One by one American towns are beginnning to demand peace.

In September, the cities of Chicago and Philadelphia passed resolutions urging the cessation of combat operations in Iraq. They cited the lives lost and the monetary cost to their communities. In November, the city of Baltimore unanimously passed a resolution “urging President Bush and the United States Congress to commence a humane, orderly, immediate withdrawal of United States military personnel and bases from Iraq.” This resolution also cited the deaths of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilian men, women and children.

In December, the smaller town of Wilkinsburg passed a resolution supporting neighboring 12th District Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha’s call for U.S. troops to come home from Iraq in six months. This resolution urged Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), to stand with Murtha, a fellow Democrat. With its passage, Wilkinsburg supported its citizens, soldiers, Murtha and the nation. Local legislators asserted their place in a global society by voting for peace. These cities and towns are leaders in the growing trend of citizens recognizing the power of their local communities in participating in a global society.

The monetary cost to us as a nation is $252 billion thus far with $120 billion more in the works. According to the research institute National Priorities Project, our nation could instead have provided over 57 million Americans with health care, or 2 million affordable housing units. We could have equipped half a million U.S. homes with renewable energy. Fifty million students could have received university scholarships.

The costs of this war hit us where we live, who we are as families, communities and as a nation. As the saying goes: "All politics is local." That has never been truer than today in a world virtually without borders and in a world where what happens “over there” has direct implications for what happens over here.

Our nation is coming together finally. I am so heartened by this development. Our nation was betrayed by our President and our Congress. It is past time that we took back our country from these bastards and demanded that no other people die in our name.