Richmond Resolution Opposing US Military Involvement in Iraq and Iran

Dear Friends,

It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said: "Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." Never were truer words spoken. King also said: "The bombs in Vietnam explode at home; they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America." These anti-war words have as much relevance today as they did in the Vietnam era. Our youth in Richmond need to know that we stand for a different society than what is being mapped out by our national leadership!

Please join me at the next Richmond City Council meeting, as I bring forward a resolution opposing US military involvement in Iraq and Iran. Councilmembers Tony Thurmond and Maria Viramontes are co-sponsoring this resolution along with me.

When: Tuesday, November 6th, 7 pm
Where: 1401 Marina Way South/ Richmond CA 94804 (enter Council Chambers from rear of bldg)

The resolution follows. Hope to see you on Nov. 6th!

For peaceful tomorrows,
Gayle McLaughlin
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Resolution of the City of Richmond Opposing U.S. Military Involvement in Iraq and Iran

Whereas, current U.S. foreign policy in the middle-east is counterproductive with respect to the interests of the American people and the peoples of the middle-east; and

Whereas, the initial invasion of Iraq was based on false and misleading information about yet undiscovered weapons of mass destruction and unsubstantiated ties between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda in Iraq presented by the Bush Administration to the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the American people; and

Whereas, continued presence of the U.S. military in Iraq as an occupying army,¬ a situation which has already gone on longer than the U.S. involvement in World War II is not leading to peace and/or a stable and sovereign Iraq under the control of the people of Iraq; and

Whereas, polls conducted by the most reputable and accurate U.S. polling organizations have shown that the vast majority of Iraqis want the United States military to leave their country

Whereas, the Bush Administration is now circulating information of questionable authenticity about the involvement of the government of Iran in exporting weapons and explosive devises into Iraq ¬a claim about which the U.S. commander on the ground in Iraq has cast serious doubt; and

Whereas, the Administration's questionable information about Iran follows exactly the same pattern as the information that led to the current invasion and occupation of Iraq; and

Whereas, the Bush Administrations release of information about the alleged involvement of Iran in providing weapons to Iraq is intended to justify an attack on Iran; and

Whereas, the Bush Administration's approach to the war in Iraq have cost the lives of almost 4,000 US soldiers, the serious maiming of approximately 30,000 US soldiers, and the death and maiming of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and non combatants as well as the waste of over $400,000,000,000 of American tax dollars that might have been put to much better use in serving the education, health care, job training, housing, human services, and other domestic needs of the residents of Richmond, the Bay Area and throughout the United States; and

Whereas, the vast majority of the American public, both through the election in November 2006 and as demonstrated in public opinion polls, now have expressed a clear desire for the complete and rapid withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq; and

Whereas, significant numbers of Richmond residents have asked the Richmond City Council to represent their opposition to the continued U.S. military occupation of Iraq, the expansion of the war in Iraq, and its spread to neighboring countries; and

Whereas, the Richmond City Council has been asked by our local residents to play a role in amplifying their support for strong Congressional action to oppose the current policies of the Bush Administration in the middle-east, and to support the calls made by Rep. George Miller, who states: The current U.S. strategy in Iraq is not working now and it will not ever work; and

Whereas, both of our State Representatives, California Senator Don Perata and Assemblymember Loni Hancock opposed the war and have attempted to place a ballot measure on the California ballot calling for President Bush to immediately withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq; and

Whereas, the City of Richmond is committed to promote and build peace among its residents, its neighbors and also internationally because we see the direct consequences
in the lives of local and global unjustifiable aggression and violence;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Richmond City Council does hereby express its support for Congressional efforts to limit the war authority of the Bush Administration with respect to continuing and/or expanding the war in Iraq or taking, or supporting, or encouraging any military action against Iran; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the City of Richmond calls on its representatives in Congress and the Senate to prohibit the use of funds to carry out any military action against Iran without explicit Congressional authorization; that Congress ensures that our relations with Iran are consistent with international law; and that they encourage talks, without pre-conditions, between the US and Iran on nuclear issues and ending the violence in Iraq; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the Richmond City Council does hereby request that our California State Legislators, Assemblymember Loni Hancock and State Senator Don Perata, continue to provide leadership in the California legislature in support of a rapid withdrawal of the U.S. military occupation of Iraq; and

Be It Finally Resolved, that the Richmond City Council directs Mayor Gayle McLaughlin to send copies of this Resolution to the President of the United States, our Congressional representatives, our California legislative representatives, the League of California Cities, and all local media outlets; and to arrange that a copy of this resolution be placed on the City of Richmond website.

Oil Cleanup - Volunteer Response

Dear Friends,

I just now received notification of this volunteer training opportunity to take place tonight - Wednesday (see Baykeeper Action Alert below) - as a response to the impact of the recent oil spill in the Bay Area. I encourage all those interested to attend this training in San Francisco tonight.

In addition, on this Friday morning, Nov. 16, I will be opening up my office for a meeting (at 10 a.m.) with those who have been trained and all interested others. This will be an opportunity to regroup in order to address Richmond shoreline volunteer clean-up efforts. Please pass the word to all those who might want to attend this meeting.

I am calling for and would like to discuss the creation of a Richmond Shoreline Defense Corps, organized and led by community volunteers. Let's come together and begin to chart out a course for addressing the problems created by this oil spill and prepare also for future potential environmental disasters.

When: Friday, November 16th
Where: Mayor's Office, 1401 Marina Way South, Richmond
When: 10 a.m.

Hope to see you at my office on Friday....

Sincerely,
Gayle McLaughlin
Mayor
City of Richmond

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BAYKEEPER ACTION ALERT

Nov. 14 Training
And a Trip To Washington, DC

Trainings and Cleanups
Thanks to the pressure we've been putting on the cleanup agencies and to the grassroots cleanups of Kill the Spill (http://sfoilspill.blogspot.com/), we're happy to announce a large-scale training opportunity tomorrow night in San Francisco. Participating in these trainings is the only way to be legally certified to help out with beach cleanups. We know it will make a huge impact in fighting the spill. Please attend!

Disaster Service Worker Volunteer Certification
Wednesday, November 14th
County Fair Building 9th & Lincoln in Golden Gate Park
6pm - 10pm

We're also working on scheduling another large-scale training in Marin over the weekend. Look in upcoming action alerts for details.

The City of San Francisco will be leading cleanups for trained workers Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We will announce locations and details as they become available.

San Francisco Baykeeper Congressional Testimony
Baykeeper heads to Washington, DC tomorrow to testify in a congressional briefing to the Senate Commerce Department, which oversees the Coast Guard. Senators Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, and Maria Cantwell have asked us to testify to the inadequate spill response efforts as they initiate an investigation to what went wrong.

Volunteer Opportunities
Baykeeper needs volunteers later this week to walk docks all around the Bay to educate boat owners and marina operators how to handle contaminated boats. You can read about this on-the-ground outreach program in tomorrow's update. If you haven't already, email volunteer@baykeeper.org with your availability and which tasks you're interested in, and we'll get you scheduled to come in. Thanks to everyone who has already offered to help.

Please continue to contact friends to sign up for volunteer alerts or to make a donation to support San Francisco Baykeepers efforts out on the water to respond to this crisis.