April 4: Your Chance to Vote on the Iraq War

More than three years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration continues to substitute empty rhetoric for solid analysis and informed action. On the advice of political consultants, Bush touts his "strategy for victory" in rah rah speeches, standing in front of snazzy backdrops on which the word "victory" is repeated over and over -- just in case you dared question whether things are going according to plan. But what is that plan? And what would "victory" in Iraq look like?

The good news is that on Tuesday April 4, residents of Madison and 31 other communities across Wisconsin have the opportunity to voice their opposition to this dangerous, tragic, and seemingly aimless and endless occupation. With help from the Wisconsin Green Party and the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, individuals and groups across the state have put on their local ballots a referendum on whether U.S. troops should leave Iraq.

The referendum campaign acknowledges that the illegal and immoral U.S. war on Iraq has impacted local communities. Most tragically, more than 50 families across Wisconsin have lost loved ones. The re-direction of federal resources to war has meant less for local needs, including recovery from the Stoughton tornado. Lastly, as citizens in a democracy, we bear responsibility for the Iraqi civilians who have died because of the U.S. invasion. According to the most detailed public health study to date, that's some one hundred thousand dead Iraqis.

The referendum campaign is not disrespectful to the U.S. military. It's not unpatriotic, nor is it masterminded by well-funded, shadowy outside interests. It's a chance to send a signal that Wisconsin communities aren't willing to remain quiet on the sidelines as more U.S. troops and more Iraqi civilians die. We're not going to wave flags as our tax dollars are taken away from human needs here at home and in Iraq, as more military bases are built overseas. We're not going to pretend that detaining people for years, without charges or access to lawyers, does anything except betray our values and make the threat of terrorism greater.

Before the April 4 referendum, there's a town hall meeting on Iraq on March 28 and other opportunities to leaflet and make calls in support of bringing the troops home. Now is the time to act.

Lastly, if you didn't get a chance to hear Afghan parliamentarian and human rights activist Malalai Joya when she was in Madison, you can listen to an excerpt from her talk here, and read an editorial about her visit here. Unfortunately, the United States is abandoning Afghanistan to the warlords yet again, which means Afghan women still live in fear -- and terrorist cells could regroup there. Peace and real reconstruction aren't idealistic wishes, they're good foreign policy and homeland security.