Iraqi Deaths Due to U.S. Invasion

In the following letter, Just Foreign Policy is appealing for publicity through antiwar activists and journalists. I support the move and appeal to all our readers to publicise the letter and write to the local newspapers.

Please contact Just Foreign Policy.org

Email: patrick@justforeignpolicy.org

--Nasir Khan
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To tell the truth about the Iraqi death toll

We now estimate that over a million Iraqis have died. Can you write a letter to the editor to get the news into your local newspaper? Our tool makes it easy. Write now. Dear Supporter of a Just Foreign Policy, We have crossed another tragic milestone in the war in Iraq. Our estimate of violent Iraqi deaths due to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation has crossed the one million mark. We have been working hard getting the word out, since the Iraqi death toll should be central to the public debate over ending this war and preventing future ones. We have communicated with hundreds of journalists, spoken on local radio shows, and spread the word online. The counter is now posted on over 150 web sites.1 It has been cited by Democracy Now! and Inter Press Service and appeared in a news video and a hard-hitting editorial cartoon.2 However, despite our best efforts, none of the major U.S. news outlets have covered this story. That is sadly unsurprising, since the major U.S. media have consistently downplayed Iraqi deaths. They refuse to accept the findings of the scientific study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University last year, on which our estimate is based. However, with your help, we can take advantage of a democratic back door into newspapers across the country: letters to the editor. It is the most frequently read section of most newspapers. We set up a tool that makes it easy to write a letter to your local paper - and even provided some talking points. Can you write a letter to the editor about the Iraqi death toll? http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/writealetter.html Acting together, we can educate the public even if the major media decide not to. This is particularly important now, since Congress will have a chance in September, when they vote on funding, to start a rapid withdrawal of troops. We plan to continue putting much of our energy into making more Americans aware of the terrible consequences war has had for the Iraqi people. This campaign, though, demands resources. If you can, please contribute: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/donate.html Thanks for all you do for a just foreign policy, Chelsea Mozen, Patrick McElwee, and Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org References: 1. We provide HTML code that makes it easy to post the counter: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html#post 2. See a list of press coverage of this estimate of Iraqi deaths: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/press.html P.S. This Tuesday, August 28, there will be candlelight vigils and Town Hall Meetings across the country, telling Congress to take a stand on the war. You can look for one near you here: http://www.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=92