Nudge price: no more war funding

Personally, I think the President(and i wince calling him that) is more of a problem than Rep. Price. From what I have observed he has been pretty fervent about calling for an end to the war, and not just because - as the letter indicates - the community forced him that way. Our Congressman is not a hawk. I googled some stuff on Price and the war and I found this article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2007/02/02/allen_collins...

It seems to indicate that others are looking to his plan for withdrawal as a viable option. I do not know the answer about how to get out of the war, but I like what Barrack Obama said "that we should be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in." So I would be all for protesting for an expedient withdrawal, but I do not think we need to ostracize Rep. Price as he is one of our best allies.

And just so you know, DP won't actually be here in the building tomorrow. You are more than welcome to stop by WCHL, though, and express yourselves. We plan on covering.

daniel

Daniel is correct, Price will not be there Friday. He'll be in Washington with the new Democratic majority trying to find the best one of bad options in Iraq.

He has introduced legislation that calls for us to be out by the end of the year. If this could be accomplished, a debate on funding would be moot.

And even if we could start to withdraw tomorrow morning, additional funding would likely be needed for the withdrawal (so says Murtha), so cutting off all new funds is not a viable option, in my opinion.

Ugh, I don't really know what to say here without it being a national topic instead of a local one, but as someone who will have to do archaeological excavations over there very soon, I just want whatever will provide more security.

I also wonder if it will be the same people or different ones that protest outside Rep. Price's office when it becomes a full blown civil war with Saudi Arabia backing one side (as they've said they would if we leave) and Iran the other (as they're probably doing now).

So yeah. When protesting, think of the security of the artifacts and those of us who have to dig them up!

If the Democratic Party doesn't show some leadership at this time when an attentive 8th grader can identify what needs to happen, then the party may very well be discovered by archaelogists in the future and carbon-dated to the early 21st century.
(For a quick test of "resonance" on what some Democratic Party adults find meaningful, ask a 14 year old what the hell "audacity of hope" means.)

Congressional Democrats, including Price, who is a an important member in the new Congress, are exploring a variety of options, including limiting of troop rotation, as Murtha is now floating, troop caps and of course a withdrawal by the end of the year, as Price has called for. There are a number of viable options besides cutting off funding right now.

Democrats have been in control of Congress less than 2 months and face a hostile commander-in-chief. In the most recent Gallup poll, 63% said they wanted a firm timetable, but 58% said not to cut funding. This is where the Dems appear to be heading, although I doubt Bush will agree to the timetable.

Price is closer to majority opinion, it appears to me, than those who want to cut off all funding right now.

I wonder where the 'majority opinion' would be if folks did not summarily discard the idea of defunding the war?

As it was pointed out to me, it takes 1 to 3 years for appropriated funds to materialize. Voting down the supplemental now means a lack of funds for the continuing aggression against Iraq in 2008, 2009, 2010. If Price truly wants the troops out by the end of the year he would not only vote NO, he would also use his status as an 'important member in the new Congress' to urge others to do the same.

Six people were arrested. All college students. They turned down an offer from Price's office to schedule a direct meeting (he was on the House floor, so even a phone call was not feasible). By linking their arms and sitting immobile on the floor, the office couldn't carry on with their business, and the police were then involved.

It was all very peaceful, with one exception: A banner that was hung on the front of the building was anchored with rocks larger than your head. When the banner was pulled down, there was almost a serious injury.

That would not have been good.

daniel

While the Democrats debate 'careful' ways to get us out, Bush will get us into Iran. By then it will again be hopeless for another three years. The primary concern of the Democrats is to avoid having the smell of defeat on their hands going in to 2008, although it was Bush who led the US into this unwinnable war, and his administration which insisted on staying in Iraq until it became obvious to everyone in the world that US power is not what it is cracked up to be. End the funding. Getting out of Iraq immediately is not a position only of those on the far left. It is also the position of Zbignew Brzezinski and William Odom, neither of whom qualifies or claims to be a liberal. After getting us out, impeach Bush and Cheney. The only real steps that can be taken for our own, and the world's, security.

