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Gold Star Mother Urges
Americans
to Sign
the Voters Pledge
No More Pro-War Candidates, No
More Wars of Choice
By Tia Steele
This Memorial Day let us remember all fallen
troops by insisting that the United States no longer engage in
wars of aggression. In this election year, the voters must make
it abundantly clear to anyone running for office in the United
States that candidates will not have their votes, funding or
volunteer time if they do not insist on a rapid withdrawal from
Iraq and opposition to future wars of aggression.
Of the troops currently fighting in Iraq, a
majority (72%) say that the U.S. should get out of Iraq within a
year. A majority of the U.S. public agrees. Yet our elected
officials - who are supposed to represent the people’s views -
continue to vote for funding the war in Iraq and fail to speak
out against aggression against Iran. On this critical issue of
war or no war there is a huge disconnect between the voters and
the people elected to represent them and their views.
My stepson, Lance
Corporal David Michael Branning, was killed on November 12,
2004 in the assault on Fallujah. He was KIA when he and his
buddy were ordered to kick in the door of a private home in that
city. I imagine that in the last minutes of their lives, these
two young men must have known that there might be people in that
dwelling - people who were defending their home. These defenders
fired on David and his fellow Marine. David was shot in the
throat and the bullet exited his head; he died virtually
instantly. His friend bled to death within minutes. David was 21
years old and the other young man was 20. I don’t want other
families to suffer the loss and pain that my family, and others,
are suffering. I don’t want other young men and women to
suffer the fate of David and other Marines and soldiers – too
many lives have already been lost.
My mission since David's death is to do all
that I can to stop the madness that is sending more innocents to
their unnecessary deaths. After David was killed I quit my job
to work fulltime in the peace movement. I have been privileged
to work on the “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit, which includes a
pair of combat boots representing each troop who has been
killed, and civilian shoes representing the Iraqi casualties in
this war. I do everything I can to honor David’s life as well
as his death, and contribute what I can to make sure that the
U.S. does not continue to perpetuate an aggressive military
strategy that puts more young people, and civilians in the
countries we attack, at risk. The greatest monument to David and
the nearly 2,500 U. S. troops who have been killed will be an
anti-war movement that is well organized enough and powerful
enough to end this war and prevent future unnecessary wars.
We have unacceptable reasons for staying the
course in Iraq. We must withdraw immediately. We owe it to our
military people, to the people of Iraq and the United States,
and to our severely damaged reputation in the world. We must
retrieve and heal the soul of our country and elect only those
individuals who stand for peace.
I urge all those who oppose the military
occupation of Iraq and do not want to see future wars of choice
to sign the “Voters Pledge” at www.VotersForPeace.US.
Thirty thousand people have already signed the pledge.
Voters For Peace is a project
made up of many of the major organizations in the anti-war
movement – United for Peace and Justice, Peace Action, Gold
Star Families for Peace, Code Pink, Democracy Rising as well as
groups with broader agendas like the National Organization for
Women, Progressive Democrats of America, AfterDowningStreet.com,
the American Conservative and the Nation Magazine. The goal of
this coalition is to build a base of anti-war voters that cannot
be ignored by anyone running for office in the United States. We
want millions of voters to sign the pledge and say no to pro-war
candidates.
You can help right now by visiting www.VotersForPeace.US
and immediately signing the Voters Pledge which states:
"I
will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or
President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and
preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in
his or her campaign."
And after you sign it, send it to everyone you
know and urge them to do the same. Together we can change the
path of the United States – move us in a new direction, away
from unnecessary wars and toward a peaceful co-existence that
recognizes the precious value of every human life.
Tia Steele is member of Gold Star
Families Speak Out (GSFSO), an organization of family members of
United States military killed in this war. GSFSO is a chapter
within Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), a 3,000-member
organization of military families opposed to the occupation of
Iraq. Ms. Steele works with the American Friends Service
Committee in Baltimore, MD. For more information visit www.mfso.org.
VotersForPeace
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 240 - Takoma Park, MD 20912 - (301)
270-2355
Copyright 2006 VotersForPeace.US. All rights reserved.
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