[pjw] NEWS: On 9/11, Peace and Justice Groups Ask Governor Brown to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon

[Peace and Justice Works]

Friends
We sent this information to the media and the Governor a few moments ago. 
If you want to share your thoughts with her at
<http://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/share-your-opinion.aspx>.
If your group wants to be added to the online version of the letter when 
it gets posted next week please let us know.
Thanks
dan handelman
Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group



NEWS ITEM

For Immediate Release    September 11, 2015

On the anniversary of 9/11, a half-dozen peace and justice organizers sent a 
letter to Governor Kate Brown urging her not to allow deployment of Oregon's 
National Guard for unauthorized military actions overseas. The letter follows 
two similar letters sent to Governor John Kitzhaber in 2013 and 2014 
<http://www.pjw.info/guardletter2014.pdf> and a concerted campaign in 2009 that 
generated over 700 signatures to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon 
<http://pjw.info/guardhomecampaign08.html>.

The full text of the new letter is below.


Peace and Justice Works
    PO Box 42456
    Portland, OR   97242
    (503) 236-3065
    pjw at pjw.info
    http://www.pjw.info



Governor Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR   97301-4047

September 11, 2015

Governor Brown:

We are writing to you to raise concerns about the potential use of Oregon's 
National Guard in unauthorized military adventures abroad. Many of our groups 
were involved in the 2009 effort to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon, hoping to 
prevent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under the then-outdated 
Authorizations for Use of Military Force from 2001-2002. We gathered over 7000 
signatures from all over the state. That campaign noted:
  * Governor Ted Kulongoski told the Oregonian in October, 2006 that he
  believed the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "is making things
  worse" and that the U.S. should set a strict timetable for getting out.
  * Oregon needs its National Guard to respond to wildfires and natural
  disasters and for search and rescue missions.

We still need Oregon's National Guard to stay stateside, as evidenced by your 
deployment of troops in late August to help fight wildfires.

The U.S. now has military engagements in Iraq and Syria, ostensibly to combat 
the Islamic State/ISIS, which have not been granted Congressional approval 
despite being active far more than the 90 days envisioned by the War Powers 
Act. Most anyone studying the region will tell you that ISIS is not the same 
organization as Al Qaeda-- the two even fight each other. Thus, the 2001 AUMF 
does not cover any deployments to Iraq or Syria. We further believe that the US 
claimed it would have all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, so any 
troops sent there after that time should specifically be authorized by 
Congressional action.

We sent two letters to Governor Kitzhaber, in January 2013 and April 2014, and 
received no reply, while roughly 1000 Oregonians were dispatched to Afghanistan 
and, thankfully, most of them made it back alive.

We would be glad to meet with your or your staff about this issue, and would be 
encouraged to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Thank you,

Dan Handelman
for Peace and Justice Works (Portland, OR)

Michael Taylor, father of Iraq combat Veteran
member Military Families Speak Out* (Portland, OR)

Leah Bolger
for Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Corvallis Branch 
(Corvallis, OR)

John Grueschow
for War Resisters League--Portland Chapter  (Portland, OR)

Kelly Campbell, Executive Director
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Max White, Country Specialist, Indonesia and East Timor
Amnesty International USA*

(and others)

For the previous letters, see: http://www.pjw.info/guardletter2014.pdf