:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 2.26.2003 ::

:: I Virtually Marched ::

Well, I registered through MoveOn.org for the Virtual March on Washington taking place today between 9am and 6pm EST. In the process of signing up, I was asked what message I intended to deliver. I hadn't considered it specifically, but managed to write down the following off the top of my head that's been plagued with a bit of an ache today, I'm afraid:

George W. Bush, although giving some apearance of attempting to act in concert with members of the Security Council, has said that he will order military action against Iraq even without explicit UN approval. A bigger question at the moment, however, is not whether or not the administration will render NATO or the UN S.C. irrelevent in the future, but whether or not Bush cares what his own country thinks. Bush seems driven by a private agenda, pushing relentlessly toward war as if alternatives do not exist, arrogantly dismissing a swelling chorus of legitimate concerns from within the US and all over the world.

The President needs to try again to make his case before the US. His attempts thus far have been woefully inadequate, relying on rhetoric and sometimes spurious evidence. I also don't think the potential consequences of a war in Iraq have been properly considred. It is apparent to myself and many others that Bush needs to take this very complex situation much more seriously before setting a plan into motion that will be irreversible and potentially disastrous for us and the international community.

Mathew Beale
blognation@hotmail.com

[I also added the following first sentence from the organization's template: I am a constituent of yours and I write today as a participant in Win Without War's Virtual March.]

Once I registered, I was given a calling time along with contact information for my Senators. Everyone who signs up is scheduled thus, assuring a steady stream of calls throughout the working day -- aiming for one a minute both to the US Senate and the White House. My calls are set to commence @ 5:35pm EST.

I also signed up with TrueMajority.org to send free faxes to my Senators. There's a related link from MoveOn.org once you're registered. Beyond that, I also went the e-mail route -- overkill, anyone? -- sending them thus far to not only my Senators (yep, they'll curse my name soon enough), but also to my Congressional rep. A simple search through Google should be able to produce needed electronic contact information. I'll probably send Dubya an e-mail as well. I'm sure that Condoleeza can read it to him. ;)

That reminds me, here's the contact info for the White House:

The White House Phone Numbers
COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

White House E-Mail Addresses
President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Back to my own particular message: tis challenging to collect one's thoughts on such an important issue so quickly, trying to speak succinctly, and so forth. But I'm sure that I don't even have to mention that an original expression is highly preferable to copying WWW's "talking points." In any case, there's a hell of a lot more to say, and I'm sure that I'll find a way to express some of those things here @ this blog over the coming weeks.

If you have concerns about what seems to be an inevitable war with Iraq, there's still time to participte in this unique event.

You can also visit the "antiwar room" to see the comments of registered participants appearing at their individually scheduled call in times. So, mine should appear @, again, 5:35pm EST. It's a bit chaotic, but worth checking out. At the time of my visit (just after 4pm) they had already passed the 343,000 call mark.

posted by me

:: 3:01:00 PM [+] ::
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