RESOLUTIONS PASSED AUGUST 6, 2005

MASTER RESOLUTION
Passed August 6, 2005

Veterans For Peace, at their 2005 National Conference, hereby reaffirm all relevant resolutions adopted at their previous conventions. A comprehensive listing of these resolutions, in their complete text, appears on the VFP Website. The following is a summary of the salient items:

1. Resolved that Veterans For Peace supports fair and free elections and, in that interest, encourages its members to avail themselves of opportunities to participate in the monitoring of elections.

2. Resolved that Veterans For Peace declares its ongoing solidarity with the people of El Salvador.

3. Resolved that Veterans For Peace oppose any attempt to amend the United States Constitution for the purpose of outlawing "desecration" of the United States Flag. Be it further resolved that we condemn attacks, negative publicity and boycotts aimed at silencing citizens, and in particular entertainers and public figures who express opinions in opposition to government policy. We consider such actions as violations of the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, which we pledged to defend.

4. Resolved that Veterans For Peace demands that all persons throughout the chain of command who may be directly or indirectly responsible in any way for administering or countenancing torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners or detainees be prosecuted to the full extent of the US law and of international protocols.

5. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls upon the United States Government to desist from the use of all weapons a component of which consists of toxic chemicals, biological agents or radioactive material, including so-called depleted uranium. We further call upon the government to enter into SERIOUS international negotiations aimed at outlawing and ultimately eliminating all such weapons. We further call upon the government to provide screening for genetic anomalies of all personnel who have been exposed to any of these agents. Be it further resolved that we support all efforts both to outlaw the use of landmines and to clean up areas which have been infested with these mines.

6. Resolved that Veterans For Peace call upon the Government of the United States to lift the embargo on Cuba and take meaningful steps aimed at normalizing relations with that nation.

7. Resolved that Veterans For Peace supports a ban on assault weapons and urges the congress to restore the legislation imposing such a ban.

8. Resolved that Veterans For Peace urges the United States negotiate a meaningful peace treaty with North Korea and to encourage the Korean People in the peaceful reunification of their nation.

9. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls upon the armed forces of the United States to cease recruiting youths under the age of twenty, to eliminate recruitment activities in high schools and, particularly, to abolish the JROTC.

10. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls for an end to involuntary extensions of military service such as the so-called "stop loss" procedure.

11. Resolved that Veterans For Peace insists that the United States not only maintain a peaceful relationship with Viet Nam and the Vietnamese people, but that humanitarian assistance for the damage caused to that country by toxic chemicals be continued.

12. Resolved that Veterans For Peace insists that the United States adhere conscientiously to the provisions of all treaties and international agreements which have been ratified by the senate. Such treaties are identified by the United States Constitution as the law of the land and therefore cannot be abrogated by executive decree. We further resolve that the United States Government should become a party to the International Criminal Court. Be it further resolved that the United States Government cease its unilateralist policies and commence behaving as a member of the community of nations.

13. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls upon the nation of Israel to dismantle all settlements illegally erected in Gaza and the West Bank, and to cooperate with the Palestinian People in the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. Be it further resolved that we call upon the people of both Israel and Palestine to recognize each other’s right to exist within secure borders.

14. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls upon the United States Government to return all lands on the island of Vieques to their rightful owners, provide for an adequate cleanup of the island and compensate those residents of Vieques whose health has been affected as a consequence of government activity there.

15. Resolved that Veterans For Peace proclaims its support for Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces war as an instrument of national policy and holds it as a model for other nations, including our own.

16. Resolved that Veterans For Peace reaffirms its opposition to the war against Iraq and calls upon the United States Government to bring the troops home now. It is further resolved that necessary funding for the country’s infrastructure, which has been seriously undermined by the Iraq War, be re-established.

17. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls upon the government to provide all possible assistance to veterans returning from combat. This includes medical care and psychological counseling.

18. Resolved that Veterans For Peace supports the concept of a cabinet level department of peace

19. Resolved that Veterans For Peace calls for the abolition of the US Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security and Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas. Resolved also that the United States Government should desist from interfering in the internal affairs of Latin American nations and should not provide support to repressive governments.

20. Resolved that Veterans For Peace states its opposition to state-imposed executions (death penalty) as well as to the imposition of life sentences without any possibility of parole.

21. Resolved that Veterans For Peace declares its opposition to the government’s current efforts to develop an anti-missile shield and declares emphatically that space should be kept free and unarmed.

22. Resolved that United States pay in full all its dues to the United Nations and participate cooperatively in the deliberations of that body.

