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TechnoratiU.S. Conference of Mayors Takes a Stand: Out of Iraq!
LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors endorsed a resolution Monday calling for the Bush administration to begin planning for the swift withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
A chaotic debate on the motion echoed political divisions across the country.
Fresno, Calif., Mayor Alan Autry resigned from the conference immediately after the vote, saying the group had made a "grave error" by hastily veering into foreign policy. He predicted troops could be harmed.
But supporters like Stamford, Conn., Mayor Dannel Malloy said the war was draining money from classrooms and municipal services across the country and local governments have "gotten to the boiling point."
"It's time to begin developing a plan to bring the troops home," Malloy said in an interview. "Many people see this as a very important moment in our history."
The resolution was adopted 51-47 after a debate that stalled repeatedly on questions about amendments and parliamentary procedure. At one point, a motion to table the resolution failed.
Conference President Douglas Palmer, the mayor of Trenton, N.J., said he opposed the measure because he feared it would detract attention from the conference's agenda, which included dealing with issues from global warming to clean water.
Americans are divided by the war, he said afterward, but "it's important our organization stay focused."
The largely symbolic resolution, sponsored by Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline, said the conference supports U.S. troops "completely and 110 percent" but called on the Bush White House to "begin planning immediately for the swift and prudent redeployment of the U.S. Armed Forces."
It called on the federal government to provide funding for medical, psychological, housing and other services for troops when they come home.
"Continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is resulting in the tragic loss of American lives and wounding of American soldiers," the resolution said. The Iraq war "is reducing federal funds ... for needed domestic investments in education, health care, public safety, homeland security and more."
© 2007 The Associated Press
IRAQ WAR
WHEREAS, the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces continue to serve in Iraq with bravery and distinction; and
WHEREAS, the current sectarian violence in Iraq continues to claim the lives of U.S. Military Personnel and Iraqi Civilians;
and
WHEREAS, peace and stability can only be achieved in Iraq through the resolution of political differences within that country; and
WHEREAS, the restoration of domestic peace and order requires the active intervention and leadership of the Iraqi Government, respecting the rights of all Iraqis; and
WHEREAS, continued U.S. Military presence in Iraq is resulting in the tragic loss of American lives and wounding of American soldiers; and
WHEREAS, the continued U.S. Military presence in Iraq is reducing Federal Funds available for needed domestic investments in education, healthcare, public safety, homeland security, and more; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors completely and 110 percent supports those men and women that are defending, have defended and will defend our country,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the Administration to begin planning immediately for the swift and prudent redeployment of the US Armed Forces; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the accelerated training of Iraq's Armed Forces to be able to maintain stability and civil order; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for future U.S. Military Aid; reconstruction funding, and other support to be tied to the achievement of verifiable goals by the Iraqi government, including ridding Iraqi security forces of militia or sectarian influence; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the Administration, as part of a comprehensive plan for stability in the region, to convene an international conference to identify strategies and methods for reducing regional interference in Iraq and increasing regional support of achieving peace and stability in Iraq; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S Conference of Mayors calls for full funding of services to the brave men and women returning after service in the United States Armed Forces, including medical, psychological, housing and other support services, and support to local governments funding such services.
20 Comments so far
Show AllWhat I think is interesting is that polls of people show about 70% want the government to get us out of Iraq but this shows only about 51% of our mayors agree with us. Is that due to corporate financial influence over mayors?
Congrats to Providence Mayor Cicilline from this Providence resident who didn't vote for him. I have to put credit where credit is due. I just feel uncomfortable with one point: Resolved; The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the accelerated training of Iraq's Armed Forces to be able to maintain stability and civil order.
If we didn't have the attitude where we can pick & choose which Iraqi's can dominate their society, we wouldn't be in this mess. We just can't learn our lesson.
As the third point in this resolution states, Whereas peace and stability can only be achieved in Iraq through the resolution of political differences within that country.
It was not our call to say who could rule. It shouldn't be now. Nor should it ever be.
The quicker the cat is out of the canary cage, the quicker this should be resolved.
Furthermore, should there be reparations. Of course. But were there reparations to Vietnam?
Ay least the Vietnamese are better off with the U.S. out of Vietnam.
The US has been a ripe, soft and juicy plum, ready for the raping by those who are the very lowest grade of humanity. Perhaps the bottom has been reached now, and the enterprise can start going up from here.
It's all been very difficult to watch...
Sorry to repeat a previous post but necessary to emphasize the serious nature of issues faced....
In 1950 U.N. International Law Commission adopted the Nuremberg Principles. The basic premise of the principles is that no person, no matter what their office, stands above international law…..
