This arrived in the mailbox this week. Our reponse is included.
Dear Mr. Sundwall:
I read Jake Palmateer's story in this morning's Daily Star about your joining the race for John Sweeney's seat in the 20th Congressional District. I live in the 24th, although my mailing address is still in Harpersfield where I lived for ten years.
I'm writing to ask you to pledge in your program to vote to eliminate depleted uranium munitions from the United States military arsenal and to promise to vote to bring home promptly and unconditionally all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
My website, "We're Not in Kansas Anymore," has been running a series of articles dedicated to the Rainbow Division of the New York National Guard including "Depleted Uranium For Dummies." This piece turned a sleepy literary website into Grand Central Station. In the time it has taken me to draft this letter, the site has welcomed two-dozen new visitors and received thousands of hits.
The "Dummies" piece has been posted on more than one hundred other websites, including Information Clearing House and After Downing Street and has prompted a number of responses, many from active duty soldiers or veterans and their families.
As you read this, hundreds of people are reading on our website the following words from the current blog:
The 2006 election is nine months away. Are you registered to vote? Have you called your congressperson, senator, or local opposition candidates?
We did—earlier this month. We emailed all five candidates for New York's 24th Congressional district. We also reached both Democratic contenders for New York's 20th district.
We urged that they check out this website and our sources.
Four out of seven responded promptly--with thanks. These were Michael A. Arcuri, Kirsten Gillibrand, Leon Koziol, and Les Roberts, all Democrats. Like the overwhelming majority of citizens, they were not fully informed about depleted uranium. Their positions on eliminating D.U. and promptly withdrawing the troops will be announced on www.notinkansas.us.
Now that you understand D.U., you can oppose the position of many "Bush-lite" Democrats who want to withdraw some troops but to increase the tonnage of D.U. bombs dropped in civilian areas. Only ignorance prevents them from realizing this policy will kill more American troops than Iraqi resistance fighters.
Imagine the long-range effects on 26 million Iraqi civilians. Do you want that on your conscience?"
Since this was posted, we have received powerful pledges from one of the candidates in the 24th, one of the candidates for Hillary Clinton's post, and from a number of Congressional candidates in other states. Here are two examples of the candidate pledges we have received:
"I pledge to introduce legislation to remove all DU from the US arsenal. I also pledge to introduce legislation to require the United States to clean up all sites contaminated by US DU, to provide lifetime care to all US service members exposed, and to compensate victims and property owners."
"I pledge to vote to eliminate all depleted uranium munitions from the United States military arsenal. I have been actively engaged in this issue, crafting a resolution with a California assemblyman to require the California National Guard to inform enlistees of the risks they face with exposure to toxic DU in Iraq and Afghanistan."
In our next blog, we promised these candidates that we would post their comments in prominent separate boxes on the home page with their photos and campaign information. We will recommend that our international audience contribute to their campaigns and ask local citizens to volunteer to help. We will also notify the local press of the candidates' positions on these issues.
We would like you to be part of this publicity campaign.
I also sent a copy of this appeal to Raymond Meier in the 24th and Edwin Pell in the 20th. We not heard from either or Ms. Gillibrand.
I hope to hear from your soon.
Irving Wesley Hall
We're Not in Kansas Anymore
www.notinkansas.us
Our response;
Eric Sundwall opposed the invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is the duty of Congress to declare war when the invasion or occupation of another country is at stake. Without adhering to this constitutional requirement, the American people ought to consider candidates and parties who will. He supports an immediate withdrawal of troops in over 700 military installations abroad. Congress should support something analogous to the Exit Strategy proposed by the Liberatarian Party.
The use of of Depleted Uranium in munitions should cease. The evidence that future native populations and the soldiers who serve may be harmed by it's use, is sufficient to call for the elimination of the use of depleted uranium in all munitions.