Calling all grandmas!

Were you one of the majority of us who elected a Democratic Congress with the mandate to get us out of Iraq now, before we do even more harm?

If so, you may be dismayed that their agenda for their first 100 days makes no mention of Iraq. In other words, they are choosing politics over principle once again. So far, the war has been the albatross of the Republicans, and there are no guaranteed solutions anymore. So the Democrats would like to stall as long as possible before enacting any plan of their own. Some are even caving already to Bush’s plan to send even more combat troops, further exacerbating the situation.

If you are a grandmother and feel this way, I am proposing a plan devised by my good friend Dot Read to have a gaggle of grandmothers go to D.C. and sit in the balcony of the House, quietly knitting snugglies for their grandchildren – until the Congress honors its mandate and removes combat forces from Iraq. (Some bills introduced in ‘06 propose that while combat forces would be withdrawn, trainers could remain in other bases in the region to help train Iraqi security forces.)

This Grandmas For Peace idea grew out of my reluctant thinking that, if the Democrats stall on this issue, I would feel compelled to do a second hunger strike in the balcony of the House, doing my grandmotherly thing, but living on water alone. In her kind concern for me, Dot started brainstorming some alternatives and came up with the wonderful idea that grandmothers, representing a large and growing constituency ourselves, by the by, could go to Washington, carrying petitions signed by as many as we could get reminding our representatives of our mandate on Iraq, and that we are not going to be patient. People are dying, and every day we stay produces greater anger and chaos. Only Iraqis can now solve the problems we’ve given them.

If you would like to pursue this idea, please e-mail me at pbrooks@whidbey.net and we could go from there.

Patricia Brooks

Coupeville