Waterville Area Bridges for Peace and Justice: Get Involved

A few local folks did a face-to-face meeting with Senator Collins in her Bangor office on April 11, 2006. Here's a summary of their comments and her response.

You'll also want to check out this web site http://www.informationclearinghouse.info. There are articles from returning military people, polls on what the troops are saying and much, much more.

Jon Laitin gave a brief history of Iraq, the events leading to the American invasion, and the reasons for removing our troops now. He cited the war as "illegal, immoral, and without any credible justification." He compared this war to the one in Vietnam. He told Senator Collins that by voting for military appropriations she was "complicit in this immoral, illegal act." He urged her to voice her opposition to our continued military presence and to vote against additional funding as the majority of Maine people are opposed to the war. He also urged her to attend a public meeting on Iraq. "it is disingenuous for you to claim that you represent the people of Maine while refusing to attend public meetings," he said.

Portia Miles-Smith questioned the military recruitment tactics in Maine. She said the young people need alternatives to picking potatoes and joining the military. She proposed a national guard alternative that would only be used for disaster relief and homeland security and not sent overseas. She added that young people in Maine needed more opportunities to learn trades and not see the military as the only option.

Robert Sezak criticized the administration's "ready, fire, aim mentality." He said the country has "gone beyond victory without honor." If we bring home the troops now it does not invalidate their honor, "it just tarnishes the administration and you senator." He proposed that the government of Dubai might be able to help resolve the political fighting in Iraq as their constitution could set a good example. He pointed out that we are bankrupting ourselves in a foreign land, our diplomacy was inadequate, and there is too much corporate influence and interference in our democracy.

Elery Keene said to the senator, "I respect you for your independence." He also told her that we need to bring our soldiers home as soon as possible even if it results in chaos. He noted that our presence helps recruit terrorists. "Let the Iraqi people fight among themselves. It's stupid to try to establish military bases there. It's time for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to bring a resolution [to the war] that is in the best interest of the American people," Keene said. He also noted that the war helps make high profits for American corporations.

Scott Ruffner emphasized the need for a political settlement. He said our government needs to take a "proactive position" to encourage a cease fire. He noted that the cycle of violence is escalating out of control. "We need to come up with clever ways to get out of this, such as using Egyptians, instead of Americans, to train Iraqi police." He added that the U.S. should not establish bases in Iraq and urged Collins to vote against the supplemental military budget.

Senator Collins said that we are asking too much of the National Guard and reserves. She noted that she raised the issue of a domestic national guard in committee but there was little interest. "Our goal is a stable, peaceful democracy for Iraq," she explained, but admitted that she didn't know if it was possible. She informed the group that when she visited Iraq in February the security situation was so bad that she was unable to talk to people on the streets. She passed out a letter she sent to President Bush together with Senators Carl Levin and Jack Reed emphasizing the need for a political settlement in Iraq. "The bottom line is this," the letter reads. "The U.S. needs to make it clear to Iraqi leaders that a prompt political settlement is not only essential to them, it is a condition of our continued presence."

Scott Ruffner left printed materials with the Senator dealing with opinion poles and articles about retired generals who raised questions about the need to invade Iraq and failed military tactics. Jon Laitin left Collins an invitation to the public meeting on Iraq in Portland on April 21. He later received a call from her appointment secretary saying Collins wouldn't be able to attend as she will be out of state at that time.

(follow-up letter to Senator Collins)

Dear Senator Collins,

Thank you for meeting with us and exchanging information with you about the Iraq conflict. We understand that the Senate will be voting on the supplemental appropriations bill, which includes funding for the Iraq war, after this current recess.

As concerned citizens, we strive to look at issues from several perspectives: namely, is our position morally or ethically correct, and is it sound policy. After considering many sources, we are convinced that the war and the occupation of Iraq do not meet any of these criteria. We believe that the American and British occupation of Iraq is fueling the insurgency, that it is part of the problem and not the solution. Even clear majorities of Iraqis want us to leave. Coalition withdrawal is also advocated by some of our retired generals. The true trump cards on the Iraq policy debates are the recent polls showing unequivocally that neither the American public nor the Iraqi public want the coalition troops to continue the occupation. (Please see the articles on the recent British Ministry of Defense poll and the ABC, Time, et. al., poll, and commentary from retired U.S. Army generals Odom, Gard and Johns enclosed.)

A growing mountain of evidence suggests that the war in Iraq is ill-advised, is legally, morally or strategically questionable, and the prosecution of which gives rise to the very enemy we would wish vanquished. Further, the United States simply does not have the funds for the Iraq venture, and that if it must borrow for this supplemental, it should be for veterans and hurricane reconstruction, which are woefully under-funded. Our own state is suffering cuts to obligatory programs in education, health, highways, etc., because of the gross mismanagement of this policy.

Maine citizens and Maine leadership need to be part of the solution to a problem which we did not create. Though we think we should withdraw from Iraq promptly, we are not advocating "cutting and running." Instead, we recommend that the United States relinquish the military, economic and political control it is exercising there. We also recommend that the U.S. call for a peace conference to be held under the auspices of the U.N. with other appropriate regional and world entities, appoint a peace envoy to negotiate with the insurgents and opposition groups, declare that the U.S. will have no permanent bases and set a timetable for these actions, including for withdrawal of coalition troops and assist in the formation of true, non-coalition peacekeepers. So we ask you to initiate and/or support legislation to accomplish these goals.

The most recently published Maine poll released on November 1, 2005, shows that Maine people, by more than two to one, both oppose the President's handling of the Iraq conflict and say the costs are not justified. Senator Collins, in a representative democracy do you not have an obligation to vote the will of the Maine people, and not that of the administration, on this upcoming supplemental vote?

In conclusion, we ask that you vote against the supplemental appropriation. Such a vote offers opportunities to promote a much more enlightened program that will enrich our state, rather than enabling the continuance of one that impoverishes it. If we all don't advocate for and implement an alternative to occupation, we and the Iraqis may well be doomed to failure.

Thank you for you kind consideration.

Sincerely,
Scott Ruffner

April 11 Meeting with Senator Collins