On Friday, February 16, 2007, six youth and students were arrested at Representative David Price's home office for speaking out against the Iraq War. Specifically, we demanded that Representative Price pledge to defund the Iraq War by voting NO on the upcoming $93 billion war supplemental. Second, we demanded that Representative Price use his
power in Congress to urge others to defund the war and bring the troops home NOW! Third, we demanded that Representative Price resist any aggression against Iran, be it via sanctions or militarily.

Members of the UNC-Students for a Democratic Society have called, emailed, and met with aids in DC on January 27th to talk about defunding the war. We were told repeatedly that Representative Price's position on the upcoming supplemental vote was unclear. Additionally, members of the 4th congressional district legislative action team that UNC-SDS organizes with, met with Representative Price himself, in
Durham on January 26th to see where he stands on the defunding issue. Again, Representative Price would not directly engage the issue but only direct us to proposed soft legislation that asks the President to come up with an exit strategy or to hold contractors liable for fraud.

According to the latest Pew Research Center poll, a majority of
Americans say that they want the troops out now. While Congress is busy losing a debate on a non-binding resolution condemning the president's proposed escalation in troops numbers, the will of the American people is being suppressed! Congress has the powers to investigate the criminal actions of those who lead us into war and more importantly, to cut of the funding for the continuing illegal and unjust Iraq Occupation.

This past Friday, youth and students visited Representative Price's office to talk with his political advisor, Rose Aumen about Price's stance on defunding the Iraq War. We were told that Price was against the war from the beginning and working very hard to end it. With the 4th anniversary of the Occupation fast approaching and a death toll of 650,000 Iraqi civilians and over 3,000 US service people, we are sick of waiting. We asked to speak to Representative Price by phone. Our request was denied. Ms. Aumen then offered us a meeting with Price on
February 26th, which we turned down based upon our earlier
unsuccessful attempts to get a straight answer out of Price on the funding issue. We were then asked to leave. We sat down.

The building manager was summoned and told us that we were
trespassing. Trespassing in a space paid for with tax dollars for the sole purpose allowing our elected official to listen to and meet the needs of the people! We refused to leave and the police were summoned. At this point we were in the office for less than 20 minutes.

One member of our group read our demands and official statement (which can be found at chapelhillsds.org). As she was speaking out, she was handcuffed and dragged off by police. One by one we were walked or carried out and placed in waiting cop cars surrounded by the raucous chants of 40 fellow war resisters gathered outside.

We were booked and charged with misdemeanor first-degree trespass and released on our own personal recognizance with a $500-750 unsecured bond. Our court date is March 26th, at 9 AM at the Hillsborough Court House.

Our message was amplified by the courageous actions of other youth, nationwide, who went on student-strikes, closed down highways, and sat down in their Congress people's offices (http://michaelmoore.com/). We will continue to resist this war until it is over.

We, the youth and students of the 4th district, demand an immediate cessation to any and all military action in Iraq and aggression against Iran. We call on all youth, students, and progressives to stand up and speak out—Defund the Iraq War and bring the troops home NOW!

In Struggle,

UNC-Students for a Democratic Society and Raleigh F.I.S.T. (Fight
imperialism Stand Together)

chapelhillsds.org
raleighfist.wordpress.com

Just to be clear, the building manager has promised the many businesses in VilCom that he will provide a quiet work environment. You force his hand with "raucous chants of 40 fellow war resisters gathered outside."

I do think that the statement was amplified by your arrest, even if it was what those six came there for. Also, because you were telling one of the leading anti-war Congressmen that you find his efforts lacking, the message was sent.

So what do you do now?

I'm curious, what were SDS's goals for the meeting at Price's office? It seems like you've had a number of opportunities to make your views known to him directly over the past few months.

I would like to thank SDS for being one of the few local groups who are doing something to stop this war. In a two party system that functions within the parameters of capitalism and war, democratic citizens do not have significant alternative options to choose from. When this is obvious, tactics such as those taken by SDS are logical.