LIFT THE DON'T ASK DON'T TELL POLICY
Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas the don't ask, don't tell policy enacted by the defense department in

1993, known as legislation 10 USC 654 has been counterproductive.

Whereas under this policy, GLBT personnel have been denied the right to have relationships, insurance coverage, hospital visitations, survivor benefits etc.

Whereas nearly 10,000 GLBT personnel have been discharged since the policy was adopted.

Therefore, be it resolved, that Veterans For Peace calls for the Senate and House Armed Services Committees in congress to convene immediately, and call on the president to lift the don't ask, don't tell policy on GLBT personnel in the armed forces, and allow them to serve openly.

Mike Felker Chapter 31
Aaron Davis Chapter 118

UNIVERSAL LIVING WAGE RESOLUTION

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas, approximately a third of our urban homeless have been shown to be veterans of the U.S. military services, and

Whereas, many newly-released, returning service personnel have lost the jobs or businesses they had when they went on duty, or were unemployed when they entered service, and

Whereas many are now crowding already-strained shelters or are living on the streets,

Whereas, according to the last several U.S. Conference of Mayors reports, the

federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour is insufficient to afford anyone housing in any major city in America, and

Whereas, there are at least 10 million minimum wage workers in the United States, and

Whereas, The 2000 Conference of Mayors Report described the minimum wage as the most significant factor contributing to homelessness today and,

Whereas, there are 2 million homeless citizens in this country, and

Whereas, there is no single minimum wage dollar amount that can simultaneously satisfy the need to house minimum wage workers in some cities while not damaging small businesses in other cities, and

Whereas, a Universal Living Wage Formula has been crafted by House The Homeless, Inc. of Austin, Texas, which relates to the local cost of housing, as documented by the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) throughout the United States and ensures that any forty-hour-a-week minimum wage worker, can afford housing, and

Whereas, the Universal Living Wage Formula as devised by House the Homeless, Inc., can end homelessness for fully one-third of America’s homeless population, of whom women and children constitute the fastest-growing segment, and

Whereas, implementation of the ULW formula can prevent economic homelessness for all minimum wage workers,

Therefore be It resolved, that the organization Veterans For Peace hereby endorses and

fully supports the adjustment of the federal minimum wage through the application of the Universal Living Wage Formula that ensures that a 40 hour a week, minimum wage worker, can afford at least an efficiency apartment anywhere in the United States while not spending more than 30% of his or her income on housing.

Furthermore, be it resolved that the organization supports a living or livable wage for all citizens as part of its support for veterans' reintegration into society and mitigation of the damage veterans have sustained through their military service.

Contact Person: Richard E. Underhill
Date: 20 February, 2005
Address: 1604 Brushy Bend Dr.
Round Rock, TX 78681
512-238-1491
underhill@att.net

RECOGNITION OF THE SHADOW PROJECT
Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas, the bombing of Hiroshima is one of the many atrocities of WWII;

Whereas those other atrocities -- the Holocaust, the Tokyo and Dresden

Fire-bombings, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Rape of Nanking, the Bataan

Death March, the loss of 27 million military and civilian lives in the USSR, and many other events -- are no less worthy of recognition and remembrance;

Whereas the bombing of Hiroshima was unique among atrocities only in that it was the first use of atomic weapons in war;

Be it resolved that Veterans For Peace hereby recognizes and endorses The International Shadow Project, a memorial to the dead of Hiroshima, observed each year by replicating in chalk on the streets of the world, the nuclear shadows of vaporized humans first seen on August 6, 1945. Be it further noted that, with Veterans For Peace, the Shadow Project honors the lessons of history and calls for the abandonment of all nuclear weapons and all weapons and actions of mass destruction, and an end to all wars between nations.

Submitted by Eric Bagai

Please see www.ShadowProjectHome.org, or call Eric Bagai at (503) 869-8794, for more information on the Shadow Project.

ALTERNATIVES TO MILITARY SERVICE

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas citizenship and civic responsibility has too often been presented by the Pentagon through JROTC in our high schools and not challenged by other perspectives and;

Whereas veterans are most capable of challenging this perspective with alternatives and;

Whereas many worthy organizations await leadership to present their perspectives of Sustainability, Peace, Environmentalism and Activism as alternative citizenship roles for a future,

Therefore be it resolved that Veterans For Peace National encourages its members to work with like minded organizations and people to develop resources and classes in public schools that offer alternative views of citizenship to that of JROTC.

