comments@whitehouse.gov. All Americans, indeed, all people, worldwide, who are indignant about U.S. Government approval of Israel's insanely vile attacks upon millions of Arabs over a few piddling captive Israeli soldiers should write directly to the White House to try to force change. Moreover, it may become necessary to the protection of your own life that you take a public stand against this madness, lest you be killed by "terrorists" who assume you to be their enemy.
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Therefore I suggest (a) that you send email to the President at the address above (comments@whitehouse.gov) to distance yourself from Bush's evil. Send yourself a copy, and print out the version you receive, which will contain the text with date and addressee showing you really did send that text to the White House. Tuck one copy into your passport to carry with you if you travel abroad. Carry a second copy folded up in your wallet. If you are ever taken captive by "terrorists" who want to hold you hostage or kill you for your presumed co-conspiracy in the crimes of Israel, you can tell them to check that email to display your good will toward the hideously wronged people of Palestine, Lebanon — Islam.
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You can as well send email messages of indignation demanding a change in U.S. policy to your U.S. Senators and Representative. Unfortunately, by far most Members of Congress now use feedback forms rather than accept emails from 'ordinary citizens'. I imagine that if you give $65,000 to their election campaign they might give you an email address thru which you can reach them directly. Those of us who don't bribe our Congressman or Senator to listen to our concerns, however, must use feedback forms. Still, you can cut-and-paste your email to the President into a feedback form for your Senators (remember, each resident of a U.S. state has two Senators) and Representative.
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You can of course vary your message for each recipient to argue the specific points you think most relevant to the particular Senator or Representative, rather than simply block-copy your message to the President and put a short introductory remark before it. Messages to individual members of both houses of Congress might actually be more effective in producing change, since (1) there are far fewer people writing to each member of Congress than to the President; (2) Representatives have to run for office more often (every two years) than does the President (four years), and tho the Constitution requires the President to retire after at most two full terms, members of Congress would like to think they can stay in office for decades, so anything that threatens that tenure is taken very seriously; and (3) U.S. Senators run less often (every six years) than either the President or Reps, but in non-presidential election years, they are the top of the ticket, so attract the bulk of the flak.
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The major parties are enormously concerned with retaining control of Congress, but especially of the Senate — which confirms or rejects appointees to courts and other major posts. The Senate is thus the weak underbelly of The System, especially in states of smaller population, since the enormous warchests necessary in huge states are not necessary to sustain a credible challenge to an incumbent. The Senate is also regarded as the more "deliberative" and "august" chamber of Congress, so people who stand for election to the 'elect' 100 of the Senate need to present themselves as more thoughtful and wise than those who seek only to join the 435 members of the House, most of whom are concerned most of the time with domestic matters, even local matters.
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Ever hopeful of helping to save the United States, my country, with which I deeply identify, from the indelible, irremovable disgrace it seems now to be descending, irredeemably, into, I dispatched the following email today to the White House:

The United States must denounce Israel and force it to end its inexcusable campaign of massive violence as collective punishment of millions of Arabs for kidnappings of a few Israeli soldiers by a few individual guerrillas. Cut off all aid to Israel, forever. Warn Israel that if it does not stop its attacks, the United States will bomb the Knesset and all Israeli military targets of every kind whatsoever, and simultaneously move in the United Nations to disestablish Israel and merge it into a United Palestine.
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For the United States to pretend that Israel's campaign of terror is "self-defense" is precisely the kind of insanely immoral and reckless rhetoric that has made all Americans targets for terror by decent people worldwide. If the U.S. smiles upon collective punishment for innocent Arabs, how can we object to being ourselves targeted for collective punishment? You not only stain the honor of the United States in co-conspiring in Israel's endless crimes, but also make a mockery of our indignation over 9/11 and every other past and future "terrorist" attack upon us, at home and abroad, upon Americans as a group or as individuals.
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I do not care to die for Israel. Nor do I care to be stained with the disgrace you bring to the United States, a country that used to stand for justice for the downtrodden but now stands for violent injustice against the helpless. I am ashamed of you, your Party, and the United States Government. I disown your entire foreign policy in the Middle East and hope that the people throw every single Republican out of office this November.

You should then receive a confirmatory email in this form:

On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.
We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions.
Due to the large volume of e-mail received, the White House is
unable to respond to every message, and therefore this response
is an autoreply.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

You could print that confirmation on the back of the printout of what you sent, as further proof that you really did try to stop the U.S. Government from doing the terrible things it does in our name. Such printouts might not be enuf to save you from being wrongly murdered by people who hold you personally responsible for the crimes of the U.S. Government, but it's your best chance of staying alive, and if enuf people demand an end to U.S. complicity in the outrages endlessly committed by Israel, we might actually cause a shift in policy.
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You think not? Oh, maybe not if the total number of emails objecting to U.S. policy in the Middle East were 6 or 1,000. But what if it were 40 million from within the United States and 300 million from the rest of the world, including 10 million from Dubya's only significant ally in Iraq, Britain? Bush caved on Gitmo. He might very well cave on Israel. But it will take an overwhelming number of emails, letters,* and phone calls (202-456-1111) to make an impression on a White House that thinks itself immune from criticism.
____________________

* The Hon. George W. Bush, President of the United States, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500.
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 2,546.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 2:18 PM