For those who, somehow and for whatever reason, continue to believe in accomplishing things with the ever-more diminishing palette of methods of engagement as prescribed by the establishment, there may still be opportunities to see through the illusion. In this vein, I am hoping to be proven wrong:

The 4th District precinct Democratic Parties will be having their annual precinct meetings this week. Two resolutions are explicit in requesting Representative Davis Price to act in the only way that a congressman can if s/he is serious about preventing and stopping war; using his/her vote against funding of these actions. The Iraq resolution even takes into account the timing necessary for this request to be effective. Monday, March 5, in time for the House Appropriations Committee hearing on the supplemental spending bill. Representative David Price is a ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee.

If most precincts in the 4th District pass these two resolutions the county parties of these precincts (and the 4th District) will have a mandate from (their own and) Representative David Price's constituency to assure that he vote against continuation of the war (i.e. continued funding of the war) in time for the March Supplemental Appropriations vote.

To find out where and when your precinct will meet please visit:
http://www.orangedems.com/docs/PRECINCTMEETINGS07.doc

To view the Iran and Iraq resolutions (#14 & 15) please visit:
http://www.orangedems.com/docs/ProposedResolutions2007.doc

Please attend your precinct meeting and vote and support these resolutions.

For those who find both this tactic and SDS style tactics futile, I look forward to seeing what you may come up with beyond complaint or acquiescence; the preferred 'actions' of the culture of anesthesia.

More information on Price's Stand relative to getting out of Iraq can be found at:
http://grassroots.wikia.com/wiki/David_Price%27s_Stand

In my capacity as a member of the 4th CD Democratic Exec. Comm., I will be among a group of 14 or so Democratic Party officials meeting with Price regarding Iraq on 3/10. I would like to hear opinions of my fellow Democrats (only registered Democrats, please, as this is a party group meeting with Price) about cutting off funding, timetables, whatever you think is best. I will pass along all comments to Price, so tell me what you Democrats out there think. If you don't want to post your comments here, email me at pfalduto@nc.rr.com. Thanks.

And so what goes, Will?

Price's bill, HR645, co-sponsored by Brad Miller, calls for us to be out by the end of the year. That is ASAP, I believe.

As Daniel Siler observed above, Price is one of the most anti-war members of Congress. He is to the left of most of his caucus. The caucus it trying to decide how to get us out and very, very few Congressional Democrats do not want a timetable along the lines Price has proposed.

Assuming I can read them first, I'd be more than happy to pass along the comments of a left-leaning registered independent as my own in my capacity as a left-leaning Democrat. That means you, Ruby and Will. :) So long as you're providing a well reasoned way to restore stability, security, and dignity to the Iraqi people while ending our immoral occupation, I don't care what party you're from.

The Libertarians were on campus yesterday collecting signatures to regain ballot access, and this partisan Democrat proudly signed their petition. Being a partisan doesn't mean you need to stick your fingers in your ears and start humming every time someone with a different letter in parentheses after their name suggests something. On the contrary, it's exactly that behavior that got us to the sad state of political discourse we're suffering from today in this country.

I'm collecting signatures for Mike Munger too. Of course, my motives are nefarious. Having a Libertarian candidate on the ballot will more likely siphon off the fringes of the Republican Party than Democrats . . . at least that's my hypothesis.

But in any case, Munger is a smart, interesting guy - the only Libertarian I've interacted with in a decade who wasn't a lunatic. Which means his probably not a darling of the mainstream Libs in North Carolina, who mostly go under the banner of the Art Pope Puppetshow.

I tried to include a link in my post, but it didn't take. You can find more on Munger here.

http://www.bluenc.com/more-on-mike-munger

Not being a member of either war party, I guess I am a 2nd class citizen...

As I posted above, I am going to this meeting because of my party position, no other reason. For this reason and no other, I'm asking OTHER PARTY MEMBERS what they want me to pass on to Price. I have asked attendees at two precinct meetings what they thought, plus a couple other active party members I talked to on the phone and also thought this board would be a good way to find out what is on the mind of other Democrats. I'm sorry if some of you feel left out...

By the way, I too believe in much easier ballot access for third parties and would be happy to sign for the Libertarians too, or the Greens or whoever to get on the ballot.