Principle I
Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefore and liable to punishment.
Principle Vl
The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under; international law:
a. Crimes against peace:
i. Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
ii. Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
b. War crimes:
Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave-labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or illtreatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.
c. Crimes against humanity:
Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.
Principle VII
Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principles VI is a crime under international law.
Potentially, the "Bush/Cheney Crime syndicate" WOULD BE GUILTY AS CHARGED….
IMPEACH....CHARGE....CONVICT....IMPRISON....
Mayor Autry and his attitude towards the failed war in Iraq is one of the reasons why most people in California and the USA think that Fresno is a hick town and has been the butt of jokes as a backwards city for years.
300 miles from San Francisco and LA, Fresno is considered as the arm pit of California by most in the state. Fresno has always been a Republican Conservative city with non-progressive social ideals. There are progressive pockets in the city (radio station KFCF connection to Berkeley's KPFA), but not enough to over come the provincial minds of most of the citizens.
Mayor Autry should resign for causing further embarassment to this city.
Fresno Mayor is prototypical of GOP talking heads, another retired actor who is very good at reading the GOP script. Fresno Autry has other grand ideas, such as placing a "river" in downtown; and a regressive city parking policyt that is choking the life out of the Chinatown Section of Fresno. He also is building a nice "Autry" town of homeless which is open "to the public" just off Golden State freeway downtown. He's just another "good ole bubba" and yes, he should resign. Fresno, small town mentality, big town problems.
"...politicians have a certain way of talking that includes a lot of nuance, whereas, and be it further resolved type of baloney."
The "balony" is language that is used, I believe, in every municipality in this country. It is how resolutions and resulting votes are officially entered into the permanent record. Whether or not the language is binding, it is now official record in that organization. Please don't damn them for following protocol and "speaking" in language that has been used since this country was founded. It's akin to standing on sacred ground and drawing a line in the dirt. It says that what happens in municipal council chambers large and small is every bit as meaningful - apparently more so - as what happens OR DOESN'T in Washington. I'm struck by the fact that the MAYORS who are as close to grassroots as we've seen or heard from up to this point, have gone on record with a MAJORITY vote calling for withdrawal. A majority is a majority. Of course concensus is the goal but a majority is a hell of a good start. The MAYORS in this country apparently listen to their constituents and have a rock solid understanding of the extent to which the bedrock of this country - the rural communities and cities, their infrastructures, schools, libraries, businesses - will suffer if federal funds continue to be diverted from our communities to finance Bu$h's Field of Dreams. Their action - symbolic as it is - is a far cry from anything the other electeds have shown wouldn't you say? The Mayors have heard us and taken our voices to the Capital. I agree that WE have to continue to speak out LOUD everywhere - find ways to relate everything we do to drawing the line in the dirt. If the madness won't stop in Washington then it will stop HERE where I stand.
Peace~
That makes it unanimous. Everybody wants us out of Iraq except those that are making big bucks off of it. Oops also Bu$h the inferior and Shotgun Dick who want to secure their place as the worst leaders of this century.
poet
I googled the story about hs students presenting the letter to the president and found this gem
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Students_hand_Bush_letter_urging_ban_0626.html
John Roberts in the video tries to downplay what these students are saying by saying that dissent is part of the American system
But that torture has been legalized by the US government and that the news media has been so lax in its reportage indicates a
tremendous failure of the government and the news media.
We are now at the point where we depend upon high school kids to represent human rights values.
Maureen Dowd wrote in her recent column,
"A Vice President Without Borders, Bordering on Lunacy"
"I love that Cheney was able to bully Colin Powell, Pentagon generals and George Tenet when drumming up his fake case for war, but when he tried to push around the little guys, the National Archive data collectors — I'm visualizing dedicated "We the People" wonky types with glasses and pocket protectors — they pushed back."
"Archivists are the new macho heroes of Washington"
When we have a chance each of us should speak about our values and opposition to the Bush Administration.
what's the big deal? it's a pretty weak statement, no timelines or threats or anything, and almost half the mayors voted against it. no mention of the consequences to iraq & iraqis of the invasion; mostly concern about funding for the cities (a legit concern, but the TOP concern?)
a ceremonial gesture that really means nothing.
Join the George W. Bush Movin' Out Campaign!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB6PNTKM2xg
B.ring
U.S.
S.oldiers
H.ome!!!
Progressives in Fresno CA your mayor resigned from the US conference of mayors over this. Maybe it's time he resigned from his office!
