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On September 12, 2005, the Evanston City Council passed by a vote of 8-1, a resolution urging the return of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Resolution
URGING THE RETURN OF UNITED STATES TROOPS FROM IRAQ
WHEREAS, the citizens of the City of Evanston and their local elected officials have the constitutional right to petition the national government on any matter of grave concern to our city, the nation, and the world community; and,
WHEREAS, in 2002 President George W. Bush sought and received authorization to use military force against Iraq in the form of a Joint Resolution of Congress, Authorization for use of Military Force Against Iraq, Resolution of 2002 (H.J. RES. 114); and,
WHEREAS, in January 2003 the Evanston City Council expressed its opposition to the proposed war by adopting Resolution 105-R-02; and,
WHEREAS, the United States initiated combat operations in Iraq on March 19, 2003; and,
WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of members of the United States Armed Forces, including the Illinois National Guard, have served with honor and distinction in Iraq; and,
WHEREAS, more than 1,800 members of the United States Armed Forces have been killed and more than 13,000 members of the Armed Forces have been wounded; and,
WHEREAS, the war and continued occupation have resulted in the devastation of Iraq’s physical and social infrastructure and led to widespread and continuous resistance to the United States occupation that threatens the lives of Iraqi civilians and the men and women who compose the ranks of United States and other occupying forces; and,
WHEREAS, more than 200 billion dollars has been appropriated by Congress to fund military operations and reconstruction in Iraq; and,
WHEREAS, the cost of the Iraq war has diverted federal funds from programs and services in urban areas such as Evanston, including education, housing, social services, infrastructure improvements, and homeland security; and,
WHEREAS, Evanston wishes to join other cities that have expressed their desire for an end to this war,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY ILLINOIS:
SECTION 1: That the City of Evanston hereby urges the United States government to commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States military personnel from Iraq.
SECTION 2: That the City of Evanston urges the United States government to provide the people of Iraq with appropriate non-military material aid as shall be necessary for the security of Iraq’s citizens and for the rebuilding of Iraq.
SECTION 3: That the financial resources used to prosecute the war be redirected to address the urgent needs of America’s urban areas and the most vulnerable portions of our population.
SECTION 4: That a copy of this resolution be sent to George W. Bush, President of the United States; the members of the Illinois Congressional delegation; and the National League of Cities.
SECTION 5: That this resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval in the manner provided by law.
(Signed)
Lorraine H. Morton, Mayor
Attest:
(Signed)
Mary P. Morris, City Clerk
Adopted: September 12, 2005
Speech
Sue Schell, part of the Cities for Progress community and board member of the Democratic Party of Evanston, was one of 42 speakers on behalf of the resolution (only 5 spoke against it).
"Bringing the troops home"
Sue Schell, Sept. 12, 2005
Evanston, Illinois
Today, I want to speak briefly about the topic of war, which should give everyone a good idea why our Board voted to bring this resolution before the Evanston City Council.
Since we are already living war, the question now should be—do we want to have an endless war?
Think back to the year 1963—--Vietnam--- when American casualties in that war were inching toward approximately 200. Our President was telling the American people then—“Stay the Course”.
By 1975, U.S. casualties had mounted to 58,199 total dead and 153,303 wounded.
Everyone should recognize “Stay the Course” it is the exact same phrase our current President keeps repeating as we lose two, 3, 5 soldiers daily in Iraq. “Stay the Course.”
But as one of the Gold Star Moms (these are the mothers who have lost a son or daughter in this war), so eloquently phrased it while visiting and speaking in Evanston last week, anyone that doesn’t think they have “skin in this game” needs to rethink how they look at this war. Just because you may not have a loved one in Iraq-- everyone in the U.S. --- has “skin in this game”.
Look what happened here at home two weeks ago today, to our fellow Americans in the Gulf Coast, after Hurricane Katrina hit.
They waited for days --no food, no water, no electricity in temperatures hovering around 95 degrees, before receiving relief aid from rescuers.
According to the Mayor of New Orleans, who I heard speaking on Meet the Press yesterday, there were 120,000 people in New Orleans, who could not afford a car or the gasoline it would take to evacuate the city when danger threatened them. Also, according to the Mayor, New Orleans only had 200 National Guards on duty in the first few days following the hurricane.
So, where was our National Guard and the needed military troops with the precious equipment needed to conduct airlifts? I certainly hope that the Iraq War was not the diversion, which caused the delay of help reaching those Gulf Coast survivors fighting for their lives.