Paul,

I don't think there's anything wrong with collecting information from Democrats. I understand where you're coming from. But Orange County is home to a whole slew of progressives who have become disaffected with the Democratic Party because of the mess we see at the state and national levels, and I firmly believe the an important step to bringing them back to the party is hearing what they have to say.

I'm a proud Orange County Democrat, and when I'm in public, I usually qualify Democrat with "Orange County" because I think it means something important. Where I grew up in the mountains, being a Democrat meant something different than it does here, and that difference was often a lack of acceptance of new, progressive, sometimes radical inputs. For that matter, it also sometimes meant not listening to you if you're under forty. I take pride in calling myself part of a an open and progressive party. Let's keep it that way. :)

Paul,
A 'Democrat' speaking here (you can check my registration if you would like).

Please pass on to Price the response that you have gotten from the people on this site who have taken the time to talk to a Democrat (I'll vouch for them). Let him know that he may find more supporters if he stood for what most people want re:Iraq.

and that he may prevent the loss of supporters...

Beyond your informal polling of "attendees at two precinct meetings what they thought, plus a couple other active party members I talked to on the phone and also thought this board would be a good way to find out what is on the mind of other Democrats." ...

Please tell Representative David Price that you are at that meeting because both Orange County and Durham County passed a resolution asking him to withold further funding of the war. Explicitly, you are there to:

"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the formal public request to Representative David Price to vote against further funding of the war be made by Monday, March 5, in time for the House Appropriations Committee hearing on the supplemental spending bill."

You can also let him know, that of the Orange County precincts that voted on this resolution, at their annual precinct meeting last week, all of them voted for this resolution.

Will you Represent me and so many others (both active, non-active, Democrat, non-Democrat, Iraqi, and American Soldier) as this grassroots Democrat Resolution and most people of the world demand??

Sammy, Price already knows about the OCDP resolution and knows it passed handily. Jack Sanders will present it again at the meeting, I would imagine, and I certainly would agree that it is the view of most Democrats, but far from all. There are a number of other options besides cutting off funding that congressional Democrats can pursue to try to end the occupation and they are considering several. Give them a chance to develop a plan, I think most Democrats would agree with that.

I know your opinion, so does Price and you have had your opinion heard often, as I have had mine. But there are many other Democrats out there whose opinions have not been heard and I am trying to find out what they are thinking too.

> I know your opinion, so does Price and you have had your
> opinion heard often, as I have had mine. But there are many
> other Democrats out there whose opinions have not been heard
> and I am trying to find out what they are thinking too.

This is exactly the point of why what Sammy is doing is so important. Resolutions passed at the precinct level are grassroots in action - neighbors talking to neighbors and deciding what they think people at the national level ought to be doing. At the Democratic precinct meetings taking place over the past couple of weeks, every single one in Orange County that considered this resolution to withhold funding and several in the neighboring counties Price represents passed it. You don't need to go searching for the opinions of local Democrats. They've just provided it. That constituency is, for the most part, speaking in unison. If you want to diversify your understanding of what people think about the war, maybe it's time to look outside of the local Democratic Party?

Ruby, I will certainly express to Price that my opinion is a minority one in the party, but I'm certainly not alone. While I am there because of my party position, I will certainly differentiate what is my opinion from those of others I have talked with.

Let me also clarify Ruby that not every precinct passed the resolution: it did not come up at all at the two precinct meetings I attended, no resolutions were brought forward at those two meetings.

Paul,

Here's a link to a powerful story about a resolution passed in California:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/high_school_student_council

Paul,

Paul, it is true that not every precinct voted on the iraq resolution during their precinct meeting. What is true is that for those that did vote for this resolution there were no 'nays'. Furthermore, it was only about 4 chairs including yourself who voted against the resolution at the County Executive Committee meeting. Durham County passed it unanomously at their county exec meeting.

Are you still coach to the two precincts that you attended? Perhaps it wasn't considered there because you didn't supply them with the resolutions? ... a job for a coach. It was also announced, during the CEC meeting, that these resolutions would be posted on the Orange county democratic website for precincts to consider.