Offered by R. Lane Anderson of Chapter 54 of Veterans For Peace

Phone Number (805) 564-2698

FREE VERONZA BOWERS

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas, Veronza Bowers, Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran and member in good standing of Veterans For Peace (Chapter 116 - Mendocino County, California), after serving his full sentence of 30 years in federal prison has been held in illegal detention for a year-and-a-half past his release date making him one of the longest-held political prisoners in U.S. history; and

Whereas, this conviction occurred during the infamous Cointelpro scandal in which the Black Panther Party was targeted by J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and

Whereas, Mr. Bowers, in his 31 years of incarceration, has been a model prisoner with the highest possible "salient factor rating" issued by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and

Whereas, Mr. Bowers’ petition for parole was supported by extensive psychological tests and evaluation administered by an independent agency, with the purpose of determining whether he would be a threat to society if released and Whereas, Mr. Bowers has a legal right for Mandatory Parole after serving his full sentence under law and has been recommended for release on three separate occasions by duly-sanctioned parole examiners as well as vote of the full U.S. Parole Commission only to be rescinded, literally, at the very last moment, by the intervention of the United States Attorney General at the behest of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and

Whereas, the U.S. Parole Commission has, consistently violated its own rules and regulations, therefore be it

Resolved, that Veterans For Peace urges the U.S. Parole Commission to grant Veronza Bowers, Jr. petition for Mandatory Parole and immediate release from federal prison, and be it further

Resolved, that Veterans For Peace urges the U.S. Parole Commission, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Attorney General and all other agencies of the Bush administration to respect the rule of law as well as the Constitutional and human rights of all veterans, presently incarcerated, on probation or parole, who have served this great nation.

Patrick Tate
Chapter 116

FIREWORKS FREE CELEBRATION

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas: Many combat veterans suffer from fireworks displays, having to retreat further from the society they were sent purportedly to fight for.

Whereas: The presence of fireworks in the celebrations of our national holiday prevent these combat vets from enjoying family gatherings on these holidays.

Therefore be it resolved that Veterans For Peace encourage firework free celebrations.

Respectfully submitted by R. Lane Anderson, Chapter 54

INQUIRY INTO "INTELLIGENCE FIXING"

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas, to date the war against Iraq has cost more than 1700 American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and

Whereas, a recent memo from Downing Street, London says that British officials thought that "intelligence and fact were being fixed" in Washington in 2002 to justify a war against Iraq, and

Whereas, Representative John Conyers has generated a petition signed by more than 500,000 people that demands answers from the White House regarding the allegations of "intelligence and facts fixing" contained in the memo and used to coerce the United States to attack Iraq,

Therefore Be It Resolved that the Veterans For Peace, Inc. urges its members and the general public to strongly support Representative Conyers’ petition.

Respectfully submitted,

VFP Chapter 63, Albuquerque, NM

RESOLUTION ON ECONOMIC SUPPORT FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN PALESTINE

Passed August 6, 2005

WHEREAS Veterans For Peace is dedicated to the cause of world peace and to seeking justice for the victims of war; and,

WHEREAS the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a major flashpoint in international affairs; and,

WHEREAS the people of the region continue to suffer because of the prolonged militarization of the conflict; and,

WHEREAS the United States is the largest single source of governmental and non-governmental financial assistance to Israel; and

WHEREAS all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to bring about compliance on the part of the Israeli government with international law as embodied in countless UN resolutions and world court decisions; and

WHEREAS such compliance would be in the interest of both the Palestinian and Israeli people, irrespective of the position of the Israeli government, and

WHEREAS the demand for such compliance underlies the historic VFP support for peace activists within Israel in opposition to their government’s policies

Therefore, inspired by the model of the South African struggle against apartheid and the international solidarity which made it effective, and in support for the call by more than 170 Palestinian political parties, unions, associations, coalitions, and organizations for such economic actions,

BE IT RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace calls for boycott, divestment, and other actions against economic activities that support Israel’s continued occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands and the denial of fundamental human rights to Palestinians both in Israel and in the occupied territories; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such actions be continued until such time as the Government of Israel complies with international law and the universal principles of human rights; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace urges its members and chapters to work actively to support such boycotts, divestment, and economic actions which seem to them best calculated to bring about a change in Israeli government policy for the benefit of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

From: Michelle J. Kinnucan, Member VFP Chapter 093

CALLING FOR THE DISMISSAL OF KARL ROVE

Passed August 6, 2005

Whereas the "leaking" of Valerie Plane’s identity as a CIA operative appears to have been in retaliation for the fact that her husband (Joseph Wilson) had seriously undermined the Bush Administration’s rationale for war against Iraq; and

Whereas President Bush said there was no place in his administration for anyone who was responsible for such a leak; and

Whereas it is a violation of federal law to disclose the identity of a CIA agent; and

Whereas Karl Rove has acknowledge that he was, indeed, a source of information that Joseph Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA; and

Whereas Mr. Rove’s defense that he never mentioned her by name is irrelevant, as he identified her as Joseph Wilson’s wife (of which Mr. Wilson has only one); and

Whereas this action has both ruined the career of a loyal public servant and potentially seriously compromised national security;

Therefore be it resolved that Veterans For Peace calls for the immediate dismissal of Karl Rove from government service.

