AN OPEN LETTER TO JOURNALIST RE: THE LUCKY 13

You know we the people need a working Fourth Estate. Below is a letter written to Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House  Committee on Oversight and Government Reform It is self explanatory. Please read it, investigate and report it. It is heartbreaking. What does the future hold without courageous journalists to side with the people against those that are buying and selling our government to pillage us all? It’s time to pick a side. I don’t think there is a time in history that we have needed you more. Please. We are begging you.

Sincerely,

Jeanette Borges 

foundingfathersmarchATcfl.rr.com

email me for address and phone number

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Friday, May 13, 2011

Representative Darrell Issa

Chairman Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

2347 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

RE:  THE “FOR SALE 13” & REP.  MCKEON

Dear Representative Issa:

As you and the rest of the members of Congress, well know, the House Armed Services Committee, headed by Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), decides on the more than $600 billion annual defense budget, which is about one third of the discretionary federal budget and up to $1.2 TRILLION for the entire national security budget (depending on how one crunches the numbers).

This week that committee debated that budget, but not before Rep. McKeon. organized a fundraiser on February 15, 2011 to solicit campaign contributions from lobbyists and companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp., the Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. through defense contractor political action committees , for Republican Reps. Vicky Hartzler (MO), Scott Palazzo (MS), Austin Scott (GA), Jon Runyan (NJ), Mo Brooks (AL), Chris Gibson (NY), Tim Griffin (AR), Joe Heck (NV), Scott Rigell (VA), Martha Roby (AL), Bobby Schilling (IL), Allen West (FL) and Todd Young (IN). All are newly elected and all attended this fundraiser before deciding what to do with billions and billions of our taxpayer money.

The newly elected (13) Tea Party candidates who came in with talk of cutting spending and being anti-establishment, quickly warmed to the ways of Washington. An analysis of the voting patterns on those 13 votes found that not only were  the Freshmen not the ones leading the charge to cut defense, but have also added funds to programs that the Pentagon did not even seek (unnecessary defense pork)..

Mr. Issa, it is well known that Congress has legalized bribery calling it campaign contributions and corruption is hard to prove, but this is blatant. These people are not up for re-election any time soon.  So why? Why  ask for money days before deciding what to do with billions and billions of our taxpayer money? You know why. They were soliciting bribes. Rep. McKeon introduced them to how it’s done. Just like a monkey in suit is still a monkey, campaign contributions when Congress legalized bribery, is still a bribe. Mr.Issa this is blatant and in your face corruption and we ask that you tie those bribes to their votes for unnecessary defense pork.

In the judiciary we have an ethics rule that states  “avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety”. Even the appearance of impropriety casts a shadow over the judiciary as an institution. Rep. McKeon and the “for sale 13” have cast a shadow on the whole of our political system and on you too, as head of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. You know well that this fundraiser was just a “for sale” sign to take from we the people and give to the highest bidders. McKeon  has been a major beneficiary of defense contractor campaign contributions since first becoming the Committee’s ranking member and later its chairman as seen on OpenSecrets.com[1]. The “fundraiser” proved to be lucrative for the “13 for sale” corrupt freshmen as seen in the quarterly filings with the Federal Election Commission. The filings also show how McKeon is using money – raised through defense contractor contributions – to curry favor within the Republican membership of his committee.[2]

A corrupt Congress is the reason for our trillion dollar debt. We have Bush tax cuts while waging 4 wars due to corruption. We have a monopoly on prescription drugs and subsidies for price gouging prices for drugs due to corruption. We now have subsidies for health care insurance monopolies with no competition and no anti trust laws due to corruption. The cost of health care is so high because of corruption. Policies have doubled in price since the health care reform passed due to corruption. Tuition in colleges have soared because of subsidies due to corruption. We have sky rocketing gas prices that are fixed by Wall Street when Congress could stop that in its tracks due to corruption. We have bank bailouts due to corruption. We have subsidies to every corporation imaginable due to corruption. We have foreign aid that is used to buy arms from our military industrial complex due to corruption.

