GOVERNOR, VOTE US OUT OF IRAQ!
Senate President Don Perata’s landmark Vote Us Out legislation has won final approval and is headed to the Governor – who will only sign this bill if enough Californians demand a voice in ending the war in Iraq.
Senator Perata urged every citizen to call or write the Governor immediately to ask that he sign Senate Bill 924 – the Vote Us Out bill. The measure would make California the first state in the nation to vote on whether President Bush should immediately withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq.
"We need every Californian who’s sick and tired of waiting for George Bush to bring our troops home to urge the Governor to sign Vote Us Out today," Perata said.
In his own letter to the Governor, Senator Perata reminded him of his public statements in opposition to the war – and his longstanding commitment to put important questions to a vote of the people. "Your statements urging an end to the war garnered national attention," Perata wrote. "Regrettably, the voices of everyday Californians – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of soldiers serving in Iraq – aren’t being heard."
Vote Us Out gives us a voice in bringing this war to an end. Please, call the Governor now – and urge your friends and relatives to join this effort.
P.S. We know that George Bush and his allies will pressure the Governor to veto Vote Us Out – that’s why the Governor has to hear the other side – from Californians who want an end to this war!
P.P.S. Here’s how to contact the Governor:
By Phone: (916) 445-2841
By Fax: (916) 445-4633
To email the Governor online, go to: http://gov.ca.gov/interact
By regular mail:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Please call or write now! Vote Us Out of Iraq!
Bill No: SB 924
Author: Perata (D), et al
Amended: 6/4/07
SUBJECT : Iraq war: advisory election
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill places before the voters in the
presidential primary election on February 5, 2008, an
advisory question asking whether the President, in support
of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the
United States, should end the United States occupation of
Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal
of United States Forces, and whether the President and the
Congress should provide the necessary diplomatic and
nonmilitary assistance to promote peace and stability in
Iraq and the Middle East. This bill requires the Secretary
of State to communicate the results of this election to the
President.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law provides for the following:
1. The United States Constitution provides that the
President shall have the power to make treaties with
other countries, with the advice and consent of the
United States Senate.
2. The United States Constitution also provides that
Congress shall have the power to declare war.
3. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (Public Law 93-148)
limits the power of the President to declare or wage war
without the approval of the Congress.
4. The Authorization of Military Force in Iraq, Public Law
107-243, authorized military actions in Iraq, by
allowing President Bush to "take appropriate action" to
"bring Iraq into compliance with its international
obligations."
Comments
According to the Pentagon, there are approximately 138,000
troops currently in Iraq. Since the war has begun, there
have been approximately 3,300 United States troop deaths
and more than 25,000 who have been wounded. The cost of
the war, to date, is estimated to be more than $350
billion. More than 64,000 civilian Iraqi men, women, and
children have been killed thus far.
In response to growing public concern, Congress has become
outspoken in opposition to the Bush Administration's
strategy of the war in Iraq. The President has requested
an additional $100 billion for the current budget,
including $70 billion for the war in Iraq. However, on May
1, 2007, President Bush vetoed the $124 billion Iraq war
funding bill, because it included a troop withdrawal plan.
authorizing funding for military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan through September.
The legislation does not include a timetable for
withdrawing forces from Iraq, but it requires the Iraqi
government to meet several benchmarks as a condition for
receiving future United States aid for reconstruction. It
calls on the President to report in July and September
2007, on progress of his Iraq strategy, and requires
independent assessments of the Iraqi government and
military forces.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author indicates the Iraq war
has been a failed policy and that this bill is intended to
accomplish the following:
"[1]Frustrated by the Bush Administration's failure to
end the war after more than four years, California would
become the first state in the nation whose voters could
formally call on President Bush to immediately begin the
withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. [2]We've
established a democratic government in Iraq, now it's up
to the Iraqis to make it work. [3]We moved up
California's Presidential Primary to make our vote
matter. This bill takes that same opportunity to tell
the President where California stands on Iraq - and ask
every presidential candidate to stand with us. If we
convince other states to join us, we can make February
5th a national referendum to end this war. [4]President
Bush has refused to bring U.S. forces home despite last
year's elections and the bipartisan recommendations of
the Iraq Study Group. [5]Bush's recent veto of
legislation containing a timetable for U.S. withdrawal
has only made matters worse."
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