From Military Families Speak Out, March 23:

House Votes to Continue Funding Iraq War;
Military Families Tell Pelosi: "You Bought This War—Now You Own It"
Today, Military Families Speak Out, the largest organization of military families speaking out against a war in the history of the United States, issued a "Certificate of Ownership for the Iraq War" to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and all who voted with the House Leadership to give President Bush the funding needed to continue the US military occupation of Iraq.

The certificate is headlined: "Certificate of Ownership — The War in Iraq: You Bought It, You Own It," and goes on to say: "In dubious recognition of your vote to continue funding the War in Iraq, we do hereby bestow upon you this Deed of Ownership." It is dated March 23, 2007, and signed by Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans against the War and Veterans for Peace.

The back of the certificate reads:

Warranty: With your purchase of this war comes a guarantee of:

* The deaths of 3 US troops and countless Iraqi children, women and men every day;
* Over 500 wounded US troops each month;
* Increased suicides among returning Iraq War Veterans;
* Increased destruction of marriages and families of Iraq War Veterans;
* Inadequate medical and psychological care for returning troops and Veterans;
* Depletion of the National Treasury;
* Under-funding of health care, education, social services for people in the US;
* Destruction of Iraqi infrastructure;
* Decreased credibility for the United States in the world community;
* Decreased readiness—short and long-term—of US military. 

"What we have just witnessed is a true failure of leadership," said Nancy Lessin, a co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, whose step-son served with the Marines in Iraq in spring, 2003. "People across this nation voted in November for an end to the war, not for Congress to provide President Bush with the funds to continue it. Our loved ones were first betrayed when they were sent off to fight a war based on lies. The US House of Representatives has betrayed them one again by abandoning them to this unjustifiable war."

"The House leadership apparently thinks that 1,500 more US troops and countless Iraqi children, women and men are expendable," said Charley Richardson, also a co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, "because that is the price of this bill that will extend the war until the end of August, 2008 and beyond. Congress has passed a bill that is rich in rhetoric about strict readiness requirements and a firm troop withdrawal deadline, but that allows President Bush to waive those readiness requirements and to keep tens of thousands of troops in Iraq beyond the already unacceptable 'deadline' of August, 2008. This bill reads more like a 2008 election strategy, than a serious effort by the House leadership to bring the war to an end."

See our last post on the Iraq war and the anti-war effort. See also our last statement from Military Families Speak Out