Fw: Urgent: NY Times ad for "Let the Inspections Work"

—– Original Message —–
From: Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org
To: Alexandra Reill
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 11:10 PM
Subject: Urgent: NY Times ad for "Let the Inspections Work"


Dear MoveOn member,
Yesterday, we launched a petition asking President Bush to let the weapons =
inspections in Iraq work (see below for a copy of the message). Little more=
than 24 hours later, over 70,000 of us have signed on. It's an immense res=
ponse – one of our best days ever.

Given the success of the campaign, we'd like to amplify the message by taki=
ng out a full-page New York Times advertisement. We have a shot at a slot t=
his coming Monday – if we can raise the money fast enough. This is perfect=
timing, because the hawks' PR campaign gunning for war will be launched on=
Sunday.

The Times is read by nearly 1.2 million people, including all the policy ma=
kers – placing an ad there can be a great way of reaching the right people=
. Groups including Physicians for Social Responsibility, the National Organ=
ization for Women, Earth Action, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, =
and the National Council of Churches will be signing with us. It'll look gr=
eat.

The problem is that ads in the Times are pricey, and we run on a shoestring=
budget. If we all pitch in a little, we can take over a page in one of the=
biggest newspapers in the country.

The ad text is copied below – it's the same as the letter from yesterday.=


We've found donors to match half of the ad's cost, which means that your gi=
ft now is worth twice as much. We have to raise about $28,000 by the end of=
the week. We can do it if everyone chips in.

You can make your gift right now by filling out the form below. When you hi=
t "Submit," you'll be taken to a secure form where you can enter your credi=
t card information and correct your name and address. That's it – it takes=
under a minute.



Name: Alexandra Reill
Email: [email protected]
Gift toward Iraq advertising: $
(Optional) Gift toward our operating fund: $



If the form doesn't work, just go to:
https://www.moveon.org/nytad/?id=935-1005826-RLLKzDJlwRqkyOuUEso9dw

In the ad, we'll publish the number of signers on our petition. In order fo=
r that number to be as high as possible, we need your help – just forward =
the message below to your friends with a note about why it's important to s=
ign up.

Thank you for all of your help. Together we will do everything possible to =
bring the Iraq crisis to a peaceful resolution.

Sincerely,
–Eli, Wes, Peter, Joan, and Carrie
MoveOn.org
December 5th, 2002

P.S. Here's the original message we sent yesterday. The ad text is at the e=
nd:



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Dear MoveOn member,

Inspections in Iraq have started. Most of us breathed a sigh of relief. Unf=
ortunately, it's become clear that the ultra-hawks in the Bush administrati=
on – Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle – will not take yes for an answer. While th=
e rest of the world thinks Iraq has backed down, these men are beginning a =
massive public relations blitz for war.

With the possibility of a peaceful resolution to this crisis at hand, we ca=
nnot allow a few men to push the world to war. Send a message to President =
Bush to let the inspections work at:

http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/

We'll compile your messages and present them to the Administration, includi=
ng Secretary of State Powell, and to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The good news is that the ultra-hawks face some serious opposition. Secreta=
ry of State Colin Powell and other members of the Bush Administration are w=
illing to give diplomacy a chance, and the State Department's interpretatio=
n of the U.N. resolution is a lot more reasonable than the White House's in=
terpretation.

But unless wiser heads prevail, this is what we should expect: (1) starting=
December 8th, members of the Bush administration will claim that Iraq is i=
n material breach of the U.N. resolution, citing supposed omissions in the =
coming multi-hundred page report, based on undisclosed intelligence; (2) so=
on thereafter some "hot" incident, like anti-aircraft fire on U.S. patrols =
in the no-fly zone, will be used to solidify public support for war, and fi=
nally (3) the bombing campaign will begin.

This could all begin before Christmas – another wonderful gift to the worl=
d from the Bush administration.

President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's ho=
ld him and his administration to those words:

http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/

Please sign on today. We must support policy makers who will oppose these f=
ew extremists in the Bush White House who have been looking for an excuse f=
or war from the very beginning.

Sincerely,

–Eli Pariser
International Campaigns Director
MoveOn.org
December 4th, 2002

P.S. Here's the text of the message we will send with the list of compiled =
individual comments:

Dear Mr. President,

On October 11, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution on Iraq that aut=
horizes you to use war as a last resort – if and only if diplomacy fails t=
o accomplish the U.S.'s national goals.

In this context, we are deeply concerned by your Administration's repeated =
attempts to frame Iraqi anti-aircraft fire within the no-fly-zone as a mate=
rial breach of the resolution. As U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and oth=
er U.N. diplomats have pointed out, the resolution clearly excludes such ev=
ents from its jurisdiction.

We are also concerned that you have already found Iraq's response "not enco=
uraging" when the inspectors have been at work only for a week and so far h=
ave not encountered Iraqi obstruction.

The United States has made a commitment to approaching the danger that Sadd=
am Hussein poses through the international community. The resumption of the=
inspections regime is a triumph for the U.S., international law and multil=
ateralism. But the United States will lose all credibility with its allies =
if it appears that it will go to war regardless of the inspections' success=
. And by alienating and infuriating allies through unilateral action, the U=
.S. could throw the success of the campaign against terrorism into jeopardy=
.

Mr. President, it appears that your administration is looking for an excuse=
to go to war, when a peaceful and just solution may be at hand. We ask tha=
t you live up to your word and give diplomacy a chance.

We can win without war.



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—–

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