Issues - Iraq

Cost of the War in Iraq

Above is a running total of the U.S. taxpayer cost of the Iraq War. The number, determined by the National Priorities Project ( NPP ), is based on Congressional appropriations. Check out the NPP site for more details, including how much Montana pays for the Iraq War.

Iraq Occupation Grinds On - Stop Pentagon Recruiters

U.S. Army generals have admitted that the occupation is going badly, with no end in sight. Many of us are angry and frustrated at our inability to end the quagmire. And every week brings new reports about Pentagon recruiters lying to our children to get them to join. Here are two things you can do:

Protect Your Kids From Pentagon Recruiters

The so-called No Child Left Behind Act has a little-known provision that mandates schools to provide our children's personal information to the Pentagon so they can be recruited into the armed forces. The law also allows parents and guardians to stop their kids's schools from providing this information to the Pentagon, but few know what is going on or how to stop it. A family privacy project from Working Assets, Mainstreet Moms and Acorn has tools to make it easy for you to opt out. Leave My Child Alone

Make The Pentagon Ask Permission

If you don't have children who are vulnerable to Pentagon recruiters, you can still help those of us who do. A bill in Congress would change this law and reverse the process, so parents would need to sign their kids up before their kid's information could be turned over to the Pentagon. It's an opt-in process, rather than the burden of opting out. To urge your congressperson to support this family protection bill, just go to Leave My Child Alone.

The war in Iraq will last longer unless more people demand its end. These tools provide easy ways for you to take action and to let friends and family know what they can do.

For more in-depth information go to the Institute for Policy Studies website.

Ending the Iraq Quagmire: A Real Exit Strategy

From the Institute for Policy Studies comes this January 2006 excerpt (title above) from their report on the mounting costs of war. It's a PDF file. Get it here.

Military Vaccine Education Center

Resource directory for active-duty troops, veterans, and others who are concerned about the military's mandatory bioterrorism vaccines. This site contains documented and public information; stories from the troops are first-hand accounts, posted with their permission.