But worse then all of that are the eternal wars for the profits of the industrial military oligarchs due to corruption. The wars and that whole being strong on defense propaganda? Well that is just justification for the corruption even if it means trillions in debt that we have to pay and the added crime of bringing home our kids broken and in body bags from foreign lands. What kind of slime sells out an entire people just to rub shoulders with rich, corporate parasites, like some badge of honor? We have elected peacocks and ass kissing, subservient, cowards that have betrayed us all.

Trillions of dollars are being pillaged from the American people to take from us and give to the highest bidder due to corruption. Congress is incapable of managing our money because of corruption. We have trillions in debt because politicians give our money to their campaign contributors. The “for sale 13” are proof that even with trillion dollars in debt corrupt whores in Congress won’t stop.  God help us, when will we get rid of all of these corrupt politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike? When will we ever have a government of, by and for the people again?

In the name of the millions of people that watch powerless as all of this pillaging and corruption unfolds and trillions are stolen from us to give to them, while puppet media remains silent, I ask that you investigate and get these people out of Congress, knowing full well that pigs will fly before anyone, anywhere does anything to make that happen. Regardless, whores cannot be stewards of our money.

Please investigate them. In the meanwhile we will copy the media who collude with this pillaging and are inextricably linked to corporate profits, Wall Street and the war profiteers. There has to be some law somewhere that protects we the people from being raped by the whores in Congress so we might as well contact the FBI or Eric Holder even though Congress has probably covered that too. It is no wonder some in Congress oppose any transparency when it comes to campaign contributions and defense contractors. You know Congress may have created laws to cover up their crimes and they may escape criminal justice, but they won’t escape ours forever. This cannot last too much longer, because people are boiling.

Congress must take the money out of elections. The government of the United States does not represent the American people. Congress does not represent the people. It represents the oligarchs. The way campaign finance and elections are structured, the American people cannot take back their government by voting. A once proud and free people have been reduced to serfdom. I hope you are on the right side of this. If you aren’t you are not alone. It takes an army of corrupt slime to turn a democracy into an oligarchy without one shot fired and its our own fault.

Most sincerely,

Jeanette Borges

foundingfathersmarchatcfl.rr.com

Other letters at www.governmentforsale.blogspot.com, http://www.ourrighttoknow.blogspot.com/ , http://antiwarpending.blogspot.com/

