Resolutions passed at the 2007 Convention
REACTIVATION OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
PROPOSED BY: Jay Alexander of
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS those who enroll would receive competent work supervision with superior safety training and a living wage. They would be provided after work with free classroom education that would enable them to enter the private and public sector with confidence; and
WHEREAS the reactivated CCC could provide able manpower at the scene of man-made and natural disasters across
WHEREAS the reactivated CCC would give veterans preference for leadership and supervisory positions within the agency and help alleviate the high unemployment among young adults; and
WHEREAS this popular program has potential to save the planet with imagination as public works programs to bring about short term job training; thereforeBE IT RESOLVED that Veterans For Peace calls upon the President and Congress to reactivate and update the template of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a popular program of the administration of President F.D. Roosevelt.
AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas, over 202,000 women are currently serving in the military service.
Whereas, over 155,000 have served on active duty in the combat zones of
Whereas, nearly 600 reported sexual assaults against women have occurred in these combat zones.
Whereas, in a Defense Department study done in 1995 found that 72% of women had experienced “sexist behavior” and 47% had received “ unwanted sexual attention.”
Whereas, a Veterans Administration study done in 1992 estimates between 60,000 and 200,000 women veterans were sexually assaulted while on active duty.
Whereas, the Department of Defense Memorandum explicitly states: Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
1. submission to or rejection of such conduct is either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a persons job, pay or career.
2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by a person is used as a basis for career employment decisions affecting that person.
3. such conduct interferes with an individuals performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
4. any person in a supervisory or command position uses or condones these behaviors…is engaging in sexual harassment.
Therefore, be it resolved, that Veterans for Peace calls for the the President, Congressional Armed Forces Committees, Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Court of Military Appeals and the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military, to add a punitive article to the Uniform Code of Military Justice on Sexual Harassment. (Add a section A to the current Article 120 on Rape and Carnal Knowledge.)
Sara Rich
Cecily Light Chapter 118
Trish Withus, G.I. Rights Hotline Counselor
Prepared by Aaron Davis
PRENATAL TESTING FOR EFFECTS OF DU
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS The United States and other countries have used, and continue to use, many tons of depleted uranium munitions in recent engagements; and
WHEREAS it has been convincingly established that exposure to the effects of depleted uranium weaponry can have serious harmful genetic consequences for children whose parents have been thus exposed; and
WHEREAS among individuals exposed to the effects of depleted uranium there has occurred an alarmingly high rate of congenital malformations in newborns as well as of miscarriages and premature births;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Veterans for Peace will strongly recommends that Congress consider and pass legislation which will offer prenatal early screening to every military family whose member has served in the areas where depleted uranium weapons and armor have been in use.
NH VFP RESOLUTION TO CURTAIL MILITARISM IN SCHOOLS AND PROTECT STUDENT PRIVACY RIGHTS
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/0
Submitted by Chapter #62, AJ Muste Chapter, NH Veterans for Peace
Whereas Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act mandates schools to provide military recruiters with the name, address, and phone numbers of secondary students and mandates that military recruiters have open access to public schools at all times; and
Whereas, student privacy rights are ignored and they are disenfranchised by Section 9528; and
Whereas military recruitment does not belong in any federal statute on public education; and
Whereas military recruiters are often deceitful to students and use high-pressure sales tactics; and
Whereas the Iraq war and the war budget have diverted huge amounts of resources from funding for continued education by children of working families;
Therefore, be it resolved that Veterans for Peace seeks to eliminate Section 9528 from any reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and will publicize the destruction of student privacy caused by Section 9528, an
Be it further resolved that each chapter of Veterans for Peace is encouraged to inform their state’s congressional delegation of its opposition to Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act, and to take action to combat militarism within the public schools in their localities.
Submitted by Will Thomas
FUTURE WAR PREVENTION
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/0
Whereas:Veterans For Peace are currently struggling to end a war for oil in Iraq; and.
Whereas the United States continues to be addicted to the oil in the middle east and a lifestyle that requires our leadership to get the oil. With less than 4% of the world's population the US uses more than 24% of the world's oil; and
Whereas: Most experts believe the world has reached peak oil production and that
the struggle for what remains will lead to more wars in the future; and
Whereas global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and will likely lead to wars as well. The US is the world's largest contributor to global warming; and
Whereas veterans need to take the lead in preventing future wars;
Therefore be it resolved that VFP work with others to reduce US addiction to oil and so limit future wars
Submitted by R. Lane Anderson, Lifetime Member of Veterans For Peace Chapter 54
The Vets Ride riders would like to present this resolution when the time comes.
