I received this request from Michigan Peaceworks to support a new Ann Arbor City Council resolution that would hopefully push Congress to bring an end to the war in Iraq:
At Michigan Peace Works we have been discussing the impasse that has been developing within the House and Senate nationally as we try to deal more honestly with the War in Iraq. We think our own city might be able to play a role in ending that impasse.
We have a window of opportunity in the next few weeks: grass roots expressions of citizen concerns could affect Congressional decision-making about the war in Iraq and its possible extension elsewhere. Before we entered the Iraq war four years ago more than 200 City Councils and other governmental units passed resolutions stating their opposition to this policy. Congress needs to become strongly aware of continuing grass roots concerns—about the cost of over 3,000 American lives, tens of thousands wounded, the destruction of a country, and loss of respect and effectiveness for American policy around the world. We believe these grass roots concerns, if expressed clearly and forcefully now, by both citizens and city leaders, could influence bi-partisan Congressional action.
The present impasse in Congress could be overcome if four to five Senators and about a dozen Representatives joined present bi-partisan efforts to find more creative solutions to the current Middle East policies. We hope you will urge Ann Arbor City Council to play an important role in helping set such a process in motion through the following actions:
1. Pass a City Council resolution proposing needed steps for Congressional action.
2. Contact other city councils across the country who took action earlier, urging them to join you in passing this resolution, with special attention to cities in locales that are strategic for influencing key Congressional leadership.
The next several weeks could be critical for influencing members of key committees in Congress and then the House and Senate as a whole. By acting now and reaching out strategically to other city councils we could set in motion a timely expression of the concerns of our citizens.
Here is their Proposed wording for a City Council Resolution:
We urge Congress to move in a bi-partisan way to address war policies in the Middle East. The United States now spends more on military defense than all other nations combined, but the world is less safe than when we embarked on our present policies. It is time for Congress to provide leadership by:
- re-establishing its on-going, joint authority with the President over war powers and war expenditures
- using Congressional appropriations authority to protect our troops by establishing conditions for their mobilization and deployment, conditions and time-lines for their return home, and needed assistance to veterans of our recent wars
- providing international humanitarian leadership
- developing a humanitarian budget to meet non-military needs of the worlds’ people, including our own
- using Congressional oversight to help strengthen international cooperation in peace-building
10 users commented in " A New Ann Arbor City Council Resolution to End the War in Iraq? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackbackimho, this issue is way outside city council’s scope.
I agree that Ann Arbor City Council does not need to spend a lot of time preaching to the choir. But, I do think it is important for us to send a message that will hopefully make our congressional representatives understand that we want out of Iraq as fast as possible. Debbie Dingell, at a recent meeting of Ann Arbor Democrats, specifically asked us (AA Dems, not Council specifically) to not hold back our opinions. It seems that for our federal representatives to have more conviction on this issue, we need to speak more loudly at a local level.
I hope Council acts on a resolution like this. FWIW, Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution on the Iraq war last spring. Ergo, if it was a Council issue then, it’s still a Council issue.
“All politics is local.”
City Coucil should enthusiastically support this resolution and it need not take alot of time away from OTHER local business. I say “other” because this is a local issue too. In order to finance the billions of dollars this war costs, the administration is proposing, among many other cuts in local and state funding, reducing its medicaid commitments. This is a defunding of medical and healthcare costs that will have a direct negative impact on the health and welfare of Ann Arbor and Michigan residents and will cost local communities more to provide adequate healthcare for their residents. Additionally local resolutions like these will strengthen the resolve of our federal Representatives and Senators to stand up and end this war.
OK, I’m biased. I’m the Dir. for Michigan Peaceworks and one of the people who worked on this resolution. I, too, agree that limited time should be spent by the city council on this matter. However, the limited time that has been spent does add to the community’s and Michigan’s Congressional members’ growing awareness of popular oppostion to this war.
This resolution is different from others passed in that it places the responsibility on those who represent us in Congress to act to end the war. Furthermore, we are using this resolution as an effort to target key Congressional members by contacting cities they represent.
Thank you for your leadership, Ron!
There are two categories of time here: (1) Council meeting time spent on resolutions regarding national issues and (2) my personal time contacting people, which I am happy to do. But, I could use help identifying other government officials who could use a nudge in the correct direction.
[...] A New Ann Arbor City Council Resolution to End the War in Iraq? Dingell bill sets date for Iraq pullout War costs may total $2.4 trillion [...]
Peter,
Dude! When did you start thinking inside of small rigid little boxes?
Weren’t you once a Cypherpunk? What has happened to you?
Such local resolutions are an essential part of a functioning democracy. Not everyone can speak directly to the President of their Congressman; but we can speak to our local councilpeople. They in turn have not only the right but the responsibility to act as a channel for such local concerns about national issues as I think Ron is offering to do here.
When you say “out of scope” you are invoking a totalitarian and anti-democratic, feudal tradition expressed in the old English axiom,
“God bless the squire and his relations
And keep us all in our proper stations”
see http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ETX8CO2lsC&dq=God+bless+the+squire+and+his+relations+and+keep+us+all+in+our+proper+stations&pg=PA184&ots=K9vI9Bi_Mh&sig=V2AuYuzChlj_wkK1tqDNppZN5Ac&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DGod%2Bbless%2Bthe%2Bsquire%2Band%2Bhis%2Brelations%2Band%2Bkeep%2Bus%2Ball%2Bin%2Bour%2Bproper%2Bstations%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26aq%3Dt%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26client%3Dfirefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1&cad=legacy
In a democratic society, nothing is or should be “out of scope” in terms of legislators acting to express the concerns of their constituents to higher authorities.
Indeed, if “keeping in scope” were to be more important than the democratic functions of the council, then there would be little reason to have an elected council. The city manager system would work without them. The City Manager could be appointed by the President acting as a “unitary executive”. But this would be injust and undemocratic.
More on the Peaceworks proposed resolution and related issues at my blog Scanlyze:
A response to Ron Suarez’ A New Ann Arbor City Council Resolution to End the War in Iraq?
at: http://scanlyze.wordpress.com/2007/10/24/a-response-to-ron-suarez-a-new-ann-arbor-city-council-resolution-to-end-the-war-in-iraq/
–HH.
Slight correction to my previous response: “President of their Congressman” should read “President *or* their Congressman”
–HH.
[...] Peace is a local issue–ICPJ Encourages Ann Arbor City Council to call for Peace in Iraq The Ann Arbor City Council is considering a resolution to push Congress to bring an end to the war in Iraq, and ICPJ is supporting this effort. [...]
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