How can we convince Congress not to approve the $170 billion supplemental bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan until President Bush is out of office, even though Rep. Nancy Pelosi recommends it?

We have heard the argument against spending the money on war, because the money could be spent for things we really need like health care, new schools, mass transit, projects to mitigate global climate change and energy alternatives to oil.

Perhaps a more convincing argument against spending more money on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is to acknowledge what the additional $170 billion will be buying. Consider these things mentioned recently in the mass media:

More than 4,000 U.S. troops have died, disrupting the lives of millions of people who had family members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Already in April, 44 U.S. troops have died, so we will be buying the deaths of more soldiers and disrupting the lives of their families.

Congress has already appropriated $700 billion to fund the wars, so we will be buying $170 billion more war for a grand total of $870 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon reports that a total of 28,870 soldiers have been wounded in action in Iraq. In January the New York Times did a series of articles about the murders and suicides committed by returning Iraqi veterans. Every day that the wars continue, more soldiers are wounded physically and psychologically, so we will be buying more traumatized soldiers.

The Department of Defense is the single-largest consumer of petroleum in the United States, so we will be buying more oil and putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -- thus advancing global climate change.

According to "The Nation, " the "average income of CEOs at the top 30 military contractors receive $9 million annual income, " so we will be buying big salaries for the executives at 30 companies that manufacture weapons and equipment for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If all this fails to convince Congress to stop funding the war in Iraq, then we must show them pictures of what the war has done and is doing to the Iraqi people. On April 25, I was among the 90 people who saw such pictures and heard Sami Rasouli present his "Eyewitness Report on Iraq " at Capitol Lakes Grand Hall in Madison.

Now we know that we will be buying more disfigurement, untold suffering, and death to the men, women and children of Iraq.

On March 19, the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, there were demonstrations nationwide against a war that has been unpopular abroad and at home.

I hope the Democrats controlling Congress get the message and act soon, or else the disastrous Democratic Convention at Chicago in 1968 will be repeated at Denver in 2008.

Brown lives in Madison.