cc: United States Senate, United States House of Representatives

CC: Shepard Smith/FOX, Bill O’Reilly/FOX, Sean Hannity/FOX, Bret Baier/FOX NEWS, Greta van Susteren/FOX, Roger Ailes/FOX NEWS, John Scott/FOX NEWS, Mike Wallace/FOX NEWS, Chris Matthews/MSNBC, Keith Oberman/Current TV, Rachel Maddow/MSNBC, Dylan Rattigan/MSNBC, Anderson Cooper/CNN,Katie Couric/NBC,Editor Associated Press News Room, Marcus Brauchli Editor Washington Post,Thomson Editor Wall Street Journal News Room,Producer ABC News, Jon Meachum, Editor Newsweek, Editor Time Magazine/Editor US News &World Report,Randy Lovely, Editor Arizona Republic,Editor Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Editor Baltimore Sun,Martin Baron, Editor The Boston Globe,Joe Sciacca, Editor The Boston Herald, Rick Thames Editor/The Charlotte Observer, Donald Hayner Editor Chicago Sun-Times, Gerould W. Kern Editor Chicago Tribune,Debra Adams Simmons Editor Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ed Kelley Editor Daily Oklahoman, Robert W. Mong, Jr. Editor Dallas Morning News, Gregory L. Moore Editor Denver Post, Rick Green Editor Des Moines Register, Paul Anger Editor Detroit Free Press, Jim Witt Editor Fort Worth Star Telegram, Jeff Cohen Editor Houston Chronicle, John Wilburn, Russ Stanton Editor Los Angeles Times, Aminda Marqués Gonzalez Editor Miami Herald, Martin Kaiser Editor The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nancy Barnes Editor Minneapolis Star Tribune, Editor Newsday, Peter Bhatia Editor The Oregonian, Stan Sischnowski The Philadelphia Inquirer, David Shribman Editor Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Arnie Robbins Editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bob Hawkins Editor San Diego Union-Tribune, Ward H. Bushee Editor San Francisco Chronicle, David Butler Editor San Jose Mercury News, Editor Seattle Times, David Boardman Editor, David Hunke, Publisher USA Today, Marcus Brauchli EditorThe Washington Post,Producer CNN, Producers CSPAN, Producers National Public Radio, Producers PBS, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, Bill Keller Editor The New York Times, Jon Stewart The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Editor Politico.com, John Hillkirk, Editor USA Today, Brian Gallagher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Publisher New York Times,  Bill Keller, Editor New York Times, Russ Stanton Editor Los Angeles Times, Raju Narisetti, Elizabeth Spayd, Managing Editor Washington Post, Shirley Carswell, Kevin Keane Editor The Oakland Tribune, Gerould W. Kern, Editor Chicago Tribune, Paul Krugman/NY Times, David Brooks/NY Times, Maureen Dowd/NY Times, Thomas Friedman/NY Times, Adam Nagourney/NY Times, David E. Sanger/NY Times, Philip Taubman/NY Times, David Shipley/NY Times, Frank Rich/ NY Times, David Leonhardt/ NY Times, Hendrik Hertzberg/ NY Times, Steve Coll/ The New America Foundation, Ezra Klein/ Washington Post, Christiane Amanpour/ ABC News, Katrina Vanden Heuvel The Nation, Editor/ The Nation, Editorial Submissions New York Media, Adam Moss New York Media, Eric Alterman/TheNation, Joe Scarborough/ Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski / Morning Joe, Willie Geist / Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle / Morning Joe, John Ridley / Morning Joe, Mr. Glenn Beck/FOX, Christopher Caldwell Senior Editor/The Weekly Standard, Fred Barnes Executive Editor/The Weekly Standard, William Kristol Editor/The Weekly Standard, Stephen Hayes Senior Write/The Weekly Standard, Charles Krauthammer/The Washington Post, Juan Williams/FOX, David Bohrman CNN Washington Bureau, Candy Crowly CNN Washington Bureau, David Gregory/Meet the Press, Betsy Fischer /Meet the Press, Rebecca Samuels /Meet the Press, Chris Donovan /Meet the Press

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[1] http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2010&cid=N00006882&type=I&newmem=N

Lockheed Martin   $52,000, Northrop Grumman $50,500, Boeing Co  $28,900, General Dynamics   $20,000, BAE Systems   $12,000, Alliant Techsystems   $10,000 $0 $10,000, GenCorp Inc $10,000  Raytheon Co   $10,000 amongst others

[2] Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/04/21/how-buck-mckeon-is-showing-gop-freshmen-the-ways-of-washington/#ixzz1MHkD8Uix

Dearest Journalist: A Desperate Plea

I think you, like most media in these United States, have a public relations problem. We the people need a working Fourth Estate.  I am writing to you who have access to the media to make a desperate plea to use your power. I appeal to your sense of professionalism, decency, ethics, duty and courage. I suggest this story:

When Obama said something about spreading the wealth it was called socialism by corporate oligarch media and boy was it a huge big deal. What is it called when the wealth is redistributed, taken from us in the middle and at the bottom, to give to the oligarchs at the top? There has to be a name for “it”. I doubt Congress will investigate themselves since they are responsible for “it”, but why haven’t “journalists” investigated “it” whatever “it” is called? We have the right to know what “it” is called and why “it” is happening. That is the job of the media right? So here is the story:

While the birther issue was the latest stupidity on corporate oligarch news, on a Sunday, May 1, 2011 the Commander in Chief and first Black President of the United States of America, President Barack Hussein Obama, announced to the entire nation and the world that Osama Bin Laden was dead. One would think that if Bin Laden was killed, the United States would declare “mission accomplished” and bring our troops home. 

That is the last thing we have been hearing from oligarch media and the politicians that mimic their message. They tell us that killing Bin Laden means we will be attacked again?  Hmm and then what?

