[Sosfbay-discuss] Proposal: Anti Iran Attack Resolution
Gerry Gras
gerrygras at earthlink.net
Mon Apr 2 14:29:12 PDT 2007
Hi,
It seems quite likely that the U.S. will attack Iran
soon. And I believe that such an attack at this time
would be a disaster for the U.S..
So I would like to see the GPSCC, at its next meeting,
pass a resolution against an attack on Iran.
In March (on the 13th?) the Berkeley City Council
passed a resolution. I have modified it slightly to
provide a draft resolution below. And I have
included the Berkeley resolution for reference.
(The Berkeley resolution has been modified slightly
to fix typos).
Comments, questions?
Gerry
P.S. I could have provided, and can still provide copies
of the resolutions as attachments, but did not because
I believe that in-line text is more suitable for this
list.
P.P.S. Both bills (House and Senate) are now in committees.
I have no idea how long they might sit there.
============ Draft #1 Proposed Resolution ============
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS,
Iran poses no imminent nuclear threat as it could take Iran
eight years to manufacture a nuclear device (1), or in
extreme worst-case scenario, three years (2), and the
International Atomic Energy Agency has found no proof that
Iran diverted nuclear material to a weapons program (3),
and a senior United Nations (U.N.) diplomat in Iran said
regarding Western spy services' tips about secret Iranian
weapons, "Pretty much all the intelligence that's come to
us has proved to be wrong" (3); and
WHEREAS,
up to five United States (U.S.) generals and admirals are
willing to resign rather than approve what they see as a
reckless attack on Iran (4), and an attack on Iran could
backfire (5), and Senators Boxer and Feinstein have both
called for diplomacy in accordance with international law
rather than preemptive war (6); and
WHEREAS,
the U.S. has ratified the U.N. Charter which states that no
nation shall use force or threat of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of any
nation (Article 2.4) and that, only if attacked, a nation
may respond only once before informing the UN and bringing
the conflict before the U.N. Security Council (Article 51);
and
WHEREAS,
on February 24, 2007 U.S. religious leaders met in Tehran
with President Ahmadinejad who declared that Iran has no
intention to acquire or use nuclear weapons and stated that
he has no reservation about talks with American officials
if there is goodwill (7), and in 2003 Dick Cheney and Karl
Rove reviewed an offer from the Iranian government to
increase transparency of its nuclear program and hold
negotiations, according to Colin Powell's former chief of
staff, which offer the Bush administration ignored (8), and
the CIA tried to censor related reporting (9), yet
Halliburton sold key components for a nuclear reactor to
Iran (10); and
WHEREAS,
Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution
provides that only the Congress has the authority to
declare war; and
WHEREAS,
while recognizing that inflammatory rhetoric may discourage
diplomacy, it does not constitute a security threat, and
dozens of Iranian scholars reacted to the Tehran Holocaust
conference by condemning the immoral stance of Holocaust
denial (11), as did the U.N. General Assembly (12).
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that the Green Party of Santa Clara County recommend to the
four Representatives of Santa Clara County (Anna Eshoo,
Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, and Jerry McNerny) that they support
H.R. 770 (13) "To prohibit the
use of funds to carry out any covert action for the purpose
of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any
military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent
threat, in accordance with international law and
constitutional and statutory requirements for congressional
authorization," and request that Senators Barbara Boxer and
Dianne Feinstein cosponsor Senator Jim Webb's bill (S. 759)
prohibiting funds for military operations in Iran without
the consent of Congress (14), and that they recommend an
appropriations amendment or rider to restrict funds, such as:
[1] No funds from any source shall be used for any military
action against Iran, Syria, or any new target, and
[2] Any executive violation shall be construed as a high
crime and misdemeanor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Green Party of Santa Clara County supports the
International Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to verify Iran's
nuclear activities, encourages Iran to cooperate fully with
those efforts, and applauds the action of the United Nations
General Assembly in condemning Holocaust denial.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Green Party of Santa Clara County send
copies of this signed Resolution promptly to U.S. Senators
Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Jim Webb, Bernard Sanders,
Robert Byrd, Chair Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Joseph Biden, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid;
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
Chair House Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos, Chair
House Armed Services Committee Ike Skelton, Chair House
Intelligence Committee Silvestre Reyes; the National
Conference of Democratic Mayors and the U.S. League of
Cities; and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.N.
General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa.
