Activists Challenge Howard Dean Comments Supporting Continued Occupation

Democratic and Progressive Activists Challenge Howard Dean Comments Supporting Continued Occupation

Activists Rally Support for Congressional Progressive Caucus Members' Call to Bring Troops Home

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), a national organization of activists with active members in 50 states, has released a statement challenging Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean's recent comments in favor of continuing the U.S. occupation of Iraq.  On Monday, April 25, PDA plans to launch a nationwide petition drive aimed at pressuring Dean and other Democratic leaders to support ending the occupation.
 
"Now that we're there, we're there and we can't get out," Dean told an audience of nearly 1,000 at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Wednesday, April 20th, as reported in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "The president has created an enormous security problem for the United States where none existed before. But I hope the president is incredibly successful with his policy now that he's there."  http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5360513.html
 
PDA's statement can be found here:
http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/leaders-quagmire.php
 
"We agree with Chairman Dean that the war has put the U.S. in greater danger," said PDA Executive Director Tim Carpenter, "but we disagree that continued occupation lessens the danger.  The dire predictions of what will happen if the U.S. troops leave, the forecasts of violence and chaos, are for the most part predicting a state of affairs that already exists with U.S. troops there.  The occupation is the cause of much of the chaos and violence, not a cure for it.  From the start, the occupation has focused on protecting oil and military facilities, not on ensuring public safety or rebuilding schools or hospitals.  The occupation is depriving Iraqis of jobs by contracting with foreign corporations and depriving Iraqi workers of rights by banning union organizing. 

"We are turning Iraqi forces into targets," Carpenter continued, "because they are viewed as collaborators with an illegal foreign occupation intent on seizing Iraqi resources.  The United States should pay for what we blew up, not instigate more destruction by keeping soldiers in Iraq who could best be supported by bringing them home."

Progressive Democrats of America will deliver the following petition to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean in Washington, D.C., on May 31, 2005. PDA staff will also deliver copies of the petition to the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Lynn Woolsey, as well as Senator Edward Kennedy, to help in their efforts to organize an end to the Iraq occupation.
 
PDA will work with United for Peace and Justice and Peace Action to organize hundreds of thousands of phone calls to Congress members' and Senators' districts offices during Memorial Day break.
 
______________________________________
To Democratic Party Leaders:
 
We the undersigned join grassroots Democrats from California to Vermont in calling for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. We ask you to join us in our demand that the troops be brought home. We support efforts to repair the damage the war has inflicted on Iraq, but believe that the occupation is causing further damage, encouraging violence, hardening divisions, and failing to train or prepare Iraqis for self-governance.
 
We believe the United States can best help Iraq by supporting reparation efforts financially, rather than continuing to spend greater sums of money on an occupation that is aggravating the situation and making all of us less safe.
 
We have admired your past willingness to speak against the war. For the sake of the people of Iraq and of the world, and for the future viability of the Democratic Party, we now ask you to call on the U.S. Congress and the Bush Administration to:
 
1) Publicly commit to leaving all of Iraq's resources in the possession of the Iraqi people, as required by the Geneva and Hague Conventions;
 
2) Convene a meeting of Iraq's leadership, Iraq's neighbors, the United Nations, and the Arab League to create an international peacekeeping force in Iraq and to replace United States Armed Forces in Iraq with Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard forces to ensure Iraq's security;
 
3) Withdraw all U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq after the requirements of #2 are met;
 
4) Contribute financially to the international peacekeeping mission and reconstruction.
______________________________________
The California Democratic Party recently passed a resolution calling for an end to the occupation: http://www.pdamerica.org/tools/issues/2005-CA-conv-Iraq-resolution.pdf
 
The New Mexico Democratic Party passed a resolution this past weekend calling for an end to the occupation: http://www.pdamerica.org/tools/issues/NM-Resolution.pdf
 
House Concurrent Resolution 35, sponsored by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, calls for an end to the occupation: http://www.woolsey.house.gov/newsarticle.asp?RecordID=391
 
About PDA:  Progressive Democrats of America  (PDA)  is one of the fastest growing political organizations in the country. PDA is currently active in all 50 states. PDA was formed to provide a counter-balance inside the Democratic Party to the Democratic Leadership Council. PDA has a national policy board of noteworthy leaders and grassroots activists who are formulating the true Progressive position on issues of national security, economic progress, shared prosperity, sustainable ecology, equality for all and a peaceful, just future. Learn more about Progressive Democrats of America by visiting: http://www.pdamerica.org.

Contact:                                                                 
David Swanson                                                        
david@davidswanson.org                                      
202-329-7847

Kevin Spidel
kevin@pdamerica.org
602-373-6990