To Our Senators and Representatives,

President Obama has sent a request to Congress to enact a new Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) for the 6-month old military campaign against the Islamic State. We urge you to vote NO on the President's request. We also urge you to repeal the existing AUMF that was passed by Congress in 2001. It is past time to end the US's permanent "war on terror."

While the President's suggested AUMF is intended as an endorsement of the continuing US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria, the legislation in fact contains no geographic limitations. Indeed, it authorizes the use of force against not only Islamic State but "associated persons and forces" -- an open-ended license to continue the US's permanent war on terror.

The proposed legislation and accompanying White House letter also contain unsettling references to ground troops taking "military action against ISIL leadership" and a promise of no "enduring offensive ground combat operations". Though the language is disturblingly vague, the implication is clear: a new AUMF will mean US 'boots on the ground'. Given that there are already 3,000 US troops involved in the fight against Islamic State, this opens a clear path to escalation.

In his letter to Congress, the President said "existing statutes provide me with the authority I need." That's a clear reference to the 2001 AUMF and reason enough, after 13+ years,  to repeal this authorization for endless war.

We urge you to do all you can to change the interventionist strategies which have utterly failed to bring the US security. Indeed, intervention has had exactly the opposite effect. A good start would be to reject the President's request for a new AUMF and  to repeal the existing AUMF.

Sincerely yours,