(1) reprinted from NY Times in SF Chronicle on 1/27/07
"Iran going ahead with nuclear program, UN official says
- ElBaradei urges all sides to ratchet down tensions"
by Mark Landler and David Sanger
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/27/MNG9DNQ6KP1.DTL
(2) Federation of American Scientists,
www.fas.org/cgi-bin/ucountdown.pl;
11th clause of Senator Bernard Sanders' Concurrent
Resolution 13:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.CON.RES.13:
(3) "UN Calls US Data on Iran's Nuclear Aims Unreliable"
by Bob Drogin and Kim Murphy LA Times 2/25/07
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-usiran25feb25,0,4451045.story?coll=la-home-headlines
(4) "US Generals `Will Quit' If Bush Orders Iran Attack"
by Michael Smith and Sarah Baxter Sunday Times Online 2/25/07
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1434540.ece
(5) "Attack on Iran would backfire, warns report" 3/5/07
www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329734502-111322,00.html
(6) "Confronting Iran: Will we learn from our mistakes and
apply tough diplomacy-or rely once again on the failed
doctrine of preemption?"
by Dianne Feinstein, LA Times 4/15/06
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/59/19119
On 2/26/07 Sen. Boxer wrote to a Berkeleyan that she
believes the U.S. and the international community must
continue to pursue diplomatic options and that she will
continue to push for a diplomatic solution re Iran.
(7)
www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/48794/
www.nccinterfaith.blogspot.com/
www.ncccusa.org/news/070222.irantalks.html
www.afsc.org/iran/
(8)
www.sandersresearch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1099&Itemid=41
"Ex-Congressional Aide: Karl Rove Personally Received
(And Ignored) Iranian Peace Offer in 2003"
www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/26/157241& mode=thread&tid=25
(9) "Former NSC official says White House tried to censor him"
reprinted from the LA Times in the SF Chronicle 12/19/06.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/19/MNGMAN244T1.DTL
(10) "Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran"
by Jason Leopold
http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2007/index.htm#2
(11)
www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/world/middleeast/27holocaust.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
(12)
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21355&Cr=holocaust&Cr1=
(13)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00770:
(14) Press release on Senator Webb's website:
http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=270138
========== End Draft #1 Proposed Resolution ==========
================ Berkeley Resolution =================
***** Modified from original *****
Kriss Worthington
Councilmember, City of Berkeley District 7 2180 Milvia Street,
5th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704
PHONE 510-981-7170 FAX 510-981-7177
kworthington at ci.berkeley.ca.us
CONSENT CALENDAR March 13, 2007
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Councilmember Kriss Worthington
Subject: Opposition to US Military Intervention or Use of
Force in Iran
RECOMMENDATION: That the Berkeley City Council opposes any
form of military intervention or use of force against Iran.
BACKGROUND:
The attached resolution was officially approved by the Peace
and Justice Commission on March 5, 2007. While the Bush
administration has recently been involved in gathering United
Nations support to tighten sanctions against Iran, it has
been sending unclear messages to Iran and the international
community about its willingness to engage in a military
confrontation with Iran. Vice President Dick Cheney, having
publicly voiced his support for a "regime change," has also
noted that the administration has to this point noted that
"we haven't taken any options off the table." Last month,
President Bush ordered an additional aircraft carrier into
waters within striking distance of Iran, hoping that military
force might pressure Iran into negotiations. These actions
have only publicly emboldened President Ahmadinejad. In light
of the increasing escalation in Iraq, and the potential for
increased instability in the Middle East, military action
used in a confrontation or as a threat would only worsen an
already difficult situation for the United States, both in
the region and internationally. This resolution represents
the Council's opposition of the use of force, particularly
without international support or honest diplomacy.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: NONE
CONTACT PERSON: Councilmember Kriss Worthington 981-7170.
Attachment: 1. Resolution
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS,
Berkeley Municipal Code Section 3.68 states that the Peace
and Justice Commission shall "Advise the Berkeley City
Council on all matters relating to the City of Berkeley's
role in issues of peace...," and "The residents of Berkeley
have continually demonstrated their concern for peace and
justice based on equality among all peoples..."; and
WHEREAS,
Iran poses no imminent nuclear threat as it could take Iran
eight years to manufacture a nuclear device (1), or in
extreme worst-case scenario, three years (2), and the
International Atomic Energy Agency has found no proof that
Iran diverted nuclear material to a weapons program (3),
and a senior United Nations (U.N.) diplomat in Iran said
regarding Western spy services' tips about secret Iranian
weapons, "Pretty much all the intelligence that's come to
us has proved to be wrong" (3); and
WHEREAS,
up to five United States (U.S.) generals and admirals are
willing to resign rather than approve what they see as a
reckless attack on Iran (4), and an attack on Iran could
backfire (5), and Senators Boxer and Feinstein have both
called for diplomacy in accordance with international law
rather than preemptive war (6); and
WHEREAS,
the U.S. has ratified the U.N. Charter which states that no
nation shall use force or threat of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of any
nation (Article 2.4) and that, only if attacked, a nation
may respond only once before informing the UN and bringing
the conflict before the U.N. Security Council (Article 51);
and
WHEREAS,
on February 24, 2007 U.S. religious leaders met in Tehran
with President Ahmadinejad who declared that Iran has no
intention to acquire or use nuclear weapons and stated that
he has no reservation about talks with American officials
if there is goodwill (7), and in 2003 Dick Cheney and Karl
Rove reviewed an offer from the Iranian government to
increase transparency of its nuclear program and hold
negotiations, according to Colin Powell's former chief of
staff, which offer the Bush administration ignored (8), and
the CIA tried to censor related reporting (9), yet
Halliburton sold key components for a nuclear reactor to
Iran (10); and
WHEREAS,
Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution
provides that only the Congress has the authority to
declare war; and
WHEREAS,
while recognizing that inflammatory rhetoric may discourage
diplomacy, it does not constitute a security threat, and
dozens of Iranian scholars reacted to the Tehran Holocaust
conference by condemning the immoral stance of Holocaust
denial (11), as did the U.N. General Assembly (12).
