When EPIC first began its advocacy efforts back in June, The Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act (H.R. 2265) only had 14 cosponsors. As of 8/8/07, it has 57. But we're not done yet.Congress is out of session now through the end of August, which means "recess" for members. But just because the bell has rung doesn't mean your Senators and Representatives are off the hook on helping Iraqi refugees. Here's how you can help make sure they do their homework to help solve the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and protection situation for 4.2 million innocent Iraqi civilians who have been displaced by violence.
STEP #1. If you have not already done so and your representative is not on the list below, send a letter through our action center.
STEP #2. Place a follow-up call. You can find your members' numbers on congress.org or through the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ask for the legislative assistant handling the Iraq refugee crisis, and tell him or her that the time is NOW to cosponsor H.R. 2265 and thus protect and assist innocent Iraqi refugees. If you haven't received a letter from your member in response to your action in Step #1, be sure to ask why. And please email EPIC to let us know how your member's office responded -- the more info we have, the more effective our advocacy will be.
STEP #3. Schedule a visit with your representative. Most members are home for the month of August, and you can find their local contact info through congress.org. So give a call and set up a meeting to express your concern for Iraqi refugees, and again, be sure to let us know how it goes.
STEP #4. Tell a friend. Copy the text of this blog or forward one of your EPIC member communications. If you get just one other person to take action, you are doubling the strength of your own action, and adding impact to our message.
STEP #5. Support EPIC's advocacy work through a donation. Contributions from our members are what keeps EPIC hard at work even when Congress is at recess. Every dollar makes us that much more effective in our mission of building peace and protecting the innocent in Iraq.
Here is the list of cosponsors as of 8/8/07, organized by date of sign-on:
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] - 5/10/2007
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] - 5/10/2007
Rep Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] - 5/10/2007
Rep McGovern, James P. [D-MA-3] - 5/16/2007
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-11] - 5/16/2007
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-12] - 5/16/2007
Rep Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28] - 5/21/2007
Rep Capps, Lois [D-CA-23] - 5/21/2007
Rep McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] - 5/24/2007
Rep Baird, Brian [D-WA-3] - 6/5/2007
Rep Holt, Rush D. [D-NJ-12] - 6/5/2007
Rep Sestak, Joe [D-PA-7] – 6/7/2007
Rep Dingell, John D. [D-MI-15] - 6/11/2007
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI-2] - 6/11/2007
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6] - 6/13/2007
Rep Moran, Jerry [D-KS-1] - 6/15/2007
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-14] - 6/15/2007
Rep Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10] - 6/15/2007
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI-2] - 6/15/2007
Rep Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5] - 6/15/2007
Rep English, Phil [R-PA-3] - 6/15/2007
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [D-CA-39] - 6/15/2007
Rep Watson, Diane E. [D-CA-33] - 6/18/2007
Rep Payne, Donald M. [D-NJ-10] - 6/19/2007
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] - 6/19/2007
Rep Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-15] - 6/20/2007
Rep Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] - 6/21/2007
Rep Pomeroy, Earl [D-ND] - 6/21/2007
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA-8] - 6/21/2007
Rep Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] - 6/21/2007
Rep Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12] - 6/21/2007
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC] - 6/22/2007
Rep Israel, Steve [D-NY-2] - 6/22/2007
Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T. [R-MD-1] - 6/22/2007
Rep Wexler, Robert [D-FL-19] - 6/25/2007
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [R-NC-3] - 6/27/2007
Rep Frank, Barney [D-MA-4] - 6/27/2007
Rep Hooley, Darlene [D-OR-5] - 6/28/2007
Rep Davis, Tom [R-VA-11] - 7/11/2007
Rep Snyder, Vic [D-AR-2] - 7/11/2007
Rep Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-7] - 7/16/2007
Rep McDermott, Jim [D-WA-7] - 7/16/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] - 7/17/2007
Rep Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] - 7/17/2007
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22] - 7/17/2007
Rep Olver, John W. [D-MA-1] - 7/18/2007
Rep Allen, Thomas H. [D-ME-1] - 7/23/2007
Rep Jackson, Jesse, Jr. [D-IL-2] - 7/23/2007
Rep Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] - 7/24/2007
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA-8] - 7/24/2007
Rep Welch, Peter [D-VT] - 7/31/2007
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-14] - 7/31/2007
Rep Filner, Bob [D-CA-51] - 7/31/2007
Rep Berkley, Shelley [D-NV-1] - 8/2/2007
Rep Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2] - 8/2/2007
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-8] - 8/2/2007
Rep Davis, Susan A. [D-CA-53] - 8/2/2007
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4] - 8/3/2007
3 comments:
As we had an obligation to the Vietnamese people in the closing end of the war in Vietnam, when the Americans realized it was a lost cause and pulled out so we have an obligation to the Iraq people - not to leave them to the factions and violence because they are on the wrong side of religion or because they helped the Americans. As the Americans disengage from Iraq, I request special consideration, just as we had for the Vietnamese people who might have faced retribution at home once the Communists took over Vietname.
We do need to do as much as possible as we contemplate a pull out. We all have to stay aware of what's going on and contact anyone within our reach to keep up the pressure so more innocent people are not hurt.
Just wanted to comment on the great shot of the Capitol Building at the top of your blog. I like it.
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