War Protesters to Flood Senate, White House With Calls
WASHINGTON—New Hampshire Sens. Judd Gregg and John Sununu said their offices are prepared to handle the hundreds of calls expected Wednesday from constituents participating in the Virtual March, an anti-war effort to flood Senate and White House offices with phone calls, e-mail messages and faxes protesting an attack on Iraq.
Sponsored by Win Without War-a coalition of 32 national organizations-the Virtual March aims to contact the offices every minute throughout the day. Coalition member MoveOn.org is the main organizer of the march, hosting registration on its website and assigning voters exact minutes to contact their own senators and President Bush.
“I always encourage New Hampshire residents to contact my office with their opinion on issues that concern them. Tomorrow is no exception,” Gregg said in a statement Tuesday. “My office is prepared for the possibility of a high volume of calls, e-mails and faxes, and I value the opinion of every Granite Stater who expresses their point of view regarding the possibility of armed conflict in Iraq and all other issues.”
Barbara Riley, communications director for Sununu, said that the office is prepared to handle the possible high volume of calls and that Sununu welcomes input from his constituents.
“On this issue and others, Sen. Sununu strongly encourages New Hampshire residents to let him know their questions, concerns and comments,” Riley said in a statement Tuesday. “This input is forwarded directly to him.”
Gregg and Sununu have both voiced their support of the president’s position to disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who Bush says has repeatedly violated United Nations resolutions and continues to develop weapons of mass destruction.
MoveOn.org executive director Peter Schurman said callers are encouraged to express their own opinions but that the unifying message of the campaign is to support continuing weapons inspections in Iraq. He added that 120,000 people were registered to make calls as of Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s a simple fact that letting the inspections work is the best way to keep Americans safe and it’s the best way to ensure that Saddam Hussein is disarmed,” Schurman said.
The goal of the campaign is not to “shut down” the offices by jamming the lines of communication, Schurman said, but rather to ensure that all constituents are able to voice their concerns. Win Without War will be sending gift baskets to each Senate office to “emphasize that we value the work that they do to support our democracy,” Schurman added.
Senators who have opposed the war also will be called, Schurman said.
“We’re very confident that every senator is going to hear from their constituents constantly throughout the day and we’re hopeful that that will give the senators the courage to stand up and properly assert that war-making authority belongs to Congress and Congress alone,” Schurman said. “Congress did authorize the use of force against Iraq, but only as a last resort, and clearly a majority of the American public believes we’re not at that point.”
Sean Donahue, co-director of the New Hampshire chapter of Peace Action, a coalition member, said the group has been encouraging its more than 700 members to register for the march and spread the word throughout the state.
“This will show the strength of anti-war sentiment in New Hampshire,” Donahue said. “If our senators and representatives take their responsibility to represent the people in New Hampshire seriously then this will influence them to speak out against the war.”
Donahue said the chapter has experienced a “huge surge” in membership since last fall and has organized rallies throughout the state and sent buses to larger war protests around the country. While Donahue said he is not sure the calls will change Gregg’s and Sununu’s position on the war, he hopes they will relay voters’ concerns to the president.
“Even if it doesn’t sway the position of our delegation, we know the delegation are in touch with the White House and hopefully they’ll be reporting to the White House what they’re hearing from their constituents and it will make clear to the president that he doesn’t have a mandate from the American people to go to war,” Donahue said.
Schurman said New Hampshire constituents who wish to participate can still register online at www.moveon.org or can call, fax or e-mail the Senate offices on their own. Contact information for the offices can be found online at www.senate.gov and www.whitehouse.gov.
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
