[Mb-civic] Iraq: “I think we will be here forever” , says a U.S. soldier - FCNL

[Kathy Guthrie]

--Balad Air Base, Iraq -- The concrete goes on forever, vanishing into 
the noonday glare, 2 million cubic feet of it, a mile-long slab that's 
now the home of up to 120 U.S. helicopters

--At another giant base, al-Asad in Iraq's western desert, the 17,000 
troops and workers come and go in a kind of bustling American town, 
with a Burger King, Pizza Hut and a car dealership

--At a third hub in the (stet) south, Tallil, they're planning a new 
mess hall, one that will seat 6,000 hungry airmen and soldier
(To see the full map of the Iraq bases visit www.fcnl.org/iraq/bases.htm)

These descriptions of U.S. bases in Iraq, from a reporter who visited 
the country earlier this month, vividly illustrate why many Iraqis are 
convinced the U.S. is planning to permanently occupy their country. And 
it isn't only the Iraqis who have this perception. The Associated Press 
reporter who visited these bases interviewed a 29-year-old soldier from 
Wilkes-Barre, PA: "I think we will be here forever," the 
soldier said. Read the full report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at 
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iraq_Future_Bases.html

The perception that the U.S. intends to permanently occupy Iraq is 
fueling the conflict in that country. In early 2005, FCNL crafted the 
Iraq STEP (Sensible Transition to an Enduring Peace) Resolution as a 
legislative tool that would allow the Congress to make a statement 
declaring, "It is the policy ofthe United States policy to 
withdrawal all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq." Read the 
STEP Resolution at 
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1353&issue_id=35

Your letters, phone calls, and visits with members of Congress over the 
last year made a difference. Just in the last month, FCNL has recorded 
thousands of letters sent from FCNL constituents to members of Congress 
urging support for a clear statement that the U.S. will withdraw all 
military troops and bases from Iraq. Over the St. Patrick's Day recess, 
participants in the FCNL network took War Is Not the Answer signs to 
demonstrations, vigils, and other events marking the anniversary of the 
war. We received reports of events all over the country. Photos of 
people carrying the War Is Not the Answer signs appeared in major 
newspapers in Memphis, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

*Your message is being heard in Washington*

The House of Representatives voted earlier this month to bar the U.S. 
from establishing permanent military bases in Iraq -- the first 
positive step toward enacting FCNL's Iraq STEP resolution. In an 
amendment to the administration's request for supplemental funding for 
the war in Iraq, the House stated "None of the funds in this Act 
may be used by the U.S. government to enter into a basing rights 
agreement between the United States and Iraq." Read about the 
House vote at 
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1761&issue_id=35

But the administration continues to insist, as the president declared 
last week, that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for years to come. In fact, 
the supplemental appropriations legislation that will be debated by the 
Senate in mid-April includes hundreds of millions of dollars for 
continued construction of military bases in Iraq. The Congressional 
Research Service reports that U.S. spending on the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan is averaging about 44 percent more per month this fiscal 
year than last. These are not the actions of a country preparing to 
withdraw from Iraq.

*The Senate Must Act*

The U.S. House of Representatives has provided people in Iraq, the 
international community, and within the United States the first step 
toward a clear statement of U.S. policy. Now it is up to the Senate. 
The Senate should attach a resolution to the Iraq war 
"supplemental" spending bill stating "it is the policy 
of the United States to withdraw all U.S. military troops and bases 
from Iraq" and initiate steps for a withdrawal this year.

*Lobby Your Senators During Easter Recess*

Your senators will be back in your state during the congressional 
Easter recess (April 8 to 23). This is an ideal time to contact your 
senators and urge them to offer an amendment to the Iraq war 
supplemental funding legislation. Check the FCNL website for details at 
www.fcnl.org/iraq

_______________________________________

The Next Step for Iraq: Join FCNL's Iraq Campaign, http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/

Contact Congress and the Administration: 
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/

Order FCNL publications and "War is Not the Answer" campaign 
bumper stickers and yard signs:
http://www.fcnl.org/pubs/
http://www.fcnl.org/forms/forms.php?type=bump

Contribute to FCNL:
http://www.fcnl.org/donate/

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________________________________________

Friends Committee on National Legislation
245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
fcnl at fcnl.org * http://www.fcnl.org
phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330

We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
We seek a society with equity and justice for all
We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled
We seek an earth restored.

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