News Gazette: Iraq war issues to be on ballots

Advisory referendums [some by Illinois Greens] asking whether Champaign-Urbana residents support rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Advisory referendums asking whether Champaign-Urbana residents support rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Dozens of residents, many of them members of the anti-war group AWARE, packed the annual town meetings Tuesday night in Cunningham and City of Champaign townships. They had the votes to put both measures on the ballot in the townships, which are coterminous with Urbana and Champaign.

Illinois township law includes a provision that allows advisory referendums to be placed on the ballot by a majority vote of the "electors" attending the annual town meeting. Electors are any registered voters who live in the township and attend the meeting.

A number of veterans and wives of U.S. soldiers attended the City of Champaign Township town meeting.

The question about impeachment asks whether "our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives" should be asked to support impeachment of Bush and Cheney "for misleading our nation to war with Iraq, for permitting the illegal use of torture and for conducting domestic spying on U.S. citizens in violation of the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

The wording on supporting withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq varies slightly in the two advisory referendums, but both propositions call for a rapid withdrawal of U.S. personnel and bases in Iraq.

In Cunningham Township, residents will vote on a third advisory referendum. Green Party member Tom Abram, a candidate for state representative in the 103rd District, put forward a proposal that, after it was amended slightly, asks whether voters support having the governor of Illinois, to the extent of his authority, "resist the mobilization of Illinois National Guard units for service in Iraq, on the grounds that the ongoing Iraq war/occupation is illegal, immoral and harmful to the well-being of the people of this state."

One of the organizers of the referendum effort, Durl Kruse of Urbana, said he was glad Champaign-Urbana residents will "have the opportunity to express their views on public policy about this illegal war in Iraq."

"It's great for the people," he said. "It's great for democracy."

At the Cunningham town meeting, about 30 people attended, virtually all of them supporters of the ballot questions.

It was a different story at the City of Champaign town meeting, where a number of opponents to the impeachment and troop withdrawal proposals were in attendance.

The actual votes to put the questions on the ballot required a majority vote, but first the electors had to amend the township agenda, which required a 60 percent majority. The vote to amend the agenda for the troop withdrawal proposition was approved in a 48-26 vote, with four abstentions. The abstentions were counted with the majority, as is required by a Supreme Court decision, said Champaign City Attorney Fred Stavins.

The vote to amend the agenda for the impeachment question was approved in a 47-29 vote, with four abstentions.

The actual votes to put the questions on the ballot were 41-26 for troop withdrawal, with five abstentions; and 42-27, with three abstentions, for impeachment.

Many attendees spoke during public participation, including two wives of Iraqi soldiers.

Brenda Abbott of Champaign, whose husband Bryan, is slated to return to Champaign from Iraq in three weeks, said that "What we're seeing here in the media is not an actual representation of what's going on there (in Iraq)."

"Our soldiers will be coming home in three weeks, and I want them to come home to hurrahs," she said.

Amy Robinson of Champaign, whose husband John is also a part of the Illinois National Guard HHC 2 130th Infantry that is returning in three weeks, said her husband is a chaplain's assistant and "has gone on many humanitarian missions."

"I have nothing but pride for what they are doing," she said.

But Carl Estabrook of Champaign said that "the clearest support of the troops is to bring them home, to get them out of this war."

"American troops are being sacrificed for purposes primarily set out by the neocon sect in Washington that are not only unsupportable but are illegal," said Estabrook, who called the Iraq war a "war for oil."

Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart was elected moderator of the City of Champaign Township meeting. After the votes, he asked, "What kind of message do we send to the terrorists if they know we're going to cut and run."

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http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2006/04/12/iraq_war_issues_to_be_on_ballots

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