HR 473 is Representative Barbara Lee’s Bill that would provide a peaceful alternative to Bush’s aggressive military option.
I’ll be posting customized versions of these letters soon along with better descriptions of how to do things for those of you who are beginners like me and don’t really know where to begin (why do you think this is taking so long 🙂
But for those of you who are ready to move on this now, here’s a letter and direct links to the websites of the Representatives who are already supporting Lee’s Bill.
Stay tuned for letters to send your Representatives who are not yet on the list of supporters, urging them vote yes on HR 473. After that, I’ll be writing letters to send to members of the Committee On International Relations, to whom HR 473 was referred…
Many thanks to Ren Bucholz, EFF Activist, for his help on my letters and strategy!

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Here’s an interview with Congresswoman Barbara Lee from Monday morning that better explains the basis for her peaceful resolution that she has introduced as an alternative to Bush’s resolution that calls for military action.
(I transcribed this myself off of my TIVO.)

We can not move forward to take pre-emptive military action against any regime… This doctrine of pre-emption is a very dangerous doctrine. We’ve supported and continue to support a doctrine of deterrence, disarmament and prevention.

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Please check back this afternoon for a transcription of an interview with Barbara Lee and a letter you can fax and email to your representative.
Hey phone calls are great too!
Let’s do this all at once — Thursday and Friday – we need to really make ourselves heard.
More in a few hours….

Representative Barbara Lee has introduced a resolution for working with the U.N. to determine a peaceful solution to the situation in Iraq.
Here’s the actual text of the resolution.
I’m creating a letter that I will be sending to my reps supporting this resolution that I will be posting soon and encouraging all of you to do the same.
Launching an unprovoked attack in the middle east is the kind of thing that could change life as we know it forever. There will be no turning back after this thing.
We will be effectively making ourselves the enemy of the world.
The time is now to speak up and be heard. Write your own letter or wait for mine (will post by tomorrow am latest!)

Whereas the true extent of Iraq’s continued development of weapons of mass destruction and the threat posed by such development to the United States and allies in the region are unknown and cannot be known without inspections;
Whereas the United Nations was established for the purpose of preventing war and resolving disputes between nations through peaceful means, including `by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional arrangements, or other peaceful means’;
Whereas the United Nations remains seized of this matter;
Whereas the President has called upon the United Nations to take responsibility to assure that Iraq fulfills its obligations to the United Nations under existing United Nations Security Council resolutions;
Whereas war with Iraq would place the lives of tens of thousands of people at risk, including members of the United States armed forces, Iraqi civilian non-combatants, and civilian populations in neighboring countries;
Whereas unilateral United States military action against Iraq may undermine cooperative international efforts to reduce international terrorism and to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001;
Whereas unilateral United States military action against Iraq may also undermine United States diplomatic relations with countries throughout the Arab and Muslim world and with many other allies;
Whereas a preemptive unilateral United States first strike could both set a dangerous international precedent and significantly weaken the United Nations as an institution; and
Whereas the short-term and long-term costs of unilateral United States military action against Iraq and subsequent occupation may be significant in terms of United States casualties, the cost to the United States treasury, and harm to United States diplomatic relations with other countries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the United States should work through the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful means.

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