Submitted by F Lincoln Grahlfs

RECRUITING STAND DOWN

Passed August 6, 2005

WHEREAS and because Veterans For Peace has consistently opposed the current war against Iraq; and,

WHEREAS dishonest military recruitment tactics are widely documented nationwide; and,

WHEREAS VFP is on record as countering dishonest-recruiting by the military and supporting alternatives to militarism for our nations youth; and,

WHEREAS VFP supports the free and informed choice of potential enlistees; and,

WHEREAS VFP wishes to protect young adults against aggressive recruitment tactics; and ,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Veterans For Peace call for and support a National One Week Recruitment Stand down, which would occur in the week prior to July 4, 2006, a key week for military recruitment.

Submitted by Hal Muskat, Chapter 69 and passed by the Chapter

LABOR RESOLUTION

Passed August 6, 2005

WHEREAS Veterans For Peace has long supported the labor movement in the United States, with individual members active in U.S. Labor Against the War, and with the national organization and chapters recognizing trade union principles by adopting policies regarding the use of union made goods and services; and

WHEREAS Veterans For Peace recognizes that the right to organize is a fundamental principle for self-determination; and

WHEREAS trade unions have been under vicious and prolonged assault from employers, corporations, courts, and politicians, both here in the United States where the "right to work" means lower wages and loss of medical insurance and pensions, and in Iraq where the United States has prohibited the formation of free trade unions;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace endorses and supports the rights of workers to organize trade unions and political parties in the United States as well as in Iraq and elsewhere; and acknowledges the AFL-CIO Resolution at their 2005 convention to End The Occupation in Iraq and Bring Our Troops Home.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace encourages and supports the inclusion of labor activists, caucuses, and unions within the broader coalition of individuals and organizations working to end the United States occupation of Iraq, and for peace and social justice; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace encourages its members who belong to trade unions to promote and support efforts within their unions to declare opposition to the war in Iraq, to demand decent treatment for soldiers, reservists, and veterans, and to practice real international labor solidarity by denouncing and abandoning

such covert operations as the recent use of the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center to funnel funds from the so-called National Endowment for Democracy to groups plotting to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela.

Submitted by Wayne Wittman and Ben Chitty

OPPOSING SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 17 IN THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE

Passed August 6, 2005

WHEREAS the war in Vietnam ended in April 1975;

WHEREAS from 1975 to the present, the United States Government has accepted over a million of refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, and now with their children, the Vietnamese-American community is approaching two million people, the majority of whom are now citizens;

WHEREAS the United States Government formally recognized and normalized diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1995, ending post-war acrimony and opening up legal channels for family visits and support, student and academic exchanges, commercial and business ventures, tourism and philanthropic activities, the search for the missing remains of combatants and civilians from both sides, and all other normal relations between friendly nations;

WHEREAS the majority of the Vietnamese-Americans have made peace with themselves and with their former homeland, and have moved on with their lives as American citizens;

WHEREAS the majority of Vietnam war veterans support normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam;

WHEREAS a small number of Vietnamese-Americans, generally older and in most cases involved with the defeated former regime of South Vietnam, is still trying to resurrect their pre-1975 war and to impose their agenda on the entirety of the Vietnamese-American community, in part by asking various legislative bodies to recognize the flag of the defeated South Vietnam as the symbol of the Vietnamese-American community;

WHEREAS in California, this faction has succeeded in getting the State Senate to approve Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 (SCR 17) for that purpose, and the resolution is now pending in the State Assembly;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THAT Veterans For Peace, opposes California SCR 17, and urges the California Assembly to reject SCR 17 and encourages other organizations and citizens in California and around the country to voice their opposition to this misguided action.

THAT Veterans For Peace urges the California Legislature to follow established diplomatic protocol and continue to recognize only the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as representing Vietnam in all of their public and civic functions.

THAT Veterans For Peace urges all chapters to be alert to such misguided attempts in their localities and take action to oppose them

Veterans For Peace: Celebrating 25 Years

RESOLUTIONS PASSED AUGUST 6, 2005