Military Families Speak Out - Pacific Northwest

Monday, March 7, 2005

Resolution being presented
to Washington State
Governor, Christine Gregoire

Washington State Citizens’ Call Upon Governor Christine Gregoire to Affirmatively Act to Seek Withdrawal of National Guard Troops from Iraq:


Invitation: Military families who wish to participate in the meeting to put forth the Resolution (below) are most welcome.
The family does not have to be a member of MFSO, rather have loved ones who are military and deployed military (preferrably National Guard families) and wish to express the concerns as stated in the Resolution or as simply a support brigade to the key volunteer military families who are making the presentation.


Action: Several of the military families, Washington, will travel to Olympia, WA, Capital on Monday, March 7, 2005 to meet with Representative Bob Hasegawa and Governor's Aid to present the Resolution.


Resolution:

Washington State Citizens’ Call Upon Governor Christine Gregoire to Affirmatively Act to Seek Withdrawal of National Guard Troops from Iraq:


Whereas, the conditions underlying the Authorization for use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution (PL 107-243), have been proven false or declared invalid;

Whereas, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), was unable to find any connection between the tragedy of 9-11 and the people or government of Iraq;

Whereas, the President has declared the weapons of mass destruction, one of the pretexts for preemptory action, do not exist;

Whereas, there never was a threat to the security of the United States posed by Saddam Hussein or the people of Iraq;

Whereas, the January elections in Iraq, the election of a National Assembly, and the effort to create a new constitution, all applauded by the President as indications of the birth of democracy in the region, also serve to indicate that Iraq no longer represents a threat, real or imagined, to the security of the United States;

Whereas, the United Nations sanctions, also tied to the weapons of mass destruction and to the regime of Saddam Hussein, and which serve as a secondary basis for the authorization of military action, are no longer valid, and whereas even the United States is calling for the end of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC); Whereas, the Governor and State Legislature have a particular responsibility to the members of the Washington National Guard, their families and to the community that they serve;

Whereas, the Washington National Guard was created, in part, for the protection of the citizens of Washington from natural disasters or threats of violence within the state boundaries, as well as to protect the sovereignty of US borders;

Whereas, Washington’s National Guard troops have been called up in unprecedented numbers, at nearly the highest per capita level of any state, to serve on active duty in Iraq;

Whereas, National Guard troops have been poorly equipped and have received only rudimentary training for service in this war, and are therefore suffering casualties at rates considerably higher than those of regular Army troops;

Whereas, Washington’s National Guard troops are being subjected to unfair and involuntary extensions of duty well beyond the terms of their enlistment contracts,and their families, employers and communities have had to bear the hardship of accommodating the prolonged absence of the Guard members;

Whereas, the National Guard at home in Washington has been decimated by the mobilization of our troops for these foreign wars, and whereas, a disproportionate number of National Guard members, in civilian life, serve as police officers, firefighters, EMT personnel, prison guards, etc., their absence has left our own communities vulnerable and ill-prepared for any natural disaster or terrorist attack within our own state borders;

Whereas, fewer and fewer Washingtonians are willing to enlist in the National Guard because of the inappropriate use and unfair treatment of Guard troops by the US Defense Department and Army, leaving the likelihood that Washington could be left unprotected for years to come;

Whereas, the prospect of further cuts to federal spending in human services and other local assistance programs, and the threat of additional cuts tothe already criminally impoverished Veterans Administration, will place additional demands on currently overstressed state and local social services;

Therefore Be It Resolved: The citizens of the State of Washington demand the Governor exercise her power as Commander-in-Chief of the Washington National Guard to publicly compel the President of the United States to justify the continued deployment of Washington National Guard personnel in, or in support of, the military incursion in Iraq, pursuant to PL 107-243, and further to pursue and exhaust every avenue in her power to immediately bring, or cause to be brought home, all Washington National Guard troops presently serving in Iraq, or in training for that war, and to prevent their re-deployment in support thereof.

Presented by: Military Families Speak Out. Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, and National Lawyers Guild


Military Families Speak Out - Pacific Northwest