charges against the Rutgers 3 (Suzan Sanal, Erik Straub, Arwa Ibrahim) dropped. The resolution was passed unanimously, and New Brunswick thus became the fourth city in New Jersey to stand against the war. None of us had expected the council to actually pass the resolution; this was an incredible victory and the perfect culmination of a year of activism against the occupation.
Link: Home New Tribune article
Text of Resolution:
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick unequivocally supports the men and women in uniform from New Brunswick and the whole of the United State who are stationed overseas in Iraq. These individuals are making unimaginable sacrifices for their country; and
WHEREAS, The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 was passed by the US Congress on October 11, 2002, and that Public Law 107-243 cited Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction as a primary reason for the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq; and
WHEREAS, On January 12, 2005, President Bush officially declared an end to the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, This March marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, The City Council of New Brunswick expresses its deep opposition to the Bush Administration's continuation of the war in Iraq after its mendacious and deceptive methods of garnering initial support ; and
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick mourns and honors the approximately 4,000 Americans who have given their lives; and
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick recognizes that the physical, psychological, and emotional injuries inflicted on over a million service people who have served in Iraq cannot at this time be adequately quantified; and
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick mourns the indescribable suffering inflicted on the people of Iraq, and
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick, like cities throughout the nation relies on support from the federal government to adequately provide for the basic needs of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, The United States Congress has appropriated over $400 billion to fund military operations and Iraqi reconstruction, while a steady decline in Federal Housing and Urban Development grants has been experienced since 2002, the year before the war began; and
WHEREAS, The City of New Brunswick recognizes the necessity of maintaining the basic constitutional rights of its citizens, especially in a time of war.
BE IT HERE BY
RESOLVED, That the City Council of New Brunswick will continue to support the troops currently serving in Iraq and their families; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the City Council of New Brunswick will do all it can to help care for those who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and support those who are grieving at the loss of a loved one, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the City Council of New Brunswick communicates its desire to the members of Congress to end the war in Iraq and draw down the combat troops stationed in that country, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the City Council of New Brunswick urges the Federal government to pursue solutions to our country's domestic issues with the same zeal it pursued the invasion of Iraq; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the city Council of New Brunswick will do what it can to support any city residents working to end the War, and be it further
RESOLVED, That Freedom of Speech and freedom of assembly will be staunchly upheld in all cases of peaceful protest in opposition to the War; and be it further
RESOLVED, That at each meeting of the Council, after the Pledge of Allegiance, time is taken to suitably honor those Americans and Iraqis who have lost their lives in the conflict and
communicate information about the continuing fiscal and humanitarian costs to the City of New
Brunswick.
Erik Straub of Tent State/SDS addressing the council (Photo by Tiffany Cheng)
RAW member Suzan Sanal reacting to false claims by the city's lawyer about the events leading up to the March 27th Walkout (Photo by Tiffany Cheng)
2 comments:
I was in that packed room last night and am still in a state of shock over the swift passage of the resolution.
Thank you, students, for all the time and energy you've given to help try and end this war, including the awesome Marching Home Conference.
I'm so proud of you.
Dottie Ji
Librarian
This is a red white and blue pro-war resolution.
The political program of the anti-war movement, and CAN as a part of it, is to seek bourgeois allies such as these city fathers who are growing uncomfortable with the imperialist slaughter in Iraq (but not Afghanistan!) because the U.S. is losing.
To support this program, and to support these bourgeois politicians and their patriotic appeals, is to give support to the capitalist system that breeds endless wars, and to "our own" imperialist ruling class in particular, in the name of "peace." This is a betrayal of the international working class.
The Trotskyists of the Internationalist Group, in contrast, call on the workers to mobilize their power to defeat the U.S. and drive U.S. imperialism out of Afghanistan and the Near East on the road to socialist revolution. Only when the bourgeois parties, Democrats and Republicans, presidents and "progressive" city councils, are driven from power and a workers government is established, will imperialist wars be ended once and for all. Hailing "our troops" to "bring them home" is a program for more war.
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