It is a shame that these weren't presented at the meetings that you attended: you missed an opportunity to use your reasoning skills to convince others at the meeting to vote against these resolutions ... there could have been two votes against the resolution!

Paul, you will be at that meeting in an official capacity as a representative of the Orange County Democratic party. Please express the opinion of the Orange County democratic party and not your own or any other minority opinion that has not been sanctioned through the processes that are available to all through the grassroots party. The Orange County democrats have sayed: Stop funding the War.

You and representative David Price are supposed to represent us.

My apologies,

CORRECTION:

There was one precinct that voted 'nay' because they felt that the resolution 'did not mention any contingencies for withdrawal plans.'

Sammy, I was at those two precinct meetings as a coach, one was also my own precinct (Efland). I made it very clear in my email and phone calls about the meeting that resolutions would be considered and no one brought one forward. I also made it clear to chairs of the the precincts I coach that resolutions could be considered at every meeting. But it is not my responsibility as coach to introduce them. My responsibilty is to help precincts get organized and I did that.

And as I thought I made clear, I will certainly differentiate my personal opinions from those of the majority of party members when I meet with Price. There will be about 15 others there too, so he won't just be hearing from me.

I wish I was a soldier so I could fight and possibly die for the Democratic Party's experimental strategy to gain a few more Congressional seats by hanging the responsibility for the Iraq disaster on the Republicans. This is the stuff of true heroism!

Mark, that is a pile of baloney and you know it.

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

For Questions Contact:
Sammy_slade@hotmail.com
951-5200

The 4th District says DEFUND THE WAR NOW!!

This Wednesday, March 7 at 2 p.m local Democratic precinct leaders, working to carry out the demands of their constituents, will visit Representative David Price's office to request that he pledge to vote against further funding of the war.

The only power Congress has to effectively represent the will of the majority of people --that we pull out of Iraq by the end of the year-- is through withholding or limiting the funds that make the war possible. So far, Representative David Price has been unwilling to commit to withholding such funds.

Anyone who wants to end the war now PLEASE COME OUT! If you are in support of the request that David Price vote against further funding of the war come with a candle, a song, a chant, a sign to show that there is support for him if he does the right thing by voting to defund the war.

This is URGENT as we expect the House of Representatives will vote on this funding bill within this month!!

88 Vilcom Circle, Suite 140 across from Timberlyne Shopping Center off Weaver Dairy Road

And after our local congressman votes for thism and the House of Representatives votes for it, then what?

The HR vote sends a message but who really believes it can pass in the Senate?

That's the real question' whatls the plan? Even if it could pass the Senate I doubt a veto could be overturned, so what's the end game?

The politics of symbolism only takes us so far and the 2008 is too far away.

So David and a majority of the HR votes to cut off funding. Then what?

Fred,

You are partly correct, I am glad that you have pointed this out because it points to a misconception about the efficacity of witholding funding:

While there are several recently-filed pieces of legislation that have provisions for cutting the funding for the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home (including Representative David Price's bill H. R. 645 even though it has no provision to withhold funding except for permanent military bases), these measures if passed would be vetoed by President Bush, and there is no veto-proof margin. If the Supplemental Appropriations bill, on the other hand, is not passed by EITHER the House or the Senate, it will never land on the President's desk and can not be subject to a veto. If in the next several weeks Congress can be convinced to vote against further funding for the war in Iraq, this war can be brought to an end.

This is why it is important to have Representative David Price not vote for further funding of combat activities in or over Iraq. Witholding funding is the only action that Democrats have because they control both houses of Congress, consequently control the purse strings and we only need one to not go along!

No Sammy, "control" is the wrong word because all Dems and the Independent in the Senate will not vote the same way. If the House bill is not approved in the Senate, all sorts of possibilities will be on the table. I personally don't think the vote no funding will accomplish much.

PS: sorry for the typos - it's cold up here in NYC and I've forgotten what -5 wind chill does to you!

No Will, all Dems in the Senate don,t agree with this approach and have let their leadership know that they won't support a filibuster on this very difficult and complex issue. They are entitled to vote their convictions, even when others disagree.