Oligarch media is setting the stage for another terrorist attack and probably years and years of more wars. Instead of calling for the end to the wars, “journalists” are calling for the American people to double down on paying for even more war while cutting Social Security and Medicare. If that is the message from oligarch media it will be the message from corrupt politicians in Congress who serve the oligarchs.

Before May 1st, the issues of debt and deficits were front and center in the news. The budgets from both parties for 2012 continue to fund the wars and give tax cuts to the war profiteers on the backs of the American people. Not content with the taxes Congress is pillaging from us to give to the oligarchs they serve, they have “borrowed” from Social Security too. Over the past quarter century, $2 trillion in Social Security and Medicare surplus revenues have been used to finance wars and pork-barrel projects of the US government. The information comes from Paul Craig Roberts who worked for President Reagan. He is the Republican’s and oligarch media’s favorite president and this guy worked for him. The whole article is here: http://www.vdare.com/roberts/110309_social_security.htm

It used to be a crime to wage wars of aggression, but Fox News’ and all oligarch media outlets, have one hell of a propaganda campaign to cover up the theft from Social Security and Medicare to fund the wars. They have PR to convince the American people that entitlements are to blame for the trillions in debt and deficits and we have to cut them. Just like they sold us the wars, (2) they are selling like a pair of Nikes, the destruction of Medicare and Social Security to continue to pay for the wars. “Once we are rid of these leeches, we can really fight wars. And show people who is boss. Republicans and Democrats regard Social Security as an “unfunded liability,” that is, a giveaway that is interfering with our war-making ability. Alas, Social Security is an unfunded liability, because all the money working people put into it was stolen by Republicans and Democrats in order to pay for wars and bailouts for mega-rich bankers like Goldman Sachs”. (3)

On the Sunday news shows Paul Ryan has said that in order to raise the debt ceiling he wants to “Get a handle on future borrowing”. Previously John Boehner stated that there will be no raise to the debt ceiling unless something “big” is attached to it. On both counts the only thing that Congress can do that is both “serious”, “big” and “gets a handle on future borrowing” is to stop funding the wars especially now that Bin Laden is dead.  The very reason the debt ceiling is continuously raised is because of the wars! Oligarch media distracts us with a “balance budget amendment”. On whose backs do the oligarchs want to balance the budget if Congress continues to fund the wars for them? Do you see why we need to cut everything else and how that redistributes the wealth?

Oligarch media says nothing of corrupt politicians that continue to fund the wars, but want to cut funds for Planned Parenthood and Medicare and give tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations like Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., General Dynamics Corp., General Electric and KBR Inc., the biggest war contractors, amongst others? Oligarch media protects the wealth they are making courtesy of these wars by advocating to cut their taxes with the propaganda that tax cuts will create jobs. Does oligarch media think we are brain dead? Do you?

 The budgets for 2012 are more laws for those that can buy them, to take from us and give to them. The government of the United States does not represent the American people. Congress does not represent the people. It represents the oligarchs. The way campaign finance and elections are structured, the American people cannot take back their government by voting. A once proud and free people have been reduced to serfdom.

Shouldn’t you or can’t you call to stop war funding on the backs of the middle class? Can’t you expose the corruption in Congress and the redistribution of wealth product of these wars that is destroying the middle class?  The oligarch news about the debt is tailored to transform and gain public opinion to continue to pay for wars of aggression. Oligarch media is making policy and that policy includes making the American people pay for the waging of eternal wars of aggression for profit that is redistributing the wealth in this country. Wars of aggression are a whole other issue and a library could be written on the subject. There were Nuremberg trials for that crime! (Google Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda Ministry) (2) Shouldn’t you expose that?

One sweet day, maybe, just maybe, we will take back our government from the oligarchs that buy Congress. I dream of the day when oligarch media loses their licenses and are accused of waging wars of aggression and war propaganda. More then likely without courageous and professional journalists we will never have a government of, for and by the people. We do not have a Republican, Democrat or Tea Party problem. We have a corruption problem. When is corruption no longer just corruption? When is it betrayal of the worse kind? When it’s treason. When corruption and self preservation sells out a democracy to oligarchs it is treason.

