Category — Iraq

Peter Roskam has signed on as co-sponsor to H. CON. RES. 362, a resolution intended to dramatically escalate tensions between the United States and Iran and take another step toward George Bush’s and Dick Cheney’s dream of yet another war, this one against Iran.

This resolution, if passed, would express:

the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the vital national security interests of the United States by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony

Further provisions include:

• Declaring that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is vital to our national security interests and must be dealt with urgently
• Urging the President to impose sanctions on banks and energy companies doing business with Iran
• Demanding that the President initiate immediately and dramatically an international effort to increase pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend uranium enrichment activities by imposing a blockade
• Urging the president to “lead a sustained, serious, and forceful effort at regional diplomacy to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian efforts to destabilize them, to reassure our friends and allies that the United States supports them in their resistance to Iranian efforts at hegemony, and to make clear to the Government of Iran that the United States will protect America’s vital national security interests in the Middle East.

All of this language, of course, is highly ironic, given that it is the United States that has disrupted peace in the Middle East through its unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq, and that the U.S. has been attempting to destabilize Iran for years, and that the U.S. Middle East policy is pretty much all about the U.S. maintaining hegemony in the region. The U.S. has been complicit in nuclear proliferation in the region and our “friend and ally” in the region, Israel, has been a nuclear power for years. If anybody poses a real nuclear threat of obliterating anyone else it is the threat that Israel poses to Iran. Israel has a right to defend itself. But does not Iran also have that same right? Iran has no history of aggressive war in the region. Both the U.S. and Israel do. Who is posing the real threat to peace and stability?

What this is all about mostly, is winning the U.S. election this fall, even if doing so has to mean armed confrontation with Iran, or at least threatening such confrontation.

Just as when Bush attacked Iraq, this build-up is all being based as an attempt to enforce United Nations resolutions. But the chief of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency denies that there is any urgent danger. Mohamad ElBaradei told Al Arabiya television in an interview:

“I don’t believe that what I see in Iran today is a current, grave and urgent danger. If a military strike is carried out against Iran at this time … it would make me unable to continue my work,”

“A military strike, in my opinion, would be worse than anything possible. It would turn the region into a fireball,” he said, emphasizing that any attack would only make the Islamic Republic more determined to obtain nuclear power.

“If you do a military strike, it will mean that Iran, if it is not already making nuclear weapons, will launch a crash course to build nuclear weapons with the blessing of all Iranians, even those in the West.”

Just as in the case of the war against Iraq, Bush & Roskam & company are basing their campaign for a new war on lies. Iran has renounced the use of nuclear weapons as contrary to Islamic law and the United States’ own intelligence estimate concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Despite this the United States has continued feeding the IAEA incorrect reports of nuclear sites.

Bush’s war against Iraq has brought the U.S. economic misery, cost thousands of young lives, and is rapidly leading us to $5/gallon gasoline. Meanwhile it has cost Iraq a million excess deaths due to violence, almost a third of them at the hands of the U.S. War against Iran will bring more of the same, and worse.

If you live in the 6th district and want to stop this chain of agressive wars, please contact Peter Roskam and demand he renounce his support for Bush’s new war against Iran. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Peter Roskam is fond of telling anybody who will listen that high gas prices are the number one concern among residents of his district. This, of course, just goes to show how out of touch he is with the majority of his constituents. High gas prices are a concern but we haven’t forgotten about the war and all the other crimes committed by the Bush administration for which Roskam shares responsibility because of his silence and his votes.

Walt Zlotow at Heartland Progressive, another of Roskam’s constituents, has posted an excellent letter to Peter Roskam regarding his failure to acknowledge his responsibility for and his constituents’ concern regarding the war. Go read it.

Peter Roskam, who this past week signaled his desire that the military occupation of Iraq be prolonged indefinitely, failed to stand up in support of Illinois veterans returning from honorable service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Roskam continues to support hundreds of billions of dollars in appropriations for George Bush’s wars but refuses to vote to for any spending to aid the men and women who have fought so bravely in those wars.

The vote came on Thursday, May 15 in an amendment to the  Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Peter Roskam voted no. The amendment passed by a margin of 255-166.

The new GI bill, if enacted, will provide veterans with a more substantial package of educational benefits including tutition payments up to the amount of the most expensive public school in the Veteran’s state plus additional funds toward books and housing. It is funded by the veterans themselves, who must buy-in at the beginning of their enlistments and by a tax surcharge of 0.5% on individuals with more than $500,000 and couples with more than $1,000,000 in annual income.

President Bush, who sent these men and women to war,  has vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. John McCain, Peter Roskam’s choice for our next President,  has also refused to support it, despite his ardent support for the military occupation of Iraq, even to the point of keeping our troops there for 100 years.

Residents of the 6th district who believe in taking care of our veterans should let Roskam know of their displeasure with his continuing failure to stand up for vets. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Peter Roskam does not say much to his constituents about the war against Iraq. He doesn’t seem to think that we are concerned and doesn’t even  list it in the issues section on his House web site. He apparently doesn’t believe that he is accountable to his district regarding the war. This is a mistake and a big part of the reason that Roskam will be defeated in his re-election bid later this year.

