Because we said so!
Today, the City Council passed the Resolution Calling for the Withdrawal of all U.S. Troops from Iraq proposed by Leah and Bart Bolger. The language has been softened a bit from the original, now merely urging the foreign policy changes and including the requisite "Support our troops!" disclaimer, because some people still believe that taking a stance against the war is akin to personally lynching our military personnel. The city council is now directed to forward the resolution to President Bush, along with our city, county and state representatives.
And then?
Upon receipt of our city's directive, I'm confident our contrite president will have a complete change of heart. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Condi Rice will probably call an urgent meeting. There might even be a few tears shed. The good people of Corvallis have spoken, after all. If they want to bring home our men and women in uniform, then by Gawd, maybe we should.
Realistically, all this resolution does is provide the petitioners with a feeling of accomplishment. "We did something to stop the war," they can crow to their friends. "We took action!" Action that will sadly not be a blip on the national radar. Thinking globally and acting locally is a fantastic philosophy, unless it never accomplishes anything concrete. Rather than drafting a city resolution in a town with a population equalling roughly a third of the number of soldiers we actually have serving in Iraq right now, why not start drumming up support for like-minded politicians who represent our interests at the federal level? Why not barrage Congress with letter campaigns, and donate heavily to anti-war causes? Why not submit editorials to national press?
Full text of the resolution (PDF)
And then?
Upon receipt of our city's directive, I'm confident our contrite president will have a complete change of heart. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Condi Rice will probably call an urgent meeting. There might even be a few tears shed. The good people of Corvallis have spoken, after all. If they want to bring home our men and women in uniform, then by Gawd, maybe we should.
Realistically, all this resolution does is provide the petitioners with a feeling of accomplishment. "We did something to stop the war," they can crow to their friends. "We took action!" Action that will sadly not be a blip on the national radar. Thinking globally and acting locally is a fantastic philosophy, unless it never accomplishes anything concrete. Rather than drafting a city resolution in a town with a population equalling roughly a third of the number of soldiers we actually have serving in Iraq right now, why not start drumming up support for like-minded politicians who represent our interests at the federal level? Why not barrage Congress with letter campaigns, and donate heavily to anti-war causes? Why not submit editorials to national press?
Full text of the resolution (PDF)
posted by Corvallist at
10:22 PM
2 Comments:
I'm reluctant to dignify your cynicism with a reply, but feel compelled to push back. My wife and I are Navy vets who feel each loss in this ill-advised war personally. But we had no intention of attracting attention to ourselves. That happened because the G-T picked up on personal angles in their stories. Our goal was to encourage debate, heighten awareness (since the war is increasingly relegated to page 3 in the press and only brief mention on TV), and to join in a ground swell of public opinion against the war. We're now beginning to work with several organizations in OR to help other communities pass similar resolutions. Together with hundreds of communities across the US, we hope to be heard by our elected officials and to encourage individuals to call and write their representatives, as you suggest we do 'rather' than the action we are taking. It's easy to sit back and throw stones. If you're as opposed to the war as you profess, why not join us rather than just criticize.
Bart Bolger
By
Anonymous, at 4:52 PM
Enough blips on the radar screen will make a difference. Are you sure that those who pressed for the resolution are not doing all of those things that you suggeseted? The truth will out, the right will persevere, and the soldiers will come home. The question is how long will it be before that happens, how many more lives will be ended, how much pain and death will be caused, before that happens? We say Bring The Troops Home NOW.
By
Anonymous, at 8:36 PM
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