Four steps for Snowe

Dec. 15 will mark the second time citizens of Iraq will try to vote for an elected governing body, this time the Parliament and Prime Minister. Imagine voting under siege, under military occupation by a foreign power, a power that invaded your country with the full impact of the most mighty military force in the world. The United States military has successfully bombed out access to water, electricity, roads, schools, and other infrastructures essential to a decent quality of life and freedom of movement. Resistance to the occupation has increased sectarian polarization, opened new opportunities to al-Qaida and other extremist groups, thereby flooding civil life with terror and lawlessness. We cannot pretend that the U.S. has no vested interest in what the outcome is, after all, the whole thing is orchestrated by the White House.

Dec. 15th will also mark another noteworthy event, here in Bangor, an event that demonstrates one of our fundamental rights as citizens of a democracy: redress of grievance to those elected to represent us.

More than 300 citizens state-wide recently sent a letter to Sen. Olympia Snowe, stating that American people no longer trust the Bush administration to tell the truth or to bring these hostilities to an honorable conclusion.

Evidence of this can be found in a recent ABC-Wall Street Journal Report: 57 percent of those surveyed felt that “President Bush deliberately misled people to make the case for war in Iraq.”

The letter also states that there is a growing perception that the invasion and occupation of Iraq is immoral and illegal and should have merited vigorous and transparent public dialogue. Repeated appeals to Sen. Snowe to participate in a public “town meeting” forum, to listen to the voices of concerned Maine citizens, have been ignored or rebuffed.

These citizens want Sen. Snowe to know that it is abundantly clear that this war is based on lies, manipulated intelligence and false statements used in major speeches of Secretary Powell, Vice President Cheney and President Bush, in order to justify the invasion. Our elected officials owe their allegiance to the people who elected them, and to the truth, not to an administration that has betrayed both the Congress and the American public. Sen. Snowe must understand that the people of Maine cannot afford to continue to pay for this debacle. Corruption and mismanagement of huge sums of money by favored corporations has shocked the world. Congress has voted for over $30 billion for Iraq reconstruction. Yet, little is known just where this money has gone, for there is precious little reconstruction to be seen. The Iraqi troops, who will be replacing U.S. troops, are poorly armed and have inadequate body protection. As far as we know, no funds have been allocated for troop withdrawals. October and November 2005 have been the deadliest months yet for U.S. and Iraqi military personnel in Iraq, with no clear goals and no end in sight. Iraq is owed reparations, not more blood.

Four demands are made in this letter, asking Sen. Snowe to break ranks with the Bush administration, as other moderate Republicans are beginning to do – four actions that would show she deserves our confidence:

1. Support legislation to end the war now.

2. Admit she was lied to.

3. Stop the funding the war.

4. Bring our troops home now.

In order to solicit an open, public response to these issues, the letter invites Sen. Snowe to a press conference that is to be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at her office in Bangor. Those who share these concerns are invited to join us.

Nancy Galland is a resident of Stockton Springs.