Resolutions passed at the August 12, 2006 Convention
CALL FOR THE 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 of Iraq;
Whereas, the President himself 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all applauded by the President as indications of the birth of democracy in the region, also serve to indicate that Iraq no longer represents a threat, real or imagined, to the security of the United States;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and to the regime of Saddam Hussein, and which serve as a secondary basis for the authorization of military action, are no longer valid;
Whereas, the Governor and State Legislature in each state have a particular responsibility to the members of the National Guard, their families and to the community that they serve;
Whereas, the National Guard was created, in part, for the protection of the citizens of state from natural disasters or threats of violence within the state boundaries, as well as to protect the sovereignty of US borders;
Whereas, National Guard troops have been called up in unprecedented numbers to serve on active duty in Iraq;
Whereas, National Guard troops have been poorly equipped and have received only rudimentary training for service in these wars, and are therefore suffering casualties at rates considerably higher than those of regular Army troops;
Whereas, 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 have been decimated by the mobilization of troops for these foreign wars, and whereas, with a disproportionate number of National Guard members in civilian life serving 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 states’ borders;
Whereas, the prospect of further cuts to federal spending in human services and other local assistance programs, and the threat of additional cuts to the already criminally impoverished Veterans Administration, will place additional demands on currently overstressed state and local social services;
Therefore Be It Resolved: The Veterans For Peace calls for the Governors of the fifty states to exercise their power as Commander-in-Chief of their respective
National Guard to publicly compel the President of the United States to justify the continued deployment of 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 their power to immediately bring, or cause to be brought home, all National Guard troops presently serving in Iraq, or in training for that war, and to prevent their re-deployment in support thereof.
Submitted By: Wes Hamilton, VFP 109
DEMOCRACY IN PALESTINE
Where as Veterans for Peace is an organization which strives for Peace, Justice, and self-determination throughout the world, including the Middle East and
Where as Veterans for Peace has consistently opposed US intervention in the internal affairs of foreign countries since its inception and
Where as Veterans for Peace is an organization that cherishes democracy
Therefore, let it be resolved that Veterans for Peace, Inc will sign to the
petition started by the US CAMPAIGN TO END THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION opposing the anti-democratic and anti-Palestinian HR4681, THE PALESTINIAN ANTI-TERRORISM ACT OF 2006 as soon as possible.
(Scott Satterwhite, Pensacola Chapter, Veterans for Peace)
(for more information on the petition, please go to http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1188)
SUPPORTING AN ARTICLE 9-LIKE AMENDMENT TO US CONSTITUTION
A Proposal To Be Sent To All Members Of The U.S. Congress
Whereas, modern high technology warfare threatens all life on Planet Earth. And
Whereas, Veterans For Peace understands this reality in one of its five "Statements Of Purpose" by declaring that it seeks "To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.” And
Whereas, at the conclusion of World War II, the United States also understood this reality and helped by placing a clause, Article 9, in Japan’s constitution that abolishes war as an instrument of national policy for Japan. And
Whereas Article 9 seems like a profound model for all nations on the planet, And
Whereas, unfortunately since the end of World War II, the United States has become the Earth's most war addicted nation. And
Whereas, Veterans For Peace knows that in the 1920s and 1930s, out of revulsion at the obscenity that was WW-I, many war renouncing constitutional amendments were proposed and debated in the Congress.
Therefore, chapters are encouraged to ask their members of the US Congress to stop the pressure by the US government on the government of Japan to remove Article 9 from their constitution. And chapters are encouraged to read Article 9 during a chapter meeting.
Furthermore, Veterans For Peace ask, in a letter to all members of the US Congress that at least some Congress persons summon the courage to read into the Congressional Record the following proposal for a US Constitutional Amendment modeled after our Article 9 gift to Japan -- thus beginning the process so that one day in the future our progeny might have a beautiful habitable planet on which to live. It is time to begin this long-term process now, and with the United States of America.
Proposed Amendment To The United States Constitution
Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, we the people of the United States forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
Recognizing that conflict is part of the human condition, the United States, will henceforth work in cooperation with the United Nations, The World Court and all other relevant international institutions, and all other nations to resolve its international conflicts with non-violent means under international rules-of-law, as it does its domestic conflicts under national rules-of-law. The United States will abandon its addiction to “rules-of-war” in favor of “rules-of-law.”
Any provisions of the United States Constitution that are in conflict with this war-renunciation amendment are hereby rendered null and void.
The Congress shall have the power to enact appropriate legislation to give effect to this amendment.”
A proposed VFP resolution submitted on August 12, 2006 to the Seattle VFP convention by Dr. Charles Overby, member of VFP, veteran of WW-II and Korea (combat pilot in Korea), Ohio University emeritus professor, internationalist, humanist, peace activist, engineering environmentalist, and 1991 founder of the Article 9 Society.