Thank you, Lane Anderson
FOR PROPER TREATMENT OF SOLDIERS RETURNING FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas, recent studies indicate up to 50% of military members serving in-country, suffer from mental distress upon returning home; and
Whereas, soldiers requesting mental health assistance at locations like Fort Carson in Colorado are subject to punishment including beatings, isolation, humiliation, ridicule, charges of cowardice, and discharge without benefits; and
Whereas, commanding officers, senior officers, and junior officers choose to ignore and dismiss requests for mental support from their veteran soldiers; and
Whereas, brave individual soldiers such as Staff Sergeant Andrew Pogany were abused by their superior officers at Fort Carson for seeking mental health care but have courageously fought back and protected many other soldiers from similar abuse, and
Whereas, Congress was very concerned about these abuse reports and passed a bill forcing the Military to convene a “Task Force on Mental Health” in June 2006, to study this systemic abuse; and
Whereas, the task force released its report in June 2007, and concluded:
1 The stigma associated with seeking mental health care remains invasive
2 Mental health professionals are not adequately available to military individuals and their families
3 The military does not dedicate sufficient financial resources to the mental care of its members;
Be it therefore resolved Veterans for Peace applaud and support efforts of veterans like Andrew Pogany; and
Be it further resolved Veterans for Peace demand the Military establishment 1) provide the needed mental health support for returning service members and families, and 2) to hold accountable and punish senior as well as junior military officers who abuse these returning soldiers; and
Be it further resolved Veterans for Peace support the reallocation of sufficient resources from the procurement of expensive weapon systems (like the F-22 Raptor fully costed at ~$339 million per plane) to the home front in support of its returning service members.
Submitted by George C. Marshall VFP Chapter 63, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISAPPEARED OR DÍA INTERNACIONAL DEL DESAPARECIDO
Approved as amended by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas the the International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August is an
annual commemoration day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor condition unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives,
And, whereas work on secret imprisonment is an important part of the activities for a number of international bodies and organizations in the fields of human rights activism and humanitarian aid, including Amnesty International, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross,
And, whereas imprisonment under secret or uncertain circumstances is a grave violation of some conception of human rights, as well as, in the case of an armed conflict, of International Humanitarian Law,
And whereas, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has registered over 46,000 cases of people who disappeared under unknown circumstances related to their opposition to their governments,
And whereas, the Día internacional del Desaparecido was originated in Costa Rica by the Federación Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos in association with local and regional groups working against secret imprisonment and forced disappearances in Latin-American countries,
And whereas, the United States under, most recently, the presidency of George W. Bush has actively pursued policies resulting in wide spread illegal imprisonment, disappearances, torture and even death to individuals around the world;
Let it be resolved, that the Veterans for Peace will observe 30 August as International Day of the Disappeared to further the goal of ending these crimes and the occasions for them. We encourage all chapters of the Veterans for Peace to place this day on their activities calendars and to observe this day appropriately in the hope of promoting awareness of this trespass of international humanitarian law and ending these practices by states throughout the world.
Submitted for consideration by:
Daniel I. Fearn, Chapter 23
END THE IRAQ WAR/VETERANS CONVOY
Approved as amended by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas, Lieutenant Ehren Watada, addressing the 2006 Veterans For Peace National Convention, observed that the Iraq War has been tearing our country apart and despite the efforts made by countless activists, including many members of VFP, this illegal and immoral war continues destroying lives at a constantly increasing rate;
Whereas, Lt. Watada called for a change in strategy, to wit: to give unconditional support to the soldiers and let them know that resistance to participation in an illegal war is not futile, that they can act on their consciences and that veterans and peace activists would support them;
Whereas, active duty soldiers who resisted and rebelled during the Vietnam War were instrumental in bringing that war to an end;
Whereas, in March 2007, approximately 15 members of VFP, Military Families Speak Out, and Iraq Veterans Against the War participated in a Veterans’ Convoy that engaged active duty military personnel on a one-on-one basis in military towns to inform them that VFP will support them in the exercise of their consciences.