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that the Berkeley City Council commend Representative
Barbara Lee for sponsoring H.R. 770 (13) "To prohibit the
use of funds to carry out any covert action for the purpose
of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any
military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent
threat, in accordance with international law and
constitutional and statutory requirements for congressional
authorization," and request that Senators Barbara Boxer and
Dianne Feinstein cosponsor Senator Jim Webb's bill
prohibiting funds for military operations in Iran without
the consent of Congress (14), and that they recommend an
appropriations amendment or rider to restrict funds, such as:
[1] No funds from any source shall be used for any military
action against Iran, Syria, or any new target, and
[2] Any executive violation shall be construed as a high
crime and misdemeanor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Berkeley City Council encourage concerned
Berkeleyans to ask amenable contacts in other districts to
lobby their Representatives to cosponsor H.R. 770 and get
it out of Committee, and their Senators to cosponsor
Senator Webb's bill.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the City of Berkeley supports the International
Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to verify Iran's nuclear
activities, encourages Iran to cooperate fully with those
efforts, and applauds the action of the United Nations
General Assembly in condemning Holocaust denial.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Berkeley City Council direct the City Clerk, with
a Peace and Justice Commissioner's assistance, to send
copies of this signed Resolution promptly to U.S. Senators
Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Jim Webb, Bernard Sanders,
Robert Byrd, Chair Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Joseph Biden, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid;
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
Chair House Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos, Chair
House Armed Services Committee Ike Skelton, Chair House
Intelligence Committee Silvestre Reyes; the National
Conference of Democratic Mayors and the U.S. League of
Cities; and U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon and U.N.
General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa.
(1) reprinted from NY Times in SF Chronicle on 1/27/07
"Iran going ahead with nuclear program, UN official says
- ElBaradei urges all sides to ratchet down tensions"
by Mark Landler and David Sanger
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/27/MNG9DNQ6KP1.DTL
(2) Federation of American Scientists,
www.fas.org/cgi-bin/ucountdown.pl;
11th clause of Senator Bernard Sanders' Concurrent
Resolution 13:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.CON.RES.13:
(3) "UN Calls US Data on Iran's Nuclear Aims Unreliable"
by Bob Drogin and Kim Murphy LA Times 2/25/07
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-usiran25feb25,0,4451045.story?coll=la-home-headlines
(4) "US Generals `Will Quit' If Bush Orders Iran Attack"
by Michael Smith and Sarah Baxter Sunday Times Online 2/25/07
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1434540.ece
(5) "Attack on Iran would backfire, warns report" 3/5/07
www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329734502-111322,00.html
(6) "Confronting Iran: Will we learn from our mistakes and
apply tough diplomacy-or rely once again on the failed
doctrine of preemption?"
by Dianne Feinstein, LA Times 4/15/06
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/59/19119
On 2/26/07 Sen. Boxer wrote to a Berkeleyan that she
believes the U.S. and the international community must
continue to pursue diplomatic options and that she will
continue to push for a diplomatic solution re Iran.
(7)
www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/48794/
www.nccinterfaith.blogspot.com/
www.ncccusa.org/news/070222.irantalks.html
www.afsc.org/iran/
(8)
www.sandersresearch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1099&Itemid=41
"Ex-Congressional Aide: Karl Rove Personally Received
(And Ignored) Iranian Peace Offer in 2003"
www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/26/157241& mode=thread&tid=25
(9) "Former NSC official says White House tried to censor him"
reprinted from the LA Times in the SF Chronicle 12/19/06.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/19/MNGMAN244T1.DTL
(10) "Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran"
by Jason Leopold
http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2007/index.htm#2
(11)
www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/world/middleeast/27holocaust.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
(12)
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21355&Cr=holocaust&Cr1=
(13)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00770:
(14) Press release on Senator Webb's website:
http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=270138
============== End Berkeley Resolution ===============
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