[pjw] NEWS: Only One of Nine Governor Candidates/Political Parties Responds to Keeping Oregon's Guard Home

[Peace and Justice Works]

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

NEWS: Only One of Nine Governor Candidates/Political Parties Responds to 
Keeping Oregon's Guard Home

September 16, 2022

On August 19, six peace organizations from Oregon (with a seventh joining soon 
after) sent a letter to the candidates for Governor asking them to pledge not 
to send Oregon's National Guard to undeclared war zones.

Those who did not respond received two reminders leading up to the September 9 
deadline. Only one response was received, from Ron Noble, the Libertarian 
candidate, who agreed with the principles in the letter.

Notably, the Pacific Green Party candidate ended their campaign, explaining 
their lack of response. No response was received either from

--Democratic Party/ Tina Kotek
--Republican Party/ Christine Drazan
--Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson
--Constitution Party
--Progressive Party
--Independent Party
--Working Families Party.


The original letter is below. The letter and the response can be seen at

https://pjw.info/guardletter2022.html


  Dear candidates for Oregon Governor:

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

   Despite the US having promised to withdraw its forces from Iraq, 2500
   military members remain in that country, over 19 years since the 2003
   invasion. The US removed its troops from Afghanistan, but recently
   showed its intention to continue military operations with a drone
   strike targeting an individual accused of terrorism. The US also
   maintains a military presence in Syria without a United Nations,
   Congressional or indeed a Syrian mandate to do so.

   Presidents have justified most of the military operations in the last
   21 years by relying on the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force
   (AUMF) 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.

   Congress has been reluctant to vote on a new authorization bill, and
   efforts to repeal both the 2002 Authorization that led to the Iraq war
   and to modify the 2001 AUMF have stalled.

   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 for the
   last seven years.
      https://pjw.info/troopshomecampaign.html

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

   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 12 noon on
   Friday, September 9, 2022 in order to get the responses out prior to
   ballots going out.

  Thank you

    Dan Handelman for
    Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group (Portland)

   Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132 of Corvallis-Albany

    Allen Hallmark on behalf of
    Veterans for Peace, Rogue Valley Chapter 156

    Dan Shea for
    Veterans for Peace Chapter 72, Portland

   Oak Grove Peace Vigil (Milwaukie, OR)

    Washington County Peace Vigil
       __________________________________________________________________

  Signers after August 19, 2022:

    Albany Peace Seekers
       __________________________________________________________________

       cc: Tina Kotek, Democratic Party
               Christine Drazan, Republican Party
               Betsy Johnson, unaffiliated candidate
               R. Leon Noble, Libertarian Party
               Nathalie Paravicini, Pacific Green Party
               Independent Party,
               Working Families Party
               Constitution Party
               Progressive Party

     *-
     https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2022/07/national-guard-considering-major-expansion-indo-pacific/374892/