Whereas, convoy members distributed “Sir, No Sir!” and “The Ground Truth” videos, a pamphlet explaining the Appeal For Redress and a G.I. Rights pocket card explaining active duty service members’ legal rights to engage in anti-war activities;
Whereas, members of the Veterans’ Convoy who were Iraq veterans stood at the front gates of the military bases wearing desert fatigues displaying signs reading: “Iraq Veterans Against the War,” and “ivaw.org”;
Whereas, the overwhelming response of active duty military personnel and the military communities to convoy participants was positive and was further evidenced by a spike in signing the Appeal For Redress and joining Iraq Veterans Against the War;
Whereas, IVAW conducted a similar convoy in June of 2007, that was equally successful, and
Whereas, staying the course solely with the traditional anti-war efforts is not sufficient.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by a sufficient majority of the members of VFP at a duly convened meeting this 18th of August 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri, as follows:
The Board of Directors of Veterans For Peace is ecouraged to actively and vigorously continue the Veterans’ Convoy project as a major effort, to work in solidarity with IVAW, and to invite West Point Graduates Against the War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Courage to Resist, the Military Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild and like organizations to join as equals in the project.
Submitted by Sanford Kelson, former national president of VFP, life member and founder of two chapters and Cherie Eichholz, veteran member of VFP.
ARAB LEAGUE PROPOSAL TO NEGOTIATE IN ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS, it has long been the position of Veterans for Peace, expressed through numerous prior Convention Resolutions, that the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict must be resolved in a manner in which both Palestinian and Israeli states co-exist in peace, and
WHEREAS, in order to achieve this objective, Israel must withdraw from the occupied territories to mutually agreed to borders with the future Palestinian state in return for eace, and
WHEREAS, the Arab League has offered to negotiate with Israel, on the basis of its 2002 proposal, for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories to mutually agreed to borders for the future Palestinian state, the establishment of the Palestinian state and a mutually agreed to solution to the issue of re-settlement of Palestinian refugees, in return for peace with and diplomatic recognition of Israel.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Veterans for Peace shall support and encourage the efforts of the Arab League to negotiate a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in which both Palestinian and Israeli states co-exist in peace and the issue of re-settlement of Palestinian refugees is resolved by mutual agreement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the President and Members of the Board of Directors of Veterans for Peace shall draft a letter to the representatives of the Arab League, expressing the support of Veterans for Peace for the efforts of the Arab League to negotiate a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.
Submitted by
Mike Woloshin,
Chapter President,
Chicago Area VFP Chapter 26
FAIRNESS FOR ATOMIC VETERANS
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS a number of eminent scientists have stated that any amount of exposure to radiation can have harmful effects; and
WHEREAS many veterans have had claims for radiation related injuries denied because of inability to prove that their exposure was sufficient to meet the government guidelines; and
WHEREAS in many of the early nuclear weapons tests both measurement and record-keeping were of questionable reliability; and
WHEREAS in the 109th congress a bill entitled The Atomic Veterans Relief Act (HR 2962), provisions of which would eliminate the process of “dose reconstruction” which is both costly and of questionable value, languished in committee until the conclusion of that congress. This bill would have declared the presence of military personnel at a nuclear explosion to be a presumptive cause of certain illnesses, thus rendering them eligible for treatment and compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
BE IT RESOLVED THEREFORE that Veterans For Peace calls upon the congress to revive and enact legislation comparable to The Atomic Veterans Relief Act.
Submitted by F Lincoln Grahlfs
Chapter 61
MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE AND RESEARCH
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS, about 2.5 million American veterans suffer from a service-related disability, including over 12,000 individuals in 2005 alone who had artificial legs or arms fitted, and studies have shown that Vietnam veterans have a higher cancer rate than the general population; and
WHEREAS, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine concluded after reviewing relevant scientific literature — including dozens of works documenting marijuana’s therapeutic value — that “Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana” and that "there will likely always be a subpopulation of patients who do not respond well to other medications"; and
WHEREAS, subsequent studies continue to show the therapeutic value of marijuana, including alleviating HIV neuropathy, for which there is no FDA-approved medication, and which is similar to the neuropathic pain suffered by amputees and others; and
WHEREAS, several veterans have endured prosecution for using marijuana to alleviate their debilitating symptoms; and
WHEREAS, the Veterans Administration has required some veterans to agree to subject themselves to drug testing — including for marijuana — or be denied pain medications; and
WHEREAS, the present federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, and the resulting bureaucratic controls impede additional scientific research into marijuana’s therapeutic potential, thereby making it nearly impossible for the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate and approve marijuana through standard procedural channels; and
WHEREAS, numerous organizations endorse or accept the medical and therapeutic benefits of marijuana, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of HIV Medicine, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, the British Medical Association, California Medical Association, Health Canada, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Lymphoma Foundation of America, and the Medical Society of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, a national Gallup poll released in November 2005 found that 78% of Americans support “making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering”; and
WHEREAS, patients are using medical marijuana in 12 state-sanctioned programs but still face possible federal prosecution of up to one year in jail for simple possession and up to five years for cultivation of any amount of marijuana; and
WHEREAS, the Ninth U. S. Court of Appeals, in the case of Walters v. Conant, upheld the right of physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients without federal government interference, and the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the federal government's appeal of this ruling; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that thousands of veterans are using marijuana in accordance with doctors’ recommendations for therapeutic and/or palliative relief, yet they are also put at risk of being denied medical treatments by the Veterans Administration if they test positive for marijuana; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that Veterans for Peace supports legislation that eliminates criminal and civil penalties for the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana by patients with serious physical medical conditions; and be it further
RESOLVED, that Veterans for Peace urges the Veterans Administration and its doctors not to withhold treatments from a patient under their care simply because they test positive for marijuana; and be it further
RESOLVED, that Veterans for Peace strongly urges that in a state where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state's law and that state’s medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medicinal use.
