For Immediate Release
Contacts: Janet Parker, 608-257-2748
February 14, 2007
Steve Burns, 608-250-9240
Joy First, 608-239-4327
Senator Kohl Gets Valentine Message from Constituents:
“Be My Senator. End Funding for War in Iraq.”
Peace activists will occupy Senator Kohl’s Madison office today, challenging him to “Be Ours” by following the wishes of the large majority of Wisconsinites that he use the power of the purse to end the US occupation of Iraq.
Where: Senator Kohl’s Madison office, 14 West Mifflin, Suite 207
When: Valentines Day, Feb 14 at 4:30
What: Peaceful occupation in Senator Kohl’s office, presentation of valentines, remembering soldiers and Iraqi civilians lost in the war
Attention photo desks: Presentation of valentines for our Senator; occupation of the office to stop business as usual; large format photos of every Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq
The group will challenge Senator Kohl to follow the example of Senator Feingold, a national leader. Feingold has introduced legislation with a short timetable for troop withdrawal, and he calls on his colleagues in Congress to end the war through the power of the purse.
Today’s visit to Senator Kohl’s office is part of the Wisconsin-wide campaign “Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar” sponsored by the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice (www.wnpj.org) WNPJ is a network of 150 member groups working around our state for peace, social justice, and the environment.
The Valentine’s Day vigil is also part of the Declaration of Peace, working in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King to use nonviolent means to call on members of Congress to use the power of the purse to end the disastrous war in Iraq. Across the country, peace activists are using civil disobedience to occupy offices of members of Congress and draw attention to their power to cut funding for the war during their votes next month on the proposed $99 billion of supplemental funding requested by Bush for the war. See vcnv.org.
A recent CNN poll shows that 61% of Americans believe that Congress should block funding for a troop surge. The contention that Americans view war funding as untouchable is wrong – most Americans want Congress to use its constitutional powers to stop a president run amok.