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Christians deliver peace petitions to US senators

-23/05/05

Petitions by Christians have been hand-delivered to key US senators urging an end to the Iraq war.

Across the United States, people concerned about US military involvement in Iraq signed petitions organised by Quakers, affirming that “war is the wrong path.”

It was The American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) second delivery of the peace petitions in Washington, bringing the total to 50,000 who have signed the call to bring the troops home.

AFSC has called for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

The delivery of petitions was temporarily disrupted by the evacuation of the Capitol when a plane strayed into D.C.’s restricted airspace.

“I was particularly struck by the conversations we overheard as a river of staffers and senators flowed out of the Senate Office Building,” said Peter Lems, head of the AFSC Iraq program that sponsored the petition drive.

He observed; “Rumours that a plane was on the way towards Washington were interrupted by a construction worker who said, ‘You just gave 80 billion US dollars to bomb Iraq, what do you expect?'”

“We can only hope that some of those who were evacuated will come to realize that terror from the air and living in fear will never bring lasting peace,” Lems commented.

While in Washington, the Service Committee, a peace organization founded in 1917, hoped to convey to Senate offices its determination to continue to oppose more war funding and demonstrate growing support for a diplomatic – rather than military – solution to the conflict.

The visit coincided with U.S. Senate approval of the “Supplemental Appropriations Bill (HR 1268”), which provides continued funding for the Iraq war.

Many signed the petition during visits to AFSC’s traveling exhibition, “Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War in Iraq”, which has traveled across the United States. Over 1,600 pairs of combat boots, representing U.S. military who have died, provide a solemn reminder of the human cost of war.

The petition effort is part of the American Friends Service Committee “Wage Peace Campaign”. More than 50,000 people across the country are now wearing blue “Wage Peace” bracelets. Approximately 120,000 have viewed its two-minute on-line movie.

Details on the petition drive and the “Wage Peace Campaign” can be found at The American Friends Service Committee’s website.