Submitted by
Martin Chilcutt
Kalamazoo, MI
AGAINST THE USE OF TOXIC AND INCENDIARY WEAPONS
Approved as amended by Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Implementation Act mandates that American military personnel are prohibited, under any circumstance, from using any toxic chemical to kill human beings, and
Whereas, the tactic “Shake n’ Bake”: the flushing out of enemy fighters with White Phosphorus from enclosed spaces so they can be killed with conventional means; constitutes a prohibited use of White Phosphorus under the Chemical Weapons Convention and The Chemical Weapons Implementation Act since it involves a method of killing human beings that is dependent on the chemical’s toxic properties, and
Whereas, the use of White Phosphorous directly against enemy troops violates the principle of unnecessary suffering under the Law of Land Warfare, and
Whereas, the use of White Phosphorus, Napalm (MK-77) and other incendiaries in any civilian area is unlawful under the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons and must be binding on the United States despite this government’s objection to this provision, and
Whereas President Bush has authorized the use of Riot Control Agents ("non-lethal agents" including but not limited to CS, CN, calmatives, sedatives, etc) in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
Whereas the use of such chemicals is unlawful when used to attack human beings or in conjunction with military force and is prohibited by the Geneva Gas Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Implementation Act,
Therefore, be it resolved that Veterans for Peace seeks to uphold the principles and obligations of International Humanitarian Law as codified under the Law of the Land Warfare, the Geneva Gas Protocol, the Geneva Conventions, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, the War Crimes Act, and the Chemical Weapon Implementation Act and will publicize and condemn the prohibited uses of these weapons, and
Be it further resolved that each chapter of Veterans for Peace be encouraged to inform their state's congressional delegation of its opposition to the use of any toxic chemical in any form against human beings and demand condemnation, investigation and accountability, and
Be it finally resolved that the President and Executive Director of Veterans for Peace inform each chapter of Veterans for Peace of this resolution and encourage them to take peaceful and just action to preserve these standards of International Humanitarian Law.
Submitted by Chapter #62, AJ Muste Chapter, NH Veterans for Peace by
Joe Tessier
ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
WHEREAS, There is overwhelming evidence, and overwhelming consensus in the international scientific community, that significant global climate change is underway; and
WHEREAS, Massive migrations and unimaginable deprivations following significant and rapid climate change will inevitably result in conflict (wars) among nations and peoples; and
WHEREAS, Mitigating policies and behaviors must be implemented without delay in
order to avoid catastrophic, perhaps cataclysmic, climate change and the likely breakdown of civil society; and
WHEREAS, The United States government, largely controlled by financial and corporate interests, is the major impediment to progress in reducing, delaying or eliminating human contributions to the causes of climate change; and
WHEREAS, Financial and corporate interests only respond to economic stimuli; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Veterans for Peace issue a strong, uncompromising, public statement denouncing of the failure of the United States government to address climate change; and
RESOLVED, That Veterans for Peace will endeavor to unite individuals and groups world-wide to exert unrelenting pressure on the United States government (and all governments) to take immediate and meaningful steps to reduce human contributions to climate change; and be it further
RESOLVED, That unrelenting pressure take the form of a massive, international boycott of a key American corporation, or another proactive, aggressive action designed to impact the financial health of corporate interests, thus inducing those interests and therefore also the United States government to address this issue in meaningful ways, to be decided by a Veterans for Peace committee organized for that purpose or by the membership at large.
