How Will You End This War?
By Tina Richards
I’ve received emails thanking me for speaking out on behalf of my son and other troops serving in Iraq. In addition,
I’ve received questions about my exchange with Rep. David Obey that was videotaped by a citizens news group, Kathleen
Gabel and Tyler Westbrook, that is documenting the peace movement in the halls of Congress. They’ve covered my visits
with other members of Congress as well as the work of other citizens working to end the war.
I’ve come to Washington, DC because my son Cloy, who has been honorably discharged from the Marines with the
presidential unit citation, is now facing a possible third deployment. Cloy is suffering from undiagnosed traumatic
brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. As Cloy says in one of his poems "every time I look in the mirror I see
a casualty of the war." (You can see on http://grassrootsamerica4us.org the impact the war has had on him through his poetry.)
Like other soldiers, my son has suffered neglect. Therefore, I’ve also been lobbying Congress on the inadequate
treatment our troops receive in the VA system – my son is not an isolated case. He should not be going back. Indeed it
is time to bring all our sons and daughters home from Iraq.
Although my senators have offered to help Cloy individually, he has refused special treatment unless they are also
actively working to bring home all his brothers and sisters. He is a Marine and will not leave his fellow soldiers
behind.
My unplanned meeting with Rep. David Obey in the hallway was an opportunity to ask the Chairman of the Appropriations
Committee, the committee that will write the budget for the Iraq War and occupation, how he will use the ‘power of the
purse’ to bring the war to an end. The frustration he showed in his response to my questions was understandable. Many in
Congress who know the war is wrong feel unable to do all they can to end it.
On November 7th, Nancy Pelosi was given a mandate by the American people to bring our troops home. It time for Speaker
Pelosi to spend her political capital.
As a citizen, I am confused why the Democrats are working from President Bush’s appropriation when his party lost the
2006 election because of the war. The new majority should write their own supplemental budget bill based on the views of
the vast majority of Americans, majority of troops in Iraq, and majority of Iraqis – one that ends the war, brings the
troops home safely and takes care of them when they return.
I hope to meet with Rep. Obey and I have been contacted by Speaker Pelosi’s office to schedule an appointment to meet
with her. I want to understand how they are going to end the war.
As a mother of a Marine I have a personal interest, but it is an interest shared by other mothers whose sons and
daughters are in Iraq – we want this war to end. We want U.S. troops to come home. We want our sons and daughters cared
for when they return. We want our country to live up to its highest ideals and help Iraq rebuild its country, provide
support to a regional peace keeping force and talk with the other countries in the region about how to reduce the
violence and bring stability to the Middle East. We want to see the damage of this war undone.
I have seen the horrors of war through my son’s eyes. Therefore I ask "How will you end this war?"
Sincerely,
Tina Richards, Grass Roots America, CEO
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Below are some questions I have received:
Q. Did you set him up?
A. I Didn’t. I heard there was going to be an occupation of his office and I wanted to get there early to try once again
to get an appointment. I have been there a dozen times and never ran into him and did not expect to run into him.
Q. But the camera was shooting up?
A. The camera woman is short. There was another gentleman there that took pictures of Rep. Obey, the camera woman with
the large camera and myself. It wasn’t hidden.
Q. Why are you here when your son is in trouble?
A. I’ve been home two years taking care of him when the VA hasn’t. I need to stop his deployment. After his second tour
of Iraq, I promised myself as a mother to never feel powerless again. DC is where I could stop the deployment.
Q. Why are you asking for money on your website?
A. I have sold my house, given every penny to help my son and to end this war. I have no money left. I planned to go
home after January 29th and return to being a banker in which I earn a nice salary. I’m living on a couch in Maryland.
Q. Who’s funding you?
A. I’ve received $10 and $15 checks mostly, and some others like a $50 check from a Lt. Col. in Fargo N. Dakota. I have
raised about $3,000 in the last few months which I’ve used to support my son, my daughter and myself. I’ve also
increased my credit card balances – the only thing in my finances that has increased.
Q. Why did you give the video to the media?
A. We shot it on Monday and deliberated for three days as to whether we should show it or not. We finally decided to
show it as it reflected the frustration we all feel, citizens and lawmakers alike.
Q. Why won’t your elected officials help?
A. After everything that has happened, my son refuses to be their political pawn. Unless they are working to bring his
brothers and sisters home, he will not accept their help. He is a Marine and will not leave his fellow soldiers behind.
Q. How can I help?
A. Congress needs to palpably FEEL the presence of we the people, to hear us, and know that we mean it. There cannot be
too many voices!
Ask them, “How will you end this war?”
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“We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step
outside and take some action to help stop this war.”
-Molly Ivins
ENDS