An Open Letter to the voters of California Congressional District 8:

My Fellow Citizens:

At a January town hall meeting in San Francisco, you heard your congressional representative respond to hecklers shouting “No more money for war” with “The money is for the troops,'’ …”I’m not prepared to go against the troops’ having the equipment they need.”

Of course, you and I know that it is through the power to withhold funding that congress controls the prosecution of war; if funding were withdrawn, Bush would be forced to withdraw from Iraq. But Pelosi implies the absurd scenario in which he attempts to continue the war unfunded, something even Bush is unlikely to attempt.

At that same meeting, she discribed that war as “…a grotesque mistake … a tragedy,”

But evidence indicates that this “tragedy” is more than a mere “mistake”.

UC Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain explains her position:”A lot of the pressures of her constituency point to her taking a very aggressive position on withdrawing from Iraq. But her role as minority leader demands that she pick a position that does not damage the chances of Democrats in races around the country.”

Need I remind you that Ms. Pelosi is supposed to work for you; to represent you? Instead, we find her focused on the well-being and advance of the Democratic party.

In May 2006, she told the American Israel Political Action Committee:
“The greatest threat to Israel’s right to exist, with the prospect of devastating violence, now comes from Iran. For too long, leaders of both political parties in the United States have not done nearly enough to confront the Russians and the Chinese, who have supplied Iran as it has plowed ahead with its nuclear and missile technology.”

But there was, and has been, no evidence against Iran’s claim that their persuit of nuclear technology is strictly peaceful.

Already, we hear her beating the war drums for the next victim of the Washington war machine, Iran.

That same month, Edward Epstein of the San Francisco Chronicle reported: “(05-13) 04:00 PDT Washington — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco has told her caucus that the idea of impeaching President Bush isn’t in the cards if the party takes over the House in November’s elections.”

Is this what you would consider representing her constituents, or is it playing inside-the-beltway, don’t-rock-the-boat politics?

According to a Time magazine article on Pelosi this past August:

“The 66-year-old San Francisco lawmaker is an aggressive, hyperpartisan liberal pol who is the Democrats’ version of Tom DeLay…

To condition Democrats for this fall’s midterm elections, she has employed tactics straight out of DeLay’s playbook: insisting other House Democrats vote the party line on everything, avoiding compromise with Republicans at all cost and mandating that members spend much of their time raising money for colleagues in close races.

…if Democrats win back the 15 seats they need to form a majority, Pelosi will be richly rewarded. She would almost certainly become the first woman to be House Speaker.”

When you go to the polls this month, do you want to use your vote to advance the career of a professional politician?

According to a San Fran Chroncile October 16 story:

“If Democrats are in control of the House, the president will have to listen,'’ Pelosi said. “The only way to deal with him is as a co-equal branch of government.'’

As speaker, Pelosi would probably be Bush’s most visible opponent until Democrats settle on a presidential candidate in 2008. She would have a critical role in deciding how deeply the House should investigate the administration, though she has insisted that she has no appetite for impeachment.

“We don’t have time for that,'’ Pelosi responded last week in Portland, Ore., when a participant at a forum suggested that impeachment proceedings should be the first order of business for a Democratic House. “We’re about the future, and we’re going forward.'’

And yet, “Bush is an incompetent leader. In fact, he’s not a leader,'’ Pelosi said in a May 2004 interview with The Chronicle that attracted national attention for its sharpness. “He’s a person who has no judgment, no experience and no knowledge of the subjects that he has decided upon.”

Given Bush’s war crimes, and his assault on our civil liberties, are you willing to settle for that?

Again, in an interview in October with CBS’s “60 Minutes”, Pelosi pledged that impeachment was off the table; it would be a “waste of time”.

And what about the war against the people of Iraq, a war for which you and I bear responsiblity? What effect would the Democrats assuming control of congress have?

According to chairman Howard Dean,”The president will still be in charge of foreign policy and the military … I don’t imagine we’re going to be able to force the president to reverse his course”.

With control of the pursestrings, how not?

Disturbing, perhaps, but it should come as no surprise. The Iraq war is but one aspect of Washington’s imperialist agression. An agression in which Dean and Pelosi have as much a vested interest as Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.

For in reality, the Democrats and the Republicans only masquerade as two separate and distinct political parties. In reality, they are functionally two competing factions of the same party; a party dedicated to their mutual imperialistic ambitions. A party dedicated to WAR.

Fortunately, you, the electorate of California congressional district 8 will have a unique historical opportunity.

An oppurtunity to break the cycle of agressive war before it brings our nation down.

An opportunity to break the war party’s grip on power in Washington.

But as with any historical event, it takes the courage of a few to get get it started.

You are, I submit, those few, for our time.

So when you stand alone and anonymous in the voting booth, don’t concern yourselves with not “wasting” your vote. Instead, find the courage in your hearts to do the extraordinary, follow the dictates of your conscience, and reject the War Queen Incumbent.

Make this a real two-party race that will resonate in American history for generations. Let the stroke of your hand be the beginning of the end to war crimes as business as usual.

And the beginning of a new era in American history. An era of peace.

Make the election for California Congressional district 8 a real two-party race:

http://www.krissyforcongress.com/

http://www.choosepeacenow.us/home/

As my friend, The Question Everything Lady would say;

“Peace 2U”

Robert Noval,
—The Bikemessenger