Loss on $80 Billion; We Can Still Defeat REAL ID

["UFPJ Action Alerts" <listmaster at unitedforpeace.org>]

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
============================================
SENATE SUPPORTS $80+ BILLION WAR APPROPRIATION
* Immediate action needed to stop anti-immigrant REAL ID Act (details below)
* UFPJ to launch long-term campaign to hold elected officials accountable
for the war
============================================

On Thursday, April 21 the U.S. Senate, by a vote of 99-0, passed President
Bush’s request for an additional “emergency” $81 billion to fund the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan.

No sugarcoating this one: It was a major loss for our movement.

It was also dramatic evidence that we need to turn up the heat on elected
officials who support this criminal war.

There was some good news:

(1) The REAL ID Act, the dangerous anti-immigrant measure, was not included
in the Senate's version of the funding bill. However, immediate action is
still needed -- there's a serious risk that it could be included in the
final version that comes out of the joint House/Senate conference
committee. ***See below for details on how to take action.***

(2) The Senate passed Senator Leahy’s amendment to establish a “Marla
Ruzicka Iraqi War Victims Fund,” with $30 million to assist families and
communities who’ve suffered losses in Iraq as a result of military
operations, and $5 million for families in Afghanistan.

It's outrageous that Congress is still funding President Bush’s wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Even Senators who voted in 2002 against giving Bush
the authority to go to war supported this appalling misuse of our tax
dollars.

But we shouldn't be surprised. Although the majority of the U.S. population
now thinks launching the Iraq war was a mistake, that hasn’t yet translated
into organized, mass pressure on our elected officials to stop funding the
war and bring the troops home now.

The fact is, without targeted pressure from a broad-based movement, elected
officials will take the easy route. We heard repeated reports that
lawmakers supported the $81 billion for fear of being portrayed as not
supporting the troops. And several Senators told us they hardly heard from
opponents of the war.

It would be a mistake to conclude from Thursday’s setback that Congress is
permanently off-limits to the peace and justice movement. The fact that
REAL ID was not included in the Senate version of the bill shows that
grassroots pressure can translate into concrete victories.

To stop this war, we need to develop a long-term, nationally coordinated
strategy that combines mass action in the streets with sophisticated
pressure tactics that raise the political costs of Congress’ going along
with the Iraq war. At UFPJ’s National Assembly in St. Louis, delegates sent
a clear message that holding our elected officials accountable should be a
strong component of UFPJ’s program of action over the next 12 to 18 months.
We will be sending you more information in the weeks and months to come
about how you can participate in this important campaign.

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS STILL AT RISK:
TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO DEFEAT REAL ID ACT
Supporters of the anti-immigrant REAL ID Act are now trying to slip it into
the final compromise military appropriations bill being worked on by a
joint House/Senate conference committee. The bill could be finalized as
soon as this week.

In the name of national security, REAL ID would strip immigrants of such
basic needs as a driver’s license; end the Constitutional right to habeas
corpus for the first time since the Civil War; empower private police
forces to enforce immigration laws; prevent people fleeing persecution from
gaining asylum here; and almost certainly increase deaths at the border.
For more information on REAL ID, visit
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2810 .

Elected officials have a track record of tacking controversial legislation
onto appropriations bills. That's exactly how anti-immigrant legislation
passed in 1996. Now we are in the exact same position, with several
anti-immigrant Republicans committed to passing at least part of REAL ID.
They can almost taste it.

It is crucial that we keep up the pressure to keep REAL ID out of the final
version of the bill. Our calls now could make the difference in whether
REAL ID is included or not.

Our message is simple: Keep REAL ID out of the final military
appropriations bill. This bill will hurt our community and will not make us
safer.

TAKE ACTION TODAY: Please contact the members of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, especially any Senator who represents your state:

Ted Stevens (R-AK) (202) 224-3004
Richard Shelby (R-AL) (202) 224-5744
Diane Feinstein (D-CA) (202) 224-3841
Wayne Allard (R-CO) (202) 224-5941
Larry Craig (R-ID) (202) 224-2752
Daniel Inouye (D-HI) (202) 224-3934
Tom Harkin (D-IA) (202) 224-3254
Richard Durbin (D-IL) (202) 224-2152
Sam Brownback (R-KS) (202) 224-6521
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (202) 224-2541
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) (202)224-5824
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) (202) 224-4654
Thad Cochran (R-MI) 202-224-5054
Christopher Bond (R-MO) (202) 224-5721
Conrad Burns (R-MT) (202) 224-2644
Byron Dorgan (D-ND) (202) 224-2551
Judd Gregg (R-NH) (202) 224-3324
Pete Domenici (R-NM) (202) 224-6621
Harry Reid (D-NV) (202) 224-3542
Mike Dewine (R-OH) (202) 224-2315
Arlen Specter (R-PA) (202) 224-4254
Tim Johnson (D-SD) (202) 224-5842
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) (202) 224-5922
Robert Bennett (R-UT) (202) 224-5444
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) (202) 224-4242
Patty Murray (D-WA) (202) 224-2621
Herb Kohl (D-WI) (202) 224-5653
Robert Byrd (D-WV) (202) 224-3954

============================================
THIS SUNDAY, MAY 1: END THE WAR! ABOLISH NUKES!
NYC March and Rally for Peace in Iraq and Disarmament Worldwide
Visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org for leaflets and more information
===========================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
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