I then realized that right before the eyes of the world, America’s dirty little secret was playing out. That secret being, “if living was a thing that money could buy, the rich would live and the poor would die”. The cutbacks in our social programs over the last few decades played out on the world stage and the shame was felt from coast to coast.
This leads me to quote from a famous speech that Martin Luther King made regarding the Vietnam War on April 4, 1967 in New York City; he said,
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
Now, I ask. Do you think any of the hurricane victims would have ever predicted this Iraq war would affect their lives in such a negative way? That in fact, they did have “Skin in the Game” because billions of dollars was going to fight this war, less money was available for infrastructure needs, such as maintaining the levees that protected New Orleans, many social programs had been slashed, necessary rescue equipment was not nearby.
It should be clear to all of us that resolve is not enough. We must adopt a winning strategy to bring our troops home. One or two more years like the last ones, cannot defeat this insurgency. “Stay the Course” is not a workable strategy. We need a timetable now for what ultimately will be our unavoidable exit from Iraq.
On July 27, top US commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey said that he believed a U.S. troop withdrawal could begin by spring 2006. Now, think about that for a minute. Why would that be a wise move for this administration at that time? I hope it is not because that is when the Congressional 06 races will begin heating up and Republicans in Congress will be held accountable for this mess.
So, if for example a decision were made to withdraw half of the troops, how would any of us feel about our son or daughter being part of the 50% left in Iraq? I would guess not too well. Because that would leave those soldiers who remain even more vulnerable in a highly dangerous situation.
This administration needs to face the facts. The rose strewn streets we were promised-- never materialized.
There does not seem to be any plan in place to deal with the growing insurgency throughout Iraq and this administration’s strategy, which appears to be “LET’S JUST HOLD ON”, is not a solution to the war. America needs a strategy, which is more diplomatic, economic, and political than it is military.
Should we withdraw our troops now?
Should we withdraw them in a month, maybe six?
As long as we remain as occupiers of Iraq, it is apparent that Iraq does not stand a chance of returning to normal. Every day that passes, we hear of more military fatalities and casualties, as well as Iraqi citizens losing their lives. Also, the Iraq insurgency continues to be fueled largely by our continuing presence in Iraq because it makes it easier to recruit disaffected Iraqis to the Islamic extremist’s causes
We must realize that the Iraqi culture demands that it develop its country in a way that Iraqi people see fit. To think the U.S. is capable of launching a new Democratic Iraq in a matter of months, or even years, illustrates how disengaged this administration is from the realm of reality.
Quoting from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “Democracies cannot be bestowed, they must be earned.”
If the Iraq nation wants a democracy, they will do it. However, if Iraq does not want to be a Democratic country, then chances are, it won’t happen-- even if our President thinks it is best for them.
This war continues to cost American lives, driving us deeper into debt, undermining business and investor confidence, and eroding the economic foundations of U.S. security and global leadership.
Enough is enough.
Our mind-set as a nation must not be “stuck” on thinking that an exit is possible only after "stability," meaning a military victory occurs, which could take years.
The results of waiting could really make this become another Vietnam!
An exit strategy needs to be devised now. We must shift from a military model and instead adopt a conflict-resolution model.
What will the outcome of this war be?
That chapter remains to be written. However, if the outcome results in Iraq becoming some form of an Islamic state, then one would have to ask whether America invested so much of its blood and treasure only to replace a radical secular Saddam Hussein with another ayatollah-ruled Islamic state.
In closing, I hope all of our City Council members present today will choose to support this resolution to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW. The Iraq war is having a negative impact on the world, America, Evanston and all of us in this room. We all have "skin in this game!"
Evanston wants to be known as a City for Peace and it is with great hope that America will again become known as a Country for Peace.
We need to let Washington hear our voices!
Please support this resolution!
I would now like to introduce Dickelle Fonda to the City Council to speak on behalf of Neighbors for Peace. Dickelle has also been a great coalition builder in this effort and my Board applauds her efforts!
Thank you
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1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, Washington DC • 202-234-9382 • karen@citiesforprogress.org
Cities for Progress is a project of the Institute for Policy Studies. For more than four decades, IPS has transformed ideas into action for peace, justice, and the environment as the nation's oldest progressive multi-issue think tank. http://www.ips-dc.org.
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