Sacramento Coalition to End the War

Sacramento Coalition to End the War
c/o Sacramento Area Peace Action
909 12th Street, Suite 118
Sacramento, CA 95817

January 4, 2007

Dear Representative Matsui:

Please stop funding the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq have killed, maimed, and destroyed the lives of millions of Iraqis, killed or maimed thousands of U.S. service men and women, wasted hundreds of billions of dollars, and contributed to the erosion of our civil liberties.

When the new Congress starts in January, 2007, the Bush Administration will likely propose $160 billion in supplemental funding to continue AND escalate the immoral and destructive U.S. military occupation of Iraq. We want you, as our representative, to vote against ANY further funding for the occupation. We want you to publicly make this commitment NOW so that your voice will provide leadership to others in Congress.

We know that the military is quite capable of withdrawing U.S. troops and bases quickly and safely. We also know Congress has already appropriated $70 billion for the occupation in Fiscal Year 2007, ample funding to bring the troops and bases home NOW.

Getting the U.S. out of Iraq NOW will save thousands of American and Iraqi lives. It will stop the squandering of billions of dollars that are needed for education, health care, environmental protection, etc. and for repairing the damage that the U.S. has done to Iraq. It will hasten the end of violence in Iraq by removing the foreign occupier which is fueling that violence. It will allow the healing of the nation, peoples, and civil society of Iraq that has been devastated by the U.S. invasion and occupation, healing which cannot take place as long as the perpetrator remains.

We know that prolonging the occupation of Iraq has nothing to do with helping the Iraqi people, nothing to do with “supporting” the troops, and nothing to do with trying to save lives or money. We know that the occupation continues to put huge profits into the pockets of military contractors and weapons manufacturers. We do not want any more of our taxpayer dollars wasted for this destructive and immoral occupation of Iraq.

The American people know the U.S. occupation of Iraq can be ended NOW and we have elected a Congress which has the power to do that by cutting off funding NOW. We expect you to be leader in this effort.

Sincerely,

Sacramento Coalition to End the War
Veterans for Peace
Sacramento Area Peace Action
Sacramento for Democracy
Grandmothers for Peace
Peace & Freedom Party, Sacramento
Sacramento Community Forum
Not in Our Name, Sacramento
Central America Action Committee
Chicano Consortium
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Military Families Speak Out
Sacramento Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Sacramento County Greens
Gray Panthers
Code Pink
California Capital Chapter Coalition of Labor Union Women