Memorial Day: A Call to Patriots

I got the following e-mail from John Edwards yesterday.

Memorial Day Weekend is a time to honor all the brave men and women throughout our history who have served in our armed forces, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice to safeguard our freedom. I believe it is our duty to use that freedom to stand up for those now serving in the most meaningful way that we can--by thanking them, supporting them, and bringing them home to a hero's welcome.

It's time to support the troops. For far too long, George Bush has abused the rhetoric of patriotism to silence his critics and paper over the devastating cost of his war to the country we love. Our troops have served bravely and sacrificed without hesitation. Yet they are now paying the price for Bush's stubborn pursuit of his failed strategy in Iraq. Our troops deserve far better, and we all have a responsibility to stand up for them.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, I'm asking every one of us to take a stand for the troops and against the war. Let's reclaim patriotism for all of us who love our country, support our troops and fiercely believe in our hearts that this war must end now.

There are many ways we can take action this Memorial Day. We've prepared 10 ideas to get you started, like sending care packages for the troops or holding public gathering to speak out for the troops and against the war. What matters most is that you take action in a way that honors our troops and feels right to you.

To sign up to take action or to see what actions others have planned near you, go to:

www.SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com

Thanks to your support, we were able to rush a full page ad to the Washington Post featuring most of the more than 115,000 names we've collected calling on Congress to end the war. But we have to do more. To stand up for our men and women in uniform and force this President to do the right thing, we must take extraordinary action.

For we are citizens. And as citizens, we must honor and support our troops for their service and sacrifice.

We are Americans. And as Americans, we give thanks for the blessing of their sacrifice and support, which keeps us safe and keeps us strong.

And we are patriots. And as patriots we must use our power and the responsibility that comes with it to push our government to support our troops in the most important way it can--by ending this war and bringing them home.

So this Memorial Day Weekend, let us gather as patriots. Wherever you are--with your family, with your friends, at a BBQ, at a parade--wherever you can be seen and heard, first take a moment of silence to honor the fallen, and then let us raise our voices together and say:

We support our troops. End the war. Bring them home.

Because it is possible to stop a president who believes he can do no wrong--it just takes people with the courage to do what's right.

There is a good reason behind this rally. Listen to Alex, a soldier who just got back from Iraq. He says we are spending more time defending ourselves against even children who are throwing grenades at our troops, instead of accepting our candy. The surge is not working. It's best we send our troops home and we should speak out about this.

Check out JRE's new website, http://www.supportthetroopsendthewar.com/. Sign up and click the what you wish to do. For me, it will be a sign in my yard thanking the troops and to pray for peace. You can write your Congressman, which seems fruitless where I live (my congressman is a Republican who supports the McCain doctrine), but I probably will anyway. I will definitely be writing my Senators, Obama and Durbin. This will be a test for Obama, who has stood by idly so far and did not support the Kerry/Feingold bill last year, which failed.

However, there's more you can do to reclaim our patriotism. You can attend a rally, bring a sign to a parade, or grab the mike. We cannot wait for John Edwards to get elected. We must start brokering peace by bringing our troops home and allow the Iraqis to assemble themselves to determine their own governance.

A call to patriotism. It's not new. And we will do it because it is not only for our security, but also a matter of life and death, as Edwards says. We cannot be silent anymore.

Elizabeth Edwards to Speak at ALA This Summer

This is a good news day.

Elizabeth Edwards to speak at American Library Association meeting this summer.

CHICAGO – Susan Hildreth, president of the Public Library Association (PLA), is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Edwards will deliver the keynote address to the PLA President’s Program and Awards Presentation at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The program will take place Monday, June 25, 2007, 5 – 6:30 pm in the Washington Convention Center.

A passionate advocate for children and families, as well as an accomplished attorney, Elizabeth Edwards has been a tireless advocate for many important causes. Both Edwards and her husband are strongly committed to strengthening communities and expanding educational opportunities for all children. She charmed America with her smart, likable, down-to-earth personality as she campaigned for her husband, then vice-presidential candidate John Edwards. She inspired millions as she valiantly fought advanced breast cancer after being diagnosed only days before the 2004 election. She touched hundreds of similarly grieving families when her own son, Wade, died tragically at age 16 in 1996. She shared her experiences in “Saving Graces,” an incandescent memoir of Edwards’ trials, tragedies, and triumphs, and of how various communities celebrated her joys and lent her steady strength and quiet
hope in darker times.

PLA is pleased to present Elizabeth Edwards as part of the ALA Auditorium Speakers Series. Following her talk and the awards presentation, attendees are welcome to join PLA President Susan Hildreth for a gala, music-filled reception. For more information on the PLA President’s Program, contact the PLA office at 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA’s Web site at www.pla.org.

PLA is a division of the American Library Association. PLA’s core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve. Its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.

If only SLA had listened to my suggestion to invite EE to speak at its conference. Oh well.

ALA just regained their membership back from me.

JRE to Discuss His Iraq Plan on Larry King Live Tonight

From the campaign blog (and referenced in an e-mail I got today):

Edwards believes that the only solution to the situation in Iraq is a political solution, which requires all the parties in Iraq to take responsibility for the future of their country. By leaving Iraq , the Iraqi people, regional powers, and the entire international community will be forced to engage in the search for a political solution that will end the sectarian violence and create a stable Iraq . Escalating the war sends exactly the wrong signal to the Iraqi people, regional powers and the world.

Edwards' plan for Iraq calls for Congress to:

• Cap funding for the troops in Iraq at 100,000 troops to stop the surge and implement an immediate drawdown of 40-50,000 combat troops. Any troops beyond that level should be redeployed immediately.


• Prohibit funding to deploy any new troops to Iraq that do not meet real readiness standards and that have not been properly trained and equipped, so American tax dollars are used to train and equip our troops, instead of escalating the war.


• Make it clear that President Bush is conducting this war without authorization. The 2002 authorization did not give President Bush the power to use U.S. troops to police a civil war. President Bush exceeded his authority long ago, and now needs to end the war and ask Congress for new authority to manage the withdrawal of the U.S. military presence and to help Iraq achieve stability.


• Require a complete withdrawal of combat troops in Iraq in the next 12-18 months without leaving behind any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

After withdrawal, Edwards believes that sufficient forces should remain in the region to contain the conflict and ensure that instability in Iraq does not spillover and create a regional war, a terrorist haven, or spark a genocide. In addition, Edwards believes the U.S. should step up our diplomatic efforts by engaging in direct talks with all the nations in the region, including Iran and Syria and work to bring about a political solution to the sectarian violence inside Iraq, including through a peace conference. He also believes the U.S. must intensify its efforts to train the Iraqi security forces.

Folks, this is a good start to act now, not wait until 2009 to be President and fix the mess.

I also hope he will talk about engaging Iran and Syria as countries who have significant interests in not seeing Iraq's political will failing. We need peace as soon as possible.

Larry King Live tonight, at 8CT and for my California readers, 6PT. Not surprising as JRE is going to private events today in LA and SF tomorrow.