Somewhere John Nichols ought to be smiling--ditto for Dave Lindorf--as this movement of Bushco and neocon rejection grows, impeachment will become more and more feasible. Maybe the Governors Conference will be similarly inspired (after all it is their National Guard personnel and equipment that has been confiscated to fight this illegal and immoral war.)
Fifty scholars in the "Presidential High School Scholars" program formally presented the prez with a letter taking exception to his adminstration's condoning of torture during a photo-op White House event on Monday.(Bet you won't see that photo op on Fox News!--hee hee hee!) Keep pouring it on America--enough is enough already!
I like the substance of this declaration, but not the style.
It reminds me that politicians have a certain way of talking that includes a lot of nuance, whereas, and be it further resolved type of baloney.
Most politicians can't say what really needs to be said. Our debates and political discourse is limited by the fact that politicians won't risk their positions of power by saying what they really think or by speaking truth to power. The presidential debates are perfect examples of limited debate over limited topics.
Since most of us are not politicians, we all have the ability to speak freely about what is happening in normal language. It is up to all of us to have the discussions that most politicians are not willing to have.
We can look to our political leaders for motivation and guidance, but we all need to stand up and speak freely as the poeple who will ultimately lead this country and world in a positive direction.
Great! So we have the Conference of Mayors coming to a concensus on Iraq. Whatever happened to "our" Democratic Congress, and all the rhetoric they mouthed before the last election? Strange, but they seem to be in lock-step with the Republicans.........heck with the lives being lost, or damage, and misery being caused! Stay The Course!!
Let's add:
WHEREAS the invasion of Iraq violates and continues to violtate the UN charter, the US Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, and the Rule of Nurenburg,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the war criminals of the Bush administration be turned over to The Hague for prosecution.
I do not claim to be the smartest guy in the world, but when members of your own political party start jumping off the war wagon and a group of high school students ask you to end your program because they know it not only is illegal, but morally wrong... the way I learned it was "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."
"W" get the hint - you have been designated the Village Idiot and your presidency is a total failure!! Give it up!!
Dear Mr. Autry,
How would bringing the troops home cause them harm?
Are you in any way connected to the real world?
Kids are being killed while men like you dither about spouting corporate cant.
Do your duty and bring all your capacities to shutting down the murderous parasites in Washington: that would be, mainly, paid for politicians and the lobbyists that buy them
RE: FRESNO MAYOR AUTRY RESIGNING AFTER IRAQ RESOLUTION, BECAUSE HE WANTED TO 'SUPPORT THE TROOPS'
What a degenerate politics when a slogan like that can have right wing traction. I wonder if this can be emailed to the Mayor's conference, to buck up the rest -
http://www.counterpunch.org/fantina06232007.html
The Floundering Congress
By ROBERT FANTINA
"As [Congress] waved their magic political wands and summoned from some apparently unknown source these vast amounts of money to continue the carnage in Iraq, they all suggested that they had to do so to 'support the troops.' Here we go again! Let us look at how funding the war supports the troops: 1) it causes Americans to remain in mortal danger; 2) it increases the number of Americans who will be in such danger; 3) it creates and aggravates financial, mental and emotional hardships for the families the soldiers left behind; 4) it places American soldiers at high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which the government has proven to be extremely miserly in treating, and 5) it provides coffins for them if they die in Iraq."
I realize many may not bother, but if you would please go to a website and ask for "enriched uranium", you would have another, perhaps the best reason, for bringing our troops home ___ tomorrow.
Read what Depleted uranium is doing to not only our troops, but to everyone in Iraq. It is a tragedy that has only just begun, for it takes four or five years before the full effects of inhaling a few microscopic specks of DU dust surface.
We have spread several hundred TONS of the dangerous radioactive DU in Iraq. Tons! The precise total ammount is argued by scientists.
Since the early 80's, tons more have been scattered across this country, when DU ammunition is used at military training sites. The DU ammunition burns when it strikes an object and the DU turns to powder, which is then easily picked up by the prevailing winds and blown for hundreds of miles. Just inhale a speck or so and it can kill you.
DU is deadly for thousands of years. We cannot see it, can't smell it and DU will lodge in male sperm. Read what has happened to the children born to Gulf War Vets. Many thousands were born with horrible deformities and or, have developed serious illnesses.
I am not grinding an ax, just writing what I have read on the subject, readings which have been coonfirmed as correct by many noted scientists. Check it out, if it does not frighten you, you are Superman or Supergirl. Bring the troops home and then we need to begin a massive cleanup, because DU is out there, waiting for a little breeze, or a dust storm.
Fresno Mayer Alan Autry predicted that troops could be harmed. Where did this idiot emerge from.