Important Film "Iraq for Sale," More Katrina Foreign Policy

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Important Film "Iraq for Sale," More Katrina Foreign Policy
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:24:58 -0500
From: John Kerry <[e-mail]>
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To: xxxx



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Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You and I know that President Bush and his administration have created a disaster in Iraq -- and instead of setting a deadline to bring our heroes home and make Iraqis stand up for Iraq, the administration says "stay the course."

Well, "staying the course" isn't far-sighted; it's blind. Leaving our troops in the middle of a civil war isn't resolute; it's reckless. Half of the service members listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall died after America's leaders knew our strategy would not work. It was immoral then, and it would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion.

This Administration is terrified that enough Americans now realize that the war in Iraq has overstretched our military, served as a recruitment tool for terrorists, divided and pushed away our traditional allies, diverted critical billions of dollars from the real front lines against terrorism, and diminished our moral authority in the world.

But that's not all. It has also been a massive failure of management. The idea that American troops were sent into battle without the body armor they needed, and that American tax dollars meant to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis instead lined the pockets of contractors and big corporations while the insurgency grew, is an outrage of historic proportions. It is a reminder of why we are right and why it is patriotic to stand up against a broken policy, and why the blank-check, rubber-stamp Washington Republicans need to be fired for their incompetence and irresponsibility.

But guess what? No one is hearing us yet. And the big Republican dollars flowing from the same Texas Republicans who funded the Swift Boat smears of 2004 are being spent in the hopes of making sure you and your families don't ever hear the truth over the noise of fear.

We need to fight back. That's why I need you to see, and I need you to get your friends and your family to go out and see, the new film by Robert Greenwald, "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," because here in the weeks before the midterm elections we need as big and broad and full-throated a debate as possible about the war in Iraq.

I sat down and watched this film. I watched as Sgt. Kelly Dougherty of the Colorado National Guard said, "The tents that we were staying in were completely moldy and everybody was getting sick with respiratory infections. They're getting millions of dollars, and why can't they even give us a tent that doesn't make us sick to sleep in?"

Good luck to the armchair Republicans sitting in Washington when they challenge our patriotism and say "support the troops" -- these are our sons and daughters in uniform reminding these Republicans that "we are the troops."

Once I saw this film, I knew we had to do something about it. That's why we're supporting Brave New Films as they organize screenings of "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" in locations across the country -- not in major movie theaters, but in your houses and those of your neighbors. On Saturday, October 14, I will be attending one of these screenings, and following the screening at 9:00 p.m. EDT, I will join Greenwald on a live conference call to discuss the implications of the film and what you can do to make a difference.

You can participate in next week's "Patriotism Over Profit" screenings in one of two ways: you can sign up to host your own screening, or you can sign up to attend a screening at a location near you.

I can host or attend a screening of "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" next week

It is important for this film to be watched, not in isolation, but with friends, family, and neighbors. "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" can do more than expose the errors of the past; it can foster discussion about the new course we can and must chart for the future. If you participate in a screening on Saturday, October 14, I look forward to joining you for this discussion at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

I can host or attend a screening of "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" next week

We have fewer than five weeks to spread the word before voters go to the polls on November 7. Please make your voice heard.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. If you are unable to host or attend a screening next week, you can order your own copy of "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" to watch and share with everyone you know.
Paid for by Friends of John Kerry.