Protest planned at Pelosi office September 26th.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader, has a reputation of being a "liberal". She has been elected to represent San Francisco, a city known for its progressive history in supporting labor, civil liberties, and the cause of peace. Yet while giving lip-service to some of these causes, she has often been the spokesperson of an unjust status quo. Pelosi may be called a "liberal", but she is very much opposed to liberation.

Pelosi's history of support for the military occupation of Palestine, her unqualified support for Sharon's policies, exposes Pelosi not as a woman of principle, but is just one example of Pelosi's dedication to the politics of ruthless expediency. By not questioning U.S. policy, and supporting the policy of special interests (like AIPAC, an organization that seeks to keep U.S. policy in line with the needs of Israel), she has gained great power, and may very possibly be the next Speaker of the House. Yet, her subservience to the militaristic approach in regards to Israeli/Palestinian conflict has come at great cost to the people of the region, especially the Palestinians who suffer from military occupation, and also to those Israelis who work tirelessly to stop the violence done in their name. It is also an affront to the people of Bay Area who have a very different set of values, who believe in co-existence based on justice instead of military occupation extended through brute force.

Pelosi & Iraq
Pelosi has again shown herself to be completely out of touch with her constituents after she voted against a modest proposal offered by Congresswoman Woolsey that would eventually remove the U.S. military from Iraq.

Pelosi has "requested" to President Bush that he produce a give a report to Congress on what conditions he plans to remove the troops from Iraq. A careful reading of what Pelosi proposes and you will see this:

“Specifically, my amendment would require that the President, within 30 days of the enactment of the defense appropriations bill, submit to Congress a report identifying the criteria that will be used to determine when it is appropriate to begin to bring our troops home from Iraq. It does not require the troops to be brought home by a particular date; it requires only that the means for judging when they can be brought home be shared with the Congress. " - Nancy Pelosi Press Release

Pelosi is responding to pressure from those who want an end to the nightmare in Iraq, and we can see she is already feeling the heat. Unfortunately, she is offering nothing of substance, and those committed to ending the occupation will not be satisfied.

Let's Organize!
There will be a massive protest at Pelosi's office on Monday, September 26th, organized by United for Peace and Justice- Bay Area. This will be after a massive anti-war protest on Saturday, September 24th, to take place in Washington DC, San Francisco, and cities across the nation. On the 26th, we will demand Pelosi represent the people of San Francisco by calling an end to occupation from Iraq to Palestine. Plan on taking a vacation or sick day from work and join us!

32 days left until we protest the pro-war policies of Nancy Pelosi!
See Pelosi's Voting record, as compared to other Bay Area Congresspeople.

Excerpts from other reports
When Amnesty International released a report harshly critical of Israel's brutal re-invasion of the Occupied Territories in October 2002, Pelosi, a member of the so-called Human Rights Caucus in Congress, rushed to the side of fundamentalist right-winger Congressman Tom Delay, Republican from Texas, supporting his resolution in support of Israeli military actions, and effectively attacking the credibility of Amnesty International.

She then went on to support a resolution for increasing military aid to Israel.

Pelosi voices support for Apartheid Wall in West Bank
The 400 mile apartheid wall being built by Israel mostly inside the West Bank, is prompting much criticism from normally quiet, acquiescent governments, including even (muted) protests from the Bush administration (Bush describes it as a "problem", because it "snakes through the West Bank", and has even threatened to decrease loan guarantees because of the Wall). Currently the International Court of Justice, better known as the World Court, is considering a case regarding its legality.

Yet here again Pelosi leaps to the side of Sharon. She has signed a letter that says that there should be no pressure on Israel to conform to International Law. The letter puts it more deceptively, of course, and it says "the U.S. must never pressure Israel to take a position or action which would jeopardize the security of its citizens." See the full letter here. We see here another example of Pelosi positioning herself to the political right of Bush.

Pelosi Defends Assassination as a Political Tool
In a move many see as encouraging ever-escalating violence in the Middle East, Nancy Pelosi has endorsed the targeted killing of Palestinian resistance leaders. She chastised President's Bush mild (and qualified) rebuke of the Sharon regimes use of U.S. Apache Helicopters in "targeted killing" (actually, missile strikes in densely populated neighborhoods, that usually result in the death of many bystanders) of leaders of resistance groups, where Bush said he was "troubled" and said that they may impede progress towards peace.

Pelosi speaks before the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
In April of 2003, Pelosi spoke to AIPAC, the self-described "most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel". In this speech, she again reiterated her commitment to Israel's security: "America's commitment to the safety and security of the State of Israel is unwavering." Left out was any mentioning of the security of the Palestinian people whose land Israel Occupies.

More Excerpts and some questions
Pelosi says: "No injustice, real or imagined, can ever justify, and no future can ever be built upon, the calculated slaughter of innocents."

To which I would respond with these simple questions, does that include the calculated destruction of homes and farms of innocents by U.S.-supplied bulldozers by the Israeli military? Does that mean she is saying no to the use of a U.S. helicopter gunship on the children protesting the destruction of their homes in Rafah, Gaza? (See Here)

And when Pelosi says this:
"The world must never accept in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or Haifa what the world would not tolerate in London, Washington, New York or San Francisco."

I ask this:
Pelosi, why do you accept, indeed, endorse, the kinds of disregard for human rights by the Israeli military in Rafah, Nablus, Jenin, Palestine what the world would not accept elsewhere? Could this not be the root of the violence and insecurity you supposedly deplore?

Take Action!
Plan to participate in mass action on Monday, September 26th, planned by United for Peace and Justice, a wide coalition of peace groups. Plan to be at her office, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco.

Call Pelosi's San Francisco office and demand an end to our tax dollars being used for the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. Pelosi's office phone number is (415)556-4862

Download and Distribute flyer on Pelosi's support for war on Iraq and US support for Israel's policy of continued occupation and dispossession of Palestinian land. This flyer also includes a call to protest at her San Francisco office on September 26, 2005
Another flyer asks why Pelosi wants to subsidize 21st century Apartheid. (Please go to original website of this article, URL given below.)

For further information, links and downloadable flyers, please go to:
http://www.tomjoad.org/Pelosi.htm