H. Con. Res 362 is the kind of Congressional action that has Granny Peace Brigade members angry, perplexed and deeply concerned. We can’t help but wonder what possessed Rep. Gary Ackerman to introduce a resolution regarding Iran that contains much of the same dunderheaded, failed logic that got us into the mess in Iraq — especially knowing how well that’s worked out.
However, as stunned as we may be over Ackerman’s introduction of this dreadful bit of saber-rattling, we are REALLY stunned when we see the names of some good people who have signed on in support. Finding the names of some of our hometown crowd on this “Wall of Shame” is bad enough and we are putting Representatives Maloney, Weiner, Ackerman, Towns & Engel on notice: you have only begun to hear from your outraged constituents. But now we are discovering that some of our true heroes have signed on to this outrageous, war-mongering rhetoric — folks like John Lewis and Barney Frank — and that has us truly shocked and deeply grieved. What is going on here?
In an effort to bring some clarity and understanding to the H. Con.Res 362 travesty, GPB member, Caroline Chinlund has reached out to one of our Congressional heroes, Dennis Kucinich. Read her letter and then take a moment and send one of your own. And don’t stop there — find out where your own congressperson stands. If they’ve signed on, give-’em hell and if they’ve resisted joining in the one-way march to destruction, then make sure you tell them how proud you are of their decision. If you would like to take this a step further, check our our ‘recipe for a phone-a-thon’ on our website. Discover the power in joining together with like-minded citizens for some voter education. The Iraq Moratorium is observed on the third Friday of each month and that might be the perfect time to kick off your first phone-a-thon.
Remember, Democracy is not a spectator sport — and forgive the cliche, but we all need to be in the game. Write a letter, make a phone call, reach out to your neighbor and keep us in the loop. Working together, we can end this war and create a lasting legacy of peace and justice.
Work hard and stay in touch.
Peace.
– Fran Sears
Granny Peace Brigade 
That legislation is dangerous and irresponsible. How can we sustain another war without instituting the draft and moving our economy into a depression?
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This story could be entitled “When Bad Lobbys happen to otherwise good politicians”. It was in May when this resolution came to the House floor, pushed by the thousands of members of the pro-war lobby AIPAC, that made 362 their legislative priority. We need to challenge and protest this lobby just as we do the lobby for Big Oil and those lobbies that oppose universal non-profit health care. This lobby, along with their sister lobby Christians United for Israel (CUFI), fight for extremist right-wing policies that threaten all the people of the Middle East, and the planet. To call AIPAC “pro-Israel” is really a bad joke. Something akin to calling Dick Cheney “pro-American”. It is supporting policies that threaten all of us.
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Just to add a bit of a plug. You can help organize opposition to the Lobby for War and Occupation by going to http://stopaipac.org. Together we can create a movement that supports an alternative foreign policy that supports international law, human rights, peaceful resolution of conflicts, universal nuclear disarmament.
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I disagree with your assessment of AIPAC’s power and AIPAC’s hubris. If they weren’t acting on the interests of Big Oil and arms dealers, they wouldn’t be getting the time of day in Congress. AIPAC is a bunch of pawns who are too stupid to see that they are being played.
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