organizations like CodePink to build a nation-wide movement for such change. CodePink is helping to pave the way:

This Independence Day, hundreds of celebrities, mothers, peace activists and more will launch a hunger strike against the war in Iraq, honoring the Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers who have suffered. While they hold vigil in front of the White House starting on July 4, thousands across the country will participate in rolling hunger strikes in their communities, calling on local leaders to end the war. To find out more, and to learn how you can join this hunger strike from your home town, visit TroopsHomeFast--

From CodePink:

You might have seen polls showing that the majority of Iraqis and Americans want to see a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. But did you know that when Bush visited Iraq on June 13, Iraq's President and Vice President asked him to set a timeline? And in a startling op-ed piece in Tuesday's Washington Post, Iraq's National Security Adviser Mowaffik Al-Rubaie admitted that Iraqis now see foreign troops as occupiers rather than liberators, and said that their removal will strengthen the fledgling government by legitimizing it in the eyes of the Iraqi people.

Yet the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress refuse to set a timeline for withdrawal, saying U.S. troops need to stay to protect Iraqis until there is stability. But when the Iraqi people were asked who they trust to protect their personal safety, only 1 percent said the coalition forces!

And did you know that when we in the peace movement were successful in convincing the House and Senate to approve amendments to the emergency supplemental spending bill calling for no permanent bases in Iraq, the Republican leaders in the joint conference committee simply eliminated the provision from the final bill. Little wonder that 80 percent of Iraqis fear that the U.S. plans to have permanent bases in their country.

The rulers of our nation refuse to set a date for withdrawal and renounce permanent bases because they plan to be in Iraq not for one or two more years, but for decades to come. Their goal is not democracy in Iraq, but control of Middle Eastern oil.

The choice is clear: Are we going to allow our soldiers and the Iraqi people to keep dying so that U.S. corporations can try to control Iraq's oil? Or are we going to do everything within our power to end this war?

If you, like us, are determined to bring our troops home,
here are two things you can do:

1. Support the hunger strike we will be launching in Washington DC and around the country on July 4th. You can join us for a day, a week or open-ended. Just this week we have an amazing new list of fasters, including Sean Penn, Alice Walker, Howard Zinn, Dolores Huerta and Lt. Ehren Watada. Go to Troops Home Fast to learn, sign up, or donate funds to make this fast as effective as possible.

2. Help build a bloc of U.S. voters--millions of us--who pledge to only vote for candidates who commit to a speedy withdrawal from Iraq. We ask you to commit, during the course of the summer, to getting 100 people to sign the Voter Pledge for Peace. If we can get millions of voters to sign the pledge, we will have a chance to influence not only the upcoming Congressional elections but the 2008 presidential campaign. You can download a hardcopy here and send it back to us with 100 signatures.

Let's show the leaders of this country, and people around the world, that we are as committed to building peace as they are to waging war.

With peace in our hearts,
Allison, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany

P.S.
* Remember, you can join in many travel opportunities this summer, from a New Orleans work camp to Camp Casey in Crawford to a retreat/spa in Austin. Click here for info.
* Don't forget to forward this message to friends!

Satyagraha Now!

No Energy Security Without Higher Fuel Efficiency:Call for Legislators to Cut Through the Bullcrap and Legislate Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards NOW!

If we are going to limit the damage caused by global warming over this century, we need new energy policy NOW, this year--not years from now, when it will be too little too late--

There is New Energy Policy Leadership, but it is not coming from a corrupt and irresponsible Congress. It is coming from the grassroots, organized by efforts like that of the Apollo Alliance. Let us do all we can in the 2006 elections to put new people into office who will actually care to do something to bring us true energy security, rather than only a facade of security:

From Policybusters:

The single best way to immediately begin to save the U.S. millions of barrels of oil each day is to significantly increase national fuel economy (CAFE) standards in automobiles. Yet most of the media and political hype over "kicking the oil habit" and Congressional policy change to achieve energy security seems to be constructed to divert attention from this single most important point. An excellent 2005 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists labeled this kind of deceptive hype the "Fuel Economy Fraud."

The high price of gasoline has recently spawned deceptive campaigns and news hype about "alternatives" to deliver future energy security to the nation. But any such "campaign" that does not make achieving dramatic improvements in overall fuel economy standards (to 40 mpg over the next decade) is shortsighted and dumb, at best, and an intentionally deceptive "alternative," at worst.

As the Union of Concerned Scientists pointed out over a month ago, the President's recent "call" for "Fuel Economy Reform" demonstrates how deceptive play with words is being substituted for real policy reform to achieve significant improvements in fuel economy standards for the nation.

April 28, 2006
President’s Call for Fuel Economy Reform Merits a Barrel of Skepticism
Statement by David Friedman, Research Director, Clean Vehicles Program, Union of Concerned Scientists

"After 9/11, two devastating hurricanes and record gasoline prices, we should expect real political leadership on fuel economy. Unfortunately, this just seems like an attempt to play pre-election politics with gasoline prices.

"Real leadership from the president and Congress would be to increase the fuel economy of all cars and light trucks to 40 miles per gallon over the next decade. This would be the equivalent of offering a $600 annual tax break from reduced fuel costs.

"Unfortunately, the president's plan would change the fuel economy system from having one standard for all cars to having lower standards for bigger vehicles, creating a loophole that will encourage manufacturers to produce bigger, less efficient cars. The drop in the bucket savings from the fuel economy increase would drain right through the loophole."

Meanwhile, even the usually progressive Center for American Progress has launched a "KicktheOilHabit" campaign that fails to emphasize the primary importance of demanding that Congress act to require greater fuel economy standards.

If citizens demand that both the media and politicians pay notice to the basic points about fuel economy standards clearly explained by the State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), perhaps we will finally begin to make some progress toward real (rather than the facade of) energy security, and toward real political leadership on energy policy.

For great clarification of what is at stake in debate over Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards,
see Fuel Economy Standards: Myth And Fact

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