Moveon and Strike Back

Got this in my e-mail today and I wanted to pass it on. I realize that this will be the third time this week that I am asking you to support Moveon, but I firmly believe that this organization can make a real difference - the proof of this is the fact that now the Republi-cons are trying to shut us up. While they can smear real war heroes like Kerry, Cleland, Murtha and McCain, they are shocked and disgusted when someone points out the truth and supports it with facts. I'm not saying Petraeus isn't a real war hero, but I am saying that at this point, he is nothing more than a shill for George Bush.

So, I ask you to read the letter below and help if you can. So many times we say, "What can I do? I'm only one person?" Join Moveon.org. Even if you can't offer any financial support at this time, go to the website and join. There are 3.2 million of us speaking with one voice against the Bush madness, join with us and make your voice heard.

Thank you,

d.

Dear deuddersun,

The U.S. Senate just told you to sit down and be quiet when they passed a Republican amendment condemning MoveOn.¹

Every day, our brave men and women are dying in a bloody civil war this Senate has done nothing to stop. Yesterday, they couldn't even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying.² But they're spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?

So, we're making clear where America stands. We're releasing a statement from MoveOn members—and anyone else who feels the same way—saying, "We will not be quiet, we will fight back. We will keep speaking out until Congress forces an exit plan for this awful war."

Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/fightback/o.pl?id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=3

Maybe you liked our General Petraeus ad.³ Maybe you thought the language went too far. But make no mistake: this is much bigger than one ad.

It's part of a larger campaign by Fox, the right-wing echo chamber, and Republicans like John McCain (who said we should be "thrown out of the country").⁴

They're doing it because they're hurting: Polls show last week's Bush Administration PR blitz increased the number of Americans favoring withdrawal⁵ and vulnerable Republicans are sinking lower and lower in the polls (or announcing their retirement).

And it has one purpose: to intimidate all of us. To send a message that anyone who speaks unpleasant truths about this war will pay. To make everyone—especially politicians—think twice before they accuse the administration of lying.

If it looks like we're on the run, people will think twice before they speak out. Will you send a message today to Dick Cheney, Fox, Bill O'Reilly, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Karl Rove—and the Democrats without the guts to vote against this—that it's not working?

We've changed our home page to just run the names of people who sign on. We'll report the totals to the media all day. And if we can find an electronic billboard in Washington, D.C., we'll run the names there, too.

And after you add your name, you can go one step further. We've put together a fair but hard-hitting ad that highlights how, yesterday, Republicans blocked a bill to give our troops adequate family leave before going back to Iraq. If we can raise enough money, we'll air this ad across the country and take the fight back to the real issues—this terrible war and its impact on our troops and the Iraqi people.

Clicking here will add your name to our statement:

http://pol.moveon.org/fightback/o.pl?id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=4

This morning, the Senate didn't pass an exit strategy for Iraq. They didn't pass a bill to cover millions of uninsured Americans or combat the climate crisis. Nope—they condemned 3.4 million Americans for speaking out against the war.

Let them know them it's not going to work.

Thank you for all you do, every day, to get the truth out.

–Eli, Aaron, Adam G., Adam R., Anna, Carrie, Daniel, Erik, Ilyse, Jennifer, Joan, Justin, Karin, Laura, Marika, Matt, Natalie, Nita, Noah, Tanya, Tom & Wes
MoveOn.org Political Action
Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Sources:

1. You can see the resolution text here and the roll call of who voted for it here. Absurdly, it claims that MoveOn "impugns the honor and integrity of ... all the members of the United States Armed Force"—despite the fact that MoveOn includes hundreds of thousands of veterans and military family members, who've led our campaign to bring our troops home.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2988&id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=7

2. "Effort to Shift Course in Iraq Fails in Senate," New York Times , September 19, 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/washington/20cong.html?hp

3. You can read the ad text and why we ran it here:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2987&id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=8

4. "McCain To MoveOn: Get Out," CBS News, September 14, 2007.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2973&id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=9

5. "Poll: Most Say Bush Iraq Plan Falls Short," CBS News, September 17, 2007.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2974&id=11268-8552455-wB8jMj&t=10

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

---