thedrifter
05-08-07, 07:11 PM
Appeal for Courage takes petition to Congress
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 8, 2007 18:50:38 EDT
A petition signed by 2,700 current and former service members in support of continuing U.S. combat operations in Iraq will be turned over to two Republican lawmakers tomorrow in a ceremony at the headquarters of the nation’s largest group of combat veterans.
The petition was organized by two U.S. service members serving in Iraq, Navy Lt. Jason Nichols, serving in Baghdad, and Minnesota National Guard Staff Sgt. David Thul, who is conducting convoy operations in Iraq with the 34th Infantry Division.
Neither Nichols nor Thul will be at the ceremony where the petition is delivered to lawmakers. They asked representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to arrange the event, planned for 2:30 p.m. at the VFW headquarters in Washington.
Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the House Republican leader, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will receive the petition, and use the event as another opportunity to criticize Democrats who control the House and Senate for trying to impose a withdrawal timetable on Iraq combat operations.
“No one knows the stakes in this war better than the men and women who face, and have faced, our enemies on the front lines,” Boehner said. “They understand that the security of current and future generations of Americans may be dictated by the actions Congress takes today, and I commend them both for their service and for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their mission is given chance to succeed.”
Boehner said he is “honored to accept these petitions and share the story of the Appeal for Courage with my colleagues. This could not have come at a more important time."
Many view Appeal for Courage as a response to a group calling itself Appeal for Redress, which in January turned over a petition signed by about 1,000 service members calling for Congress to cut off funding for the Iraq combat mission. The number of signatures on that petition has grown to about 1,900.
About 60 percent of the 2,700 signatures on the Appeal For Courage petition come from service members who are serving or have served in Iraq, with about two-thirds enlisted members and one-third officers. The signatures were gathered over about a month.
The petition states: “As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.”
On Tuesday, Boehner, who has called the withdrawal timetable for Iraq a plan for surrender, said he was no more pleased with a new Democratic plan that would provide only a couple of months of funding for Iraq combat operations while lawmakers continue to debate strategy.
Boehner said Democratic leaders “should not treat our men and women in uniform like they are children who are getting a monthly allowance. Republicans will not support rationing funds for our troops in harm’s way and neither will the American people.”
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate Democratic leader, said he and the Democrats will “continue to negotiate with the White House and our Republican colleagues in Congress” but “continue to stand firm in our belief that the time for a new direction has come.”
“Even some of our Republican colleagues who have long supported the president on the war now seem to agree that it can no longer be open-ended,” Reid said, noting that even Boehner said over the weekend that lawmakers want to see progress by fall.
“I am glad to hear them move toward our view, but we can’t wait until fall. We have a responsible Plan B right now,” Reid said. “Our Plan B gradually reduces combat operations and refocuses our troops on protecting America’s security throughout the world. Our Plan B begins to bring troops and equipment home, where they can protect American lives in Kansas and across the country. Our Plan B begins to reduce the financial burden that this war is weighing on our shoulders and the shoulders of future generations. And our Plan B puts the pressure on the Iraqi government that will ultimately lead them to take responsibility for their own future.”
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 8, 2007 18:50:38 EDT
A petition signed by 2,700 current and former service members in support of continuing U.S. combat operations in Iraq will be turned over to two Republican lawmakers tomorrow in a ceremony at the headquarters of the nation’s largest group of combat veterans.
The petition was organized by two U.S. service members serving in Iraq, Navy Lt. Jason Nichols, serving in Baghdad, and Minnesota National Guard Staff Sgt. David Thul, who is conducting convoy operations in Iraq with the 34th Infantry Division.
Neither Nichols nor Thul will be at the ceremony where the petition is delivered to lawmakers. They asked representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to arrange the event, planned for 2:30 p.m. at the VFW headquarters in Washington.
Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the House Republican leader, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will receive the petition, and use the event as another opportunity to criticize Democrats who control the House and Senate for trying to impose a withdrawal timetable on Iraq combat operations.
“No one knows the stakes in this war better than the men and women who face, and have faced, our enemies on the front lines,” Boehner said. “They understand that the security of current and future generations of Americans may be dictated by the actions Congress takes today, and I commend them both for their service and for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their mission is given chance to succeed.”
Boehner said he is “honored to accept these petitions and share the story of the Appeal for Courage with my colleagues. This could not have come at a more important time."
Many view Appeal for Courage as a response to a group calling itself Appeal for Redress, which in January turned over a petition signed by about 1,000 service members calling for Congress to cut off funding for the Iraq combat mission. The number of signatures on that petition has grown to about 1,900.
About 60 percent of the 2,700 signatures on the Appeal For Courage petition come from service members who are serving or have served in Iraq, with about two-thirds enlisted members and one-third officers. The signatures were gathered over about a month.
The petition states: “As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.”
On Tuesday, Boehner, who has called the withdrawal timetable for Iraq a plan for surrender, said he was no more pleased with a new Democratic plan that would provide only a couple of months of funding for Iraq combat operations while lawmakers continue to debate strategy.
Boehner said Democratic leaders “should not treat our men and women in uniform like they are children who are getting a monthly allowance. Republicans will not support rationing funds for our troops in harm’s way and neither will the American people.”
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate Democratic leader, said he and the Democrats will “continue to negotiate with the White House and our Republican colleagues in Congress” but “continue to stand firm in our belief that the time for a new direction has come.”
“Even some of our Republican colleagues who have long supported the president on the war now seem to agree that it can no longer be open-ended,” Reid said, noting that even Boehner said over the weekend that lawmakers want to see progress by fall.
“I am glad to hear them move toward our view, but we can’t wait until fall. We have a responsible Plan B right now,” Reid said. “Our Plan B gradually reduces combat operations and refocuses our troops on protecting America’s security throughout the world. Our Plan B begins to bring troops and equipment home, where they can protect American lives in Kansas and across the country. Our Plan B begins to reduce the financial burden that this war is weighing on our shoulders and the shoulders of future generations. And our Plan B puts the pressure on the Iraqi government that will ultimately lead them to take responsibility for their own future.”
Ellie