Please do this for Molly: Stand Up Against the Surge

[Sapphire Blue]

Stand Up Against the Surge
Molly Ivins

The purpose of this old-fashioned newspaper crusade to stop the war is not to make George W. Bush look like the dumbest president ever. People have done dumber things. What were they thinking when they bought into the Bay of Pigs fiasco? How dumb was the Egypt-Suez war? How massively stupid was the entire war in Vietnam? Even at that, the challenge with this misbegotten adventure is that WE simply cannot let it continue.

It is not a matter of whether we will lose or we are losing. We have lost. Gen. John P. Abizaid, until recently the senior commander in the Middle East, insists that the answer to our problems there is not military. "You have to internationalize the problem. You have to attack it diplomatically, geo-strategically," he said.

His assessment is supported by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who only recommend releasing forces with a clear definition of the goals for the additional troops.

Bush's call for a "surge" or "escalation" also goes against the Iraq Study Group. Talk is that the White House has planned to do anything but what the group suggested after months of investigation and proposals based on much broader strategic implications.

(snip)

A surge is not acceptable to the people in this country — we have voted overwhelmingly against this war in polls (about 80 percent of the public is against escalation, and a recent Military Times poll shows only 38 percent of active military want more troops sent) and at the polls.
We know this is wrong. The people understand, the people have the right to make this decision, and the people have the obligation to make sure our will is implemented.

(snip)

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

http://www.creators.com/opinion/molly-ivins.html?columnsName=miv

STOP THE SURGE. SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO CONGRESS @ http://pol.moveon.org/virtualmarch

For more info...

Welcome to the Virtual March on Washington

On Thursday, February 1st, 2007, we're aiming to send 1 million messages to Congress. We'll deliver petition signatures from hundreds of thousands of Americans all over the nation who are opposed to escalation in Iraq. Then, we'll call our senators all day to let them know that the Senate has to oppose the president's plan to escalate the war and that we're counting on them to block it.

Send your message to Congress @ http://pol.moveon.org/virtualmarch

[Nutmegger]

1. K and R!!!

:kick::thumbsup:!

:hug::hi::pals:

[Sapphire Blue]

9. ..

:hug:

[redqueen]

2. Fantastic.

Thanks for posting this!



*sigh*

It makes me sad, though... cause... what about Iran?

[gratefultobelib]

3. Absolutely! I wonder how her name got misspelled on this article, though!

[Sapphire Blue]

5. My mistake, now corrected.

:hi: Thanks for calling it to my attention!

[Beaverhausen]

4. excellent! Do it for Molly!

[Sydnie]

6. For Molly

[Sapphire Blue]

10. ..

and: http://pol.moveon.org/virtualmarch

[bonito]

7. Done K&R n/t

[tbyg52]

8. K, R, Done!

C'm on people, sign up!

Since this thread is still alive, I'm posting my question from the previous virtual march thread here:

---------------
My original question:

Is this just a plan to move the fence sitters, or are there any plans for publicity?

There's no point in my calling my senators to try to move them (although I am going to call anyway), but (assuming the number is massive, which I am doing my best to help with) I would *love* to see lots of reporting of how many phone calls they got!

Anybody know anybody at MoveOn, and feel my suggestion might be worth passing on?

---------------
And then a clarification:

I was wondering if they had a place to keep track of the signups as they happenend. You see them for your state at the time you sign up, but there's no way to see them again, even just for your state (there's no way to see other states), unless you sign up again.

Second question was more regarding publicity *other* than on their website. I know it's hard (impossible) to get the corporate media to cover stuff like this, but I wondered if they were trying anyway. I'd *love* to hear a radio or TV report of how many calls were made (assuming the numbers were massive).

I did make these suggestions on their website, but it's just one email in an avalanche, I'm sure. I was wondering if anyone knew anyone there, and felt my suggestions were worth conveying.

With regard to your post below as to the apparent low-ish level of interest, I don't know. I personally am fascinated, because I've heard that *lots* of constituent calls is the best way to get their attention, which I believe.

[Sapphire Blue]

11. Today's Virtual March on Washington is dedicated to the memory of Molly Ivins...

:kick:

Today's Virtual March on Washington to stop escalation in Iraq is dedicated to the memory of syndicated columnist and progressive movement hero, Molly Ivins. Her last column was entitled "Stand Up Against the Surge," you can read it here.

Join the March!

http://pol.moveon.org/virtualmarch/