Appeal For Courage

I have been invited on to the organizing committee for the Appeal For Courage. If you have not yet heard of it, the Appeal is the legal method available to service members to petition directly to Congress. Over the course of the war in Iraq the media and increasingly our politicians at home have gone from supporting the war effort to calling for our retreat from Iraq. Public statements calling the war 'lost' or 'unwinnable' are harmful to the morale of the troops serving in Iraq and have helped to steadily erode public support for the war.

The intent of this Appeal is to gather as many signatures from currently serving soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to be presented directly to members of the US Senate and House of Representatives.

This is not a partisan political issue! Calls for retreat from Iraq have come from both of the major political parties.

Nor is this an attempt to stifle debate. Freedom of speech is a cherished right in America. But with rights come responsibility. Just as you cannot yell 'fire!' in a crowded theater without endangering public safety, calls to retreat from Iraq and statements that hurt morale are irresponsible from elected officials.

I urge everyone to pass the word of this Appeal to all military members, whether active duty, National Guard or Reserve, deployed overseas or not.