Crucial NJ Assembly Bill to Stop the War Needs Your Support

Written by: STUART HUTCHISON on Feb 1, 2007 8:14 PM EST

Linked to groups: DFA New Jersey

Support ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 237 --- Express your thanks to REED GUSCIORA STATE OF NEW JERSEY - 212th LEGISLATURE - INTRODUCED JANUARY 25, 2007

Sponsored by: Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA, District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSIS: Calls on Congress to stop escalating the war in Iraq unless the President first seeks Congressional approval. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As Introduced:
An Assembly Resolution calling on the Congress of the United States to stop escalating the war in Iraq unless the President first seeks Congressional approval for sending more American troops and increasing funding for the war.

The bill is currently in the Military and Veterans Affairs committee, chaired by Assemblyman Jack Conners. Tell him you support AR-237 and encourage him to schedule a hearing and vote to clear the committee.

Contact/Click: JACK CONNERS or (856) 461-3997, ask for Mr. Conners' Legislative Aide.  To learn more go to ImpeachThem.com

OR contact HUTCH <info@impeachthem.com>

Here's the text of AR-237:

Whereas, President George W. Bush has proposed an escalation in the number of troops from the United States to be deployed in Iraq; and

Whereas, This country's involvement in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 members of the United States Armed Forces and the wounding and disabling of more than 22,000 American military personnel to date; and

Whereas, This proposed escalation will further extend the tours of members of this country's National Guard in Iraq at a time when the current call up has had a significant impact on the states of this country in terms of lives lost, combat injuries, psychic trauma, disruption of family life, financial hardship for individuals, families and businesses, and the interruption of careers and damage to the civic life of our communities; and

Whereas, The global war on terror, of which the war in Iraq is a part, has already had a significant impact on servicemen and women from New Jersey and their families, with over 6,000 state Army and Air National Guard and Reserve troops deployed and 81 troops killed and many more injured; and

Whereas, American troops have been valiant in performing their difficult duty in Iraq under the most dire circumstances; and

Whereas, More than $357 billion has already been appropriated by Congress to fund military operations and reconstruction in Iraq to date, money that could fund desperately needed education, health care, housing, nutrition programs and other social services in the United States or be used for humanitarian assistance abroad; and

Whereas, Previous federal budgets that have funded American involvement in Iraq have led to cuts in critical block grants for states and have increased the federal debt which, due to interest payments, will likely result in even larger cuts in the funds provided to states with critical needs; and

Whereas, Recent opinion polls show that the vast majority of the American people do not support increasing the number of United States troops in Iraq; and

Whereas, Most military experts oppose an escalation in the number of troops sent to Iraq and press reports indicate that even the Joint Chiefs of Staff have opposed such a strategy; and

Whereas, Prominent members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, both Democrats and Republicans, have signaled their opposition to the President's plan by supporting Senate Concurrent Resolution 2, which states that it "is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq, particularly by escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq;" and

Whereas, Legal experts holding every political viewpoint have determined that the Congress has broad authority for, and a long tradition of, limiting military escalation or forcing troop redeployment through the Constitutionally-designated power of the purse; and

Whereas, This House finds that at a time when the Iraq Study Group, leading military and diplomatic officials, and allies from around the world are calling for a reduction in the number of American troops in Iraq or the withdrawal of all such troops, the government of the United States should not escalate its involvement in Iraq or increase the number of its troops in that country; and

Whereas, This House also finds that, at a minimum, President Bush should obtain explicit approval from Congress if he wants to send more American troops to Iraq; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House calls on the Congress of the United States to stop escalating the war in Iraq unless the President first seeks Congressional approval for sending more American troops and increasing funding for the war.

2. This House calls on each member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 and any identical resolution in the House of Representatives.

3. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to President George W. Bush, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and every member of Congress elected from New Jersey.

STATEMENT
This Assembly Resolution calls on the Congress of the United States to stop escalating the war in Iraq unless the President first seeks Congressional approval for sending more American troops and increasing funding for the war. It also calls on each member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 and any identical resolution in the House of Representatives.

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Location: NJ