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Illinois Green Party Renews Call for Immediate Withdrawal from Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Kelly
ILGP Media Coordinator
773-203-9631
media@ilgp.org
March 20, 2007
To mark the four-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion in Iraq, the Illinois Green Party (ILGP) has condemned the war in Iraq and those who lead us into war, calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. The action was taken at a meeting of the ILGP coordinating committee meeting (see below for full text of resolution).
In 2003, with the approval of a Democratic-controlled Senate, President Bush launched Codename "Iraqi Freedom," despite the vocal opposition of millions of citizens across the country, including members of the Green Party. Many members of the Green Party are taking part in today's protests against the war across the state.
"We opposed the war from the start," says David Black, secretary of the state party and 2006 candidate for Attorney General. "We're sorry our predictions are right, but we had more foresight than the president and the Democrats in Congress."
"Now the Democrats are talking about reversing the authorization to go to war, but the authorization should never have been passed," says Black.
David Kalbfleisch, an ILGP member and veteran Navy submarine officer who served in the Arabian Gulf during the Iraq War said that while he was on active duty, the war seemed to be a foregone conclusion since the summer of 2002.
"I was told and everyone on my ship was told, we're going to war," says Kalbfleisch, who recently declared his Green Party candidacy against pro-war incumbent Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th). "It seemed like a done deal, even as Bush was saying he would use diplomacy."
"Iraq is the issue that lead me to join the Green Party," said Kalbfleisch.
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For more information about the Illinois Green Party, visit www.ilgp.org.
RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE IRAQ WAR
Whereas, the U.S. casualties of Iraq War has surpassed 3,200 and continues to grow by the day,
Whereas, the number of U.S. wounded has surpassed 32,500 soldiers, many of which, under the current Administration, continue to receive substandard physical and mental
health care at the hands of the Administration,
Whereas, Iraqi civilian deaths stand in the hundreds of thousands,
Whereas, those whom we have entrusted with the powers of War, including the President and Congress, have shown themselves incapable and unworthy of making crucial decisions about our military, by putting our nation's women and men in harm's way under false
pretenses,
Whereas, those leaders continue to assert such pretenses, and continue to set the stage for more aggression against other sovereign nations,
Whereas, those leaders have squandered the goodwill of our Allies,
Whereas, those leaders continue to block investigations into heinous war crimes and profiteering,
Now, let it be resolved that the Illinois Green Party condemns the Iraq War, those who falsely promote the war, and those who enable the war by their timid inaction, and we demand an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq, so that the U.S. and the world can begin to heal from the deep wounds this war has caused.