What about you? Maybe you do not realize that we do not have a functioning free press and the damage that has done. How much of this are you responsible for? Have you given into self-censorship scared to lose your job, unknowingly selling out our democracy for an oligarchy for your own self preservation?  When do “journalists” and others in the media stop being puppets and become patriots? How much of this do you think the American people can take without a violent revolt if you, who have the power to do something, do nothing? 

  We need professional, decent, ethical, duty bound and courageous journalists and persons in the media. Without a free press and courageous persons who will speak truth to the true power in this country, without heroes, we have no hope of a Nation governed by the people where elections matter. We need soldiers to fight for this country where it is most needed: in the media. We need heroes. We need you. Isn’t that something you could do with the access you have to the media?

 Please I implore you to investigate and report about redistributive militarism (or whatever it is called), wealth inequality due to war funding, what it means in the countries where it exists and the blatant corruption in Congress. That is the purpose of a free press.  Our democracy is not on life support. It is dead due mostly to oligarch media. Without your help we cannot overcome what has happened. Congress is corrupt beyond belief and the disparity in wealth in this country reflects that corruption. It also says that the United States is no longer a government of, for and by the people.

We are dying down here and only you can stop this. If you can’t then you know someone that can. Please do the right thing. Isn’t that why you became a journalist? Please. We need your help.

Most sincerely,

Jeanette Dominguez

1457 Ash Circle #201 Casselberry, FL 32707

foundingfathersmarch@cfl.rr.com
305-319-1879

Cc: “Journalist” at NewsCorp, Disney, General Electric, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Viacom and Affiliates, Print Media United States, Clear Channel

References:
1) Wars of Aggression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_aggression 2) Joseph Goebbels Selling War –Look at the similarities between then and now http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb36.htm
3) Paul Craig Roberts who worked for President Reagan Re: Stealing from Social Security and Medicare to pay for the Wars http://www.vdare.com/roberts/110309_social_security.htm
4) War Profiteering and the Concentration of Income and Wealth in America: Escalating Military Spending
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5368 5)Who Rules America http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html 6) http://antiwarpending.blogspot.com/, http://governmentforsale.blogspot.com/, http://ourrighttoknow.blogspot.com/

Letter to Your Senator or Representative May 2, 2011 Re: War Spending 2012 Budgets

copy, paste and pass it on

May 2, 2011

Dear Senator:

On a Sunday, May 1, 2011 the Commander in Chief of the United States of America, President Barack Hussein Obama, announced to the entire nation and the world that Osama Bin Laden was dead. One would think that if Bin Laden was killed the United States would declare “mission accomplished” and bring our troops home. That is the last thing we have been hearing from oligarch media and the politicians that mimic their message. Have you heard? Killing Bin Laden means we will be attacked again. The stage is being set for another terrorist attack and probably years and years of more wars. Instead of oligarch media calling for the end to the war in Afghanistan, they are calling for the American people to double down on paying for even more war. If that is the message from oligarch media that will be the message from corrupt politicians in Congress who serves the oligarchs.

Before May1st, the issue of debt and deficits was front and center in the news. I am very upset because the budgets from both parties for 2012 continue to fund the wars and give tax cuts to the war profiteers on the backs of the American people. Neither budget does a damn thing to stop spending because they all fund the wars. Not content with the taxes Congress is pillaging from us to give to the oligarchs they serve, they have “borrowed” from Social Security too! The American people, your constituents, especially me, are waking up to that fact.

It is heartbreaking! Over the past quarter century, $2 trillion in Social Security and Medicare surplus revenues have been used to finance wars and pork-barrel projects of the US government. The information comes from Paul Craig Roberts who worked for President Reagan. He is the Republican’s and CORPORATE media’s favorite president and this guy worked for him! The whole article is here: http://www.vdare.com/roberts/110309_social_security.htm

While politicians and oligarch media continue to harp on the whole Medicare issue from Paul Ryan’s budget, in your town hall meetings and your newsletters “debating” the 2012 budgets, we want to hear the truth. The truth! Both these budgets continue to fund the oligarch wars and Congress continues to take from us to give to them, the war profiteers, even after Bin Laden is dead! Stop funding these wars especially since Bin Laden is dead! That is all we want to hear!