Roskam did, helpfully, this week, with his votes on HR 2642, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008, go on record as to precisely where he stands on Iraq:

• Peter Roskam is OK with leaving our troops in Iraq indefinitely
• Peter Roskam is unwilling to have Congress reclaim the war powers bestowed on it by the constitution, preferring to allow President Bush to engage in whatever military adventure he desires
• Peter Roskam is OK with the continuing to allow the Iraqi government to avoid sharing fully in the costs of reconstruction - that’s what American taxpayers are for
• It is fine with Peter Roskam if American troops in Iraq are charged more for fuel that Iraqi troops are charged - we have plenty of money
• Peter Roskam opposes any requirement that troops be combat-ready before deployment to Iraq and does not believe that Pentagon-established guidelines defining how long troops should be deployed should be enforced
• Peter Roskam believes that U.S. contractors operating in Iraq should enjoy immunity from prosecution for violations of U.S. law and opposes extending the statute of limitations for fraud committed against U.S. taxpayers during the war.
• Peter Roskam thinks permanent bases in Iraq are just fine
• Peter Roskam does not believe there should be restrictions on the practice of torture

Peter Roskam was proud today to trumpet his crowning legislative achievement, the pinnacle of his career in Washington, the introduction of H.R. 5512, the Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008. (Actually, he says the bill was passed but I don’t see that in my usual references today).

Now, as Roskam candidly relates on his House website, this was actually a Democratic bill that passed. But he had previously thunk up many of its important points in H.R. 4036, the Cents and Sensibility Act of 2007, which early readers of this blog may remember. Apparently, the House Democrats were too embarassed to pass a bill with such a silly name so they stole Peter’s ideas and put them in their own bill.

Peter’s idea is a decent one. It currently costs us 1.7 cents to manufacture a penny, which is, for the moment at least, valued at 1 cent. The bill provides for changing the weight and metallic composition of the penny to save us money in it’s production. Peter figures we can save 1 billion dollars… over the next 10 years.

The problem with this is that Peter is stopping up a leaky faucet when he should be attending to the Niagara falls that is the military occupation of Iraq.

The one billion dollars that Peter saves with his pennies over 10 years we spend on one bad day in Iraq.

So here’s the deal, Peter. We want you to stop screwing around and stop the fucking war. Bring our troops home and stop spending our hard-earned tax dollars to rain down death and destruction on people half way across the world, most of whom don’t have the wherewithal or even the desire to do us any harm.
And while you’re at it, we don’t want to you to build any fucking golf courses or shopping malls in the fucking Green Zone.

What do you do if you are a cocky, first-term Republican Congressman who has hitched his wagon securely to the most unpopular President in American history, and now, as the time for re-election draws near, you realize you are in trouble?

What do you do if you have spent your first term in office ignoring the real needs of your constituents in order to cater to the wishes of the fat cats who paid for your campaign?

Well, if you are Peter Roskam, you come up with some lame gimmick to try and convince the residents of your district that you give a damn.

Roskam recently announced, in front of an auditorium virtually devoid of an audience, his “There Ought to Be a Law” competition, asking his constituents to go to his website and submit their legislative ideas. Roskam will then pick the top five ideas and allow his constituents to vote on which should be drafted into a bill by Roskam.

Roskam rationalizes the contest this way:

“As a new member of Congress, I have learned first-hand what most 6th District residents already know, Washington is broken. Partisan politics have hamstrung Congress’ ability to find solutions to the most pressing problems our nation faces.

“The constituents I represent are reasonable folks with sound ideas – and it’s time to send a little more 6th District solutions to Washington.

This, of course, is ridiculous. What is broken, what isn’t working, is Roskam. Roskam has been presented with a wealth of good ideas during his first term:

• A fair minimum wage
• Equal pay for equal work
• Non discrimination in employment
• Help for homeowners struggling with out of control mortgage payments
• Tougher standards to prevent workplace injuries
• Development of alternative energy sources
• Ending the practice of torture
• Providing health coverage to uninsured Illinois children
• Congressional ethics reform
• Health and employment services for returning veterans

To name just a few. Democrats in Congress, working for change, have proposed them all. Roskam has opposed them all for partisan reasons and to please those who lavish campaign contributions upon him. Roskam has a lot of nerve complaining about partisanship.

Nevertheless, I shall humor my Congressman. Here are my 5 modest ideas for your consideration, Peter:

1. De-fund the present occupation of Iraq and provide for an orderly withdrawal of American troops from that country.
2. Reclaim Congressional war powers and act to prevent the President from initiating a new military conflict with Iraq.
3. Draft articles of impeachment against the President and Vice President for their illegal use of domestic surveillance, their illegal practice of torture and rendition to torture, for their politicization of the justice department, for outing an inteligence officer, etc. etc. etc.
4. Definitively outlaw the practice of torture and of warrant-less domestic surveillance.
5. Sign on in support of the new GI bill to help the men and women who have put their lives in jeopardy in Iraq and Afghanistan for the good of us all and are returning to face unemployment and economic and medical hardships.

So that’s my entry, Peter. I’m afraid that if I enter them on your web site they won’t see the light of day. So I’m challenging you here, publicly, to take them up. I know from my logs that your office reads this blog.

You will probably label my ideas as extreme or nutty. But I know that I am not alone among your constituents in thinking this way. I encourage my fellow residents of the 6th to really speak their minds and see if you are for real.

For my part, if you do these 5 things, I promise I’ll vote for you in November.