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Dear Friends,
 Yesterday, the President spoke of our successes in Iraq and the milestones achieved in meeting the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq.
I can't help but note that there are still several problems created by us by the war. These problems will continue to challenge us, make it hard for Iraq and its future and present grave obstacles for the community of nations around the world.
In a nutshell, this is where we are:
The U.S. presence in Iraq is still overbearing even with the troop reduction from 165,000 to 50,000. As one news correspondent reported, a service person indicated there really is no difference between an advisor and a combatant.
The U.S. military's overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein did not lead to a better life for Iraqis -- just the opposite.
Life expectancy for Iraqis fell from 71 years in 1996 to 67 years in 2007 due to the war and destruction of the healthcare system.
 The majority of the refugees and internally displaced persons created by the US intervention have been abandoned.
Iraq still does not have a functioning government.
The Iraq War has left a terrible toll on the U.S. troops with more than one million American service members deployed, over 4,400 have been killed and tens of thousands severely injured. More than one in four U.S. troops have come home from the Iraq war with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment. PTSD rates in the military have skyrocketed. In 2009, a record number of 245 soldiers committed suicide.
The war has drained our treasury with over spent $750 billion on the Iraq War effort. This misappropriation of funds has contributed to the economic crises and left us without the funds needed for our schools, healthcare, infrastructure and a jobs program that are clean, green.
The U.S. officials who got us into this disastrous war on the basis of lies have not been held accountable.
The U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to account for $8.7 billion of Iraqi oil and gas money meant for humanitarian needs and reconstruction.
 The war has not made us more secure -- just the opposite.
Given this, please join me in calling on the President Obama and his Administration and on the Congress to take the following actions:
- Withdrawal of all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq and the closing of all U.S. bases;
- Reparations to help the Iraqis repair their basic infrastructure and increased funds for the millions of internally and externally displaced Iraqis;
- Full support for the U.S. troops who suffer from the internal and external wounds of war;
- Prosecution of those officials responsible for dragging our country into this disaster;
- Transfer the funds used for war into resources to rebuild America, with a focus on green jobs.
- The lessons of this disastrous intervention should also act as an impetus for Congress and the administration to end the war in Afghanistan. It's time to focus on defending ourselves here at home and rebuilding America.
Please join me in this important effort. The work for peace and the end of war cannot be postponed. It will not wait.
Call the White House and your members of Congress. Ask them to support these six items. Ask them to bring our troops home and give us budget priorities that will address human here at home and abroad. As we see what war and natural disasters have done, we know there is not a dollar to be wasted -- and certainly no need for those dollars to be spent on more destruction.
 I ask your support for this effort if you are able. Make a donation; no gift is too small. I appreciate every contribution.
Preach peace. Promote peace. Act on behalf of peace.
Sincerely yours,
Mark C. Johnson, Ph. D.
Executive Director
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