[pjw] NEWS: 20 groups ask Oregon governor candidates to Keep National Guard Home

Tue Jul 5 16:43:35 EDT 2016

Please spread the word!
--dan h.

----------------------------

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

20 groups ask Oregon governor candidates to Keep National Guard Home

This afternoon, 20 peace, veterans, faith and social justice organizations, 
political parties and a military family sent a letter to the candidates for 
Oregon governor asking them to pledge to keep Oregon's National Guard from 
being deployed to undeclared war zones.

The letter, attached below, was sent to the four declared candidates in the 
Democratic, Republican, Independent and Libertarian parties, as well as the 
general emails for the Pacific Green Party (a signator to the letter), the 
Progressive Party, the Working Families Party and the Constitution Party.

The letter asks for a response by July 29th. Peace and Justice Works, which 
has been coordinating efforts to Keep Oregon's Guard Home since 2005, will 
report back any responses and post them under the letter at 
<http://www.pjw.info/guardletter2016.html>.

For more information contact Peace and Justice Works at 503-236-3065 or 
<campaign at pjw.info>.

  ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2016
From: Peace and Justice Works <pjw at pjw.info>
Subject: Governor Candidates: Can you pledge to Keep Oregon's Guard Home?

July 5, 2016

Dear candidates for Oregon Governor:

We are writing to you to get your opinion on a crucial life-and-death matter 
for many Oregonians: The deployment of our National Guard to Iraq, Afghanistan 
and possibly Syria, Libya and Yemen* without Congressional authorization.

In 2011, President Barack Obama withdrew most American troops from Iraq. In 
August and September of 2014, he began building troops back up in Iraq, 
sending others to Syria, and bombing both countries in an effort to repel the 
self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS). While we are peace loving people and do 
not support the violent tactics of ISIS, we also believe that the US presence 
in the region is feeding the insurgency leading to a never-ending escalation.

Moreover, President Obama is relying on the 2001 Authorization for Use of 
Military Force which was cobbled together after 9/11 to go after those 
responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington. It was never intended 
as an open-ended "war on terrorism" without borders.

The Congress has been reluctant to vote on a new authorization bill. In early 
May 2016, Rep. Barbara Lee led a bipartisan effort to urge a vote on whether 
to authorize the war on ISIS.
Rep. Lee, others push House to debate war against Islamic State
<http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rep-Lee-s-bipartisan-effort-to-open-debate-7465184.php>
Unfortunately the effort to repeal the 2001 Authorization failed 138-285.
<http://news.antiwar.com/2016/05/18/house-rejects-bill-that-would-lead-to-debate-on-isis-war-authorization/>

One of the most recent American service persons to die in Iraq was a National 
Guard member from Washington state who grew up and went to school in Oregon.
Forest Grove, UP grad dies in Iraq non-combat incident
<http://www.kgw.com/news/local/us-soldiers-dies-in-noncombat-incident-in-iraq_/182347795>

And, perhaps most significantly, an active duty Army Captain is suing the US 
government for deploying him to a combat zone without Congressional 
authorization.
Deployed Army captain sues Obama over ISIS fight
<http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/05/04/deployed-army-captain-sues-obama-over-isis-fight/83942016>

A number of groups from around the state of Oregon have been urging the 
Governors of this state to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon, from Gov. Kulongoski 
in 2008 to Gov. Kitzhaber in 2012 and Gov. Brown last year. 
<http://www.pjw.info/guardhomeletter2015.html>

While several deployments of the Guard have happened in the interim, we urge 
you to pledge not to send any more Oregonians into an unauthorized and ill 
fated war.

We hope you will let us know your opinion on this matter so we can share a 
fact sheet with our constituents. We are non-partisan groups interested in 
finding alternatives to war as a solution to the world's problems.

We look forward to your prompt reply by no later than July 29, 2016.

Thank you

Dan Handelman
   Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group

S. Jenika
   Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 (Portland)

Bart Bolger
   Veterans For Peace, Linus Pauling Chapter 132 (Corvallis)

Allen Hallmark
   Veterans for Peace Rogue Valley Chapter 156 (Medford/Grants Pass/Rogue 
River)

Ed Pool
  Veterans for Peace, Chapter 141 Bandon, Oregon

Michael Taylor and Linda Marshall, parents of Iraq combat Veteran
    members Military Families Speak Out* (Portland)

Kelly Campbell
   Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Susan Cundiff
   Oregon Women's Action for New Directions (WAND)

Michael Carrigan
   Community Alliance of Lane County (Eugene)

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

Natasha Beck
  Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-Portland

Ellie Gunn
   Yamhill Valley Peacemakers (McMinnville)

Nancy Greenman
   Albany Peace Seekers

Ivend Holen
   Citizens for Peace & Justice (Medford)

Elizabeth Hallett
   Ashland Peace House

Philip H. Randall
   Central Oregon Peace Network (Bend)

Emma Lugo
   Pacific Green Party

Jordana Sardo
   Freedom Socialist Party

Recruiter Watch PDX

Malcolm Chaddock
   Individuals For Justice (Portland)

Max White and Will Singer
   East Timor and Indonesia Action Network Portland

* US sends troops to Yemen, steps up anti-Qaeda strikes (AFP 5/7)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-sends-troops-to-yemen/2764406html>
U.S. establishes Libyan outposts with eye toward offensive against Islamic 
State
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-establishes-libyan-outposts-with-eye-toward-offensive-against-islamic-state/2016/05/12/11195d32-183c-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html>
The US continues to argue about language to explain how the President is 
keeping his pledge not to put any "boots on the ground" in Iraq an Syria:
As More American Boots Hit the Ground in Syria, U.S. Parses "Boots" and 
"Ground" (Intercept 4/29)
<https://theintercept.com/2016/04/29/as-more-american-boots-hit-the-ground-in-syria-u-s-parses-boots-and-ground>
and tries to explain why Americans bombed a hospital in Afghanistan even 
though the US has supposedly ended its combat role there.
US military's hazy "noncombat" Afghanistan role creates confusion in hospital 
bombing (Wash Times 5/1)
<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/1/us-militarys-hazy-noncombat-afghanistan-role-creat/print/>

cc: Kate Brown, Democratic Party
    Bud Pierce, Republican Party
    Cliff Thomason, Independent Party
    James Foster, Libertarian Party
    Pacific Green Party
    Working Families Party
    Constitution Party
    Progressive Party