Fox News’ and all media outlets who are the protectors of oligarch war profiteering, have one hell of a propaganda campaign to cover up the funding taken from Social Security and Medicare for these wars of aggression. They have PR just to convince the American people that entitlements are to blame and we have to cut them. Just like they sold us the wars, they are selling like a pair of Nikes, the destruction of Medicare and Social Security.

“Once we are rid of these leeches, we can really fight wars. And show people who is boss. Republicans regard Social Security as an “unfunded liability,” that is, a giveaway that is interfering with our war-making ability. Alas, Social Security is an unfunded liability, because all the money working people put into it was stolen by Republicans and Democrats in order to pay for wars and bailouts for mega-rich bankers like Goldman Sachs”.

In addition, on the Sunday news shows Paul Ryan said that in order to raise the debt ceiling he wants to “Get a handle on future borrowing”. Previously John Boehner stated that there will be no raise to the debt ceiling unless something “big” is attached to it.

On both counts the only thing that anyone can do that is both “serious”, “big” and “gets a handle on future borrowing” is to stop funding the wars and the American  Empire all over the planet, especially now that Bin Laden is dead. That is the only serious measure anyone can take that will appease the Tea Party, true conservatives, Democrats and Independents.

The very reason the debt ceiling is continuously raised is because of the wars!

Republicans and Teocons are falling short of their promise to the Tea Party to cut spending and will never do it, because they and other corrupt politicians continue to fund the wars, but want to cut funds for Planned Parenthood and Medicare and give tax cuts to the  wealthiest corporations like Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., General Dynamics Corp., General Electric and KBR Inc., the biggest war contractors, amongst others? Do they or you for that matter think we are brain dead?

Everyone in Congress keeps saying we have to get “spending under control”. No one in Congress can do that because their corruption continues to fund these eternal wars. Now, it seems Congress with oligarch media is preparing to make taxpayers double down on paying for eternal wars. There is no doubt in my mind that another terrorist attack is in the works to give Congress cover to continue pillaging us to give to the war profiteers. Please do what majority of all Americans want and what makes sense. Do your part to stop funding the highest bidders, the oligarchs that have put us into this mess. Stop funding the multiple wars we are in.

Do your part to stop stealing our democracy by continuing to serve the oligarchies that have bought the whole of Congress! The American people are waking up to the fact that there is no difference between Democrats or Republicans. Politicians from both parties are all bipartisan when it comes to corruption. They are bipartisan when it comes to giving to the banks, the health insurance and drug companies, the oil and gas companies and the military industrial complex.  

They are all bipartisan when it comes to taking from us and giving to them! They are all bipartisan when it comes to sending our troops to die in eternal wars and then making the masses pay for it!  What about you?

I hope you have the courage to do what needs to be done to stop stealing from the American people to give to the oligarchy that Congress treasonously serves.

In closing please add me to your newsletter list and I ask with utter sadness and rage: How could anyone betray our democracy in favor of an oligarchy? How could anyone be so cowardly and so corrupt?  You must save this country and you must save a government of, for and by the people.

Please, please stop funding the wars in the 2012 budget and  stop stealing from us to give to them. The American people are dangerously fed up with the corruption in Congress. Can’t you feel it?

Most sincerely,

Matt Reynolds
foundingfathersmarch@yahoo.com

PS. The government of the United States does not represent the American people. It represents the oligarchs. The way campaign finance and elections are structured, the American people cannot take back their government by voting. A once proud and free people have been reduced to serfdom thanks to a corrupt Congress that serves oligarchs.

This open letter to you can be found for all to see, copy and send to their “representatives” in Congress, here:

http://antiwarpending.blogspot.com/p/letters-by-title.html

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Go to the letters by title page and send one or send them all to your representatives. (See the contacts page) Pass this on to others. Unite with one overwhelming message to Congress: “we are fighting against your corruption so defund the wars” especially now that Bin Laden is dead!