Submitted by: Steven R Boyer
Chapter 27 – Twin Cities
RAISE HELL FOR MOLLY IVINS CAMPAIGN TO BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW
Approved by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 8/18/07
Whereas, Molly Ivins was a nationally syndicated columnist in over 400 newspapers who had hundreds of thousands of mainstream readers that are against the US occupation of Iraq.
Whereas, in her very last public column, Molly called for every citizen in this country to protest Bush’s surge policy, to hit the streets, bang pots and pans and raise hell to demand that Congress act to end the US occupation. of Iraq.
Whereas, the Raise Hell for Molly Ivins Campaign has been created to reach out to the 7 out of 10 Americans that want our troops home now, to organize them to join pots and pans protests at the local offices of their members of Congress, and help them to raise hell until Congress acts effectively to end the US occupation of Iraq.
Whereas, the Raise Hell for Molly Ivins Campaign has developed a website (www.raisehellformollyivins.org); a video comprised of Members of the famous San Francisco Mime Troupe; a national; songwriting contest entitled: "The Ballad of Molly Ivins” with well known judges, and a growing number of monthly demonstrations at the local offices of members of Congress on the third Friday of every month.
Whereas, the Raise Hell for Molly Ivins Campaign needs help in its efforts to reach out to ordinary Americans, organize the unorganized, and expand the number of monthly pots and pans protests at Congressional offices in cities and towns throughout the United States.
Therefore, be it resolved that the members of this national convention of Veterans for Peace as a body, fully endorses, supports, and recommends to every chapter throughout the United States create a Chapter Initiative to join the Raise Hell for Molly Ivins Campaign to create a regular and accessible opportunity for people in their local areas to speak out and act to bring our troops home now.
Submitted by Robert Manning
RESOLUTION #22 ON CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
Approved as amended by the Board 8/16/07
Approved by the Annual Meeting 1/18/07
Whereas the war in Iraq has now gone on for over 4 years with no definite end in sight, resulting in the death of about 4,000 U.S. troops and a million innocent Iraqi civilians, and
Whereas this war was conceived and sold to the American people with lies and half truths, including repeated claims by the Bush administration that Saddam Hussain was allied with al-Qaeda, had a stock of weapons of mass destruction, and other false assertions, and
Whereas the Bush administration, aided and abetted by an inert Congress, a neocon activist Supreme Court, and the largely monolithic, corporate-controlled media, has broken international laws and treaties, endorses torture and secret renditions to countries that are known to torture, denies habeas corpus to prisoners and spies on our own citizens, and
Whereas Veterans For Peace and other organizations committed to justice and peace have been protesting all of these immoral and illegal actions through all channels that are legally available to us for over four years: resolutions, speeches, letters, lobbying, marching and joining protests, urging impeachment, opposing military recruitment under false pretenses with very limited success, and
Whereas opportunities are soon arising including the SOAW annual protest at Fort Benning and the simultaneous occurence of the2008 VFP national convention in the Twin Cities with the Repbulican National Convention in St. Paul MN, now therefore
Be it resolved that Veterans For Peace hereby declares that in the tradition of a great American, Henry David Thoreau, protesting taxation for the Mexican War of 1848 and in the tradition of another great American, Martin Luther King, Jr., protesting racism at home and war in Vietnam, VFP recognizes the value of nonviolent civil disobedience as a necessary part of the struggle for justice and peace in these desparate times, understanding that there may be a high price to pay by individuals who decide to act.
Whereas, it was recently announced that the two government leaders of Korea will hold a second inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, North Korea on August 28-30;
Whereas, the
Whereas, the UFL is the world’s largest computer-driven war-fighting command post exercise, involving some 10,000 troops from all branches of the U.S. military—including 5,000 troops and numerous new weapons from outside of Korea—as well as an unknown number of South Korean troops;
Whereas, such major U.S. military exercises in South Korea each year raise military tensions on the Korean Peninsula unnecessarily; and
Whereas, going forward with the 2007 UFL at this time would be counterproductive to creating a favorable environment for the upcoming inter-Korean summit and the Six-Party Talks on denuclearization of
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby resolved that Veterans For Peace (VFP), meeting at its national convention in
1) Welcomes the historic, second inter-Korean summit with our best wishes for further success in promoting peace, reconciliation and cooperation in
2) Condemns the 2007 UFL war game and urges the
3) Decides to fax a copy of this resolution to the
4) Encourages VFP members and local chapters to send a copy of this resolution to their Representatives and Senators in Congress.
Dated: August 15, 2007
Submitted by VFP-Korea Peace Campaign