Whereas, the U.S. military in Korea is in the process of relocating its main headquarters and northern military bases to Pyeongtaek(Camp Humphreys), another U.S. base below Seoul;
Whereas, the U.S. military is in the process of expanding its Pyeongtaek military base to about 6,560 acres, doubling the current size;
Whereas, the South Korean military and police forces are carrying out the wishes of the U.S. government by expropriating the farm land in Pyeongtaek, against the wishes of some 70 farming families who want to stay on their land and villages;
Whereas, on May 4, 2006, the South Korean authority used some 15,000 police and military personnel to demolish an elementary school at Daechu-ri, Pyeongtaek and put barbed wire fence around the local farm land to be used for the base expansion;
Whereas, on the same day, more than 500 farmers and their supporters were arrested and some 300 persons were beaten and injured in the forcible occupation of the farm land;
Whereas, the primary reason for the relocation of the U.S. military bases to Pyeongtaek is to make it easier for the U.S. to launch a preemptive military attack on North Korea; and
Whereas, the relocation plan may cost several billion dollars for the U.S. and South Korean government
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby resolved that Veterans For Peace (VFP), meeting at its national convention in Seattle, Washington, August 12, 2006,
1) Extends its warm solidarity and support to the courageous Korean farmers in Pyeongtaek who are justly resisting the U.S. military expansion there;
2) Calls upon the U.S. government to shut down its 100 military bases in South Korea and bring our troops home now, instead of relocating them below Seoul;
3) Organizes an official VFP delegation to Pyeongtaek this year to investigate the situation and show our solidarity with the struggling farmers there; and
4) Communicates this resolution to members of Congress and the White House.
Dated: July 23, 2006
Submitted by VFP-Korea Peace Campaign
(Tom Kennedy, Peter Shaw, Ted Hughes, Chuck Overby, and John Kim)
TWO RESOLUTIONS ON LEBANON
Resolution 1
Whereas the human costs of the current conflict in Lebanon have been overwhelming,
And whereas Hezbollah fighters continue to fire rockets at cities in northern Israel and while ground combat is takes place in southern Lebanon,
And whereas the totally disproportionate use of force and violence and the indiscriminate destruction of infrastructure by the IDF is a clear violation of international prohibitions against collective punishment and injunctions to protect civilian lives and property,
Therefore be it resolved that Veterans For Peace universally condemns the targeting of civilians by both sides and calls for the United States Government to support an immediate cease-fire and promote negotiations involving all concerned parties to resolve all border disputes and prisoner release issues.
Resolution 2
Whereas the occupation of Lebanese territory by the Israeli Defense Forces constitutes a clear violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon,
Therefore be it resolved that Veterans for Peace calls for the United States Government to use the diplomatic and economic means at its disposal to secure a removal of IDF forces from Lebanese territory.
A resolution on Gaza is not in order because the 2004 convention approved a resolution which included the following:
Whereas the International Court of Justice has ruled that the wall being built on
Palestinian land is a “de facto annexation” and is illegal;
Therefore VFP calls for:
1-The immediate removal of the wall from all Palestinian lands
2-dismantlement of all Israeli settlements on the West Bank and Gaza
3-the end to the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza by the Israeli Defense
Force
4-The return of Israel to its 1967 borders as mandated by UN resolution 242
5-Internationally supervised negotiations for the creation of an independent Palestinian state and all related issues of security and the refugees “right to return”
On behalf of the planning committee for the 2007 VFP Convention I move that the bylaws be amended as follows:
Amend the first sentence of Article X Section 1 (a) by changing the date “August 1” to “July 1”. The sentence will then read “The Annual Convention of the members of VFP shall be held between July 1 and August 31, each year, the date to be designated by the Board of Directors.”
RATIONALE:
Several of the recent VFP Conventions have been held at college or university campuses. In general, this has been a highly satisfactory arrangement because such a location can be expected to provide more than adequate meeting space, both for small groups and for large assemblies, and in most cases there are dormitory facilities where a large number of persons can be housed at a reasonable price.
In the course of determining a venue for the 2007 convention, the committee perceived an obstacle. The growing tendency for schools to move the beginning of their fall terms to an increasingly earlier date in August eliminates them from consideration as a meeting place for us. Increasing the “window of opportunity” to the two summer months would afford us a greater number of options.
F Lincoln Grahlfs
Fiscal Year By-laws Change
That ARTICLE XI Section 3 of the Veterans for Peace, Inc. by-laws be changed to read as follows:
"The fiscal year of VFP shall be from January 1 through December 31 of the same year."
If approved by the convention, the books will be closed on Fiscal 2006 on August 31 as stated in the current by-laws. There will then be a short reporting period from September 1 to December 31, 2006. Fiscal year 2007 will run from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007.