Fw: "I think we will be here forever", says a U.S. soldier - FCNL

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Guthrie" <kathyguthrie@fcnl.org>
To: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@optonline.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:42 PM
Subject: Iraq: "I think we will be here forever", says a U.S. soldier - FCNL

--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@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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