[Peace-discuss] Fitgerald mtg/support SR 32

[Lisa Chason]

www.congress.gov  Then you can type in any bill number you want to see.
www.congress.org also very informative

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>
> To: "Lisa Chason" <chason at shout.net>
> Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 10:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fitgerald mtg/support SR 32
>
>
> >
> > Nice work, Lisa.  Where had you gotten the text of the
esolution?  --Carl
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 2 Feb 2003, Lisa Chason wrote:
> >
> > > I've just gotten home from the Senator Fitgerald town meeting at
> > > Centennial High School in Champaign. There were around 400 people
> > > there. At first I was rather concerned that I hardly recogized
> > > anybody. There were no signs to be seen and I counted only 7 people
> > > that I knew from anti-war work. Then Mort Brussel was the first to
> > > speak and he got rounding applause.  Most of the session's questions
> > > had to do with farm aid, physicians' medical malpractice insurance,
> > > concern for the uninsured/under-insured, concern for continued support
> > > of the space program. But several times people in the audience
> > > referred to their fears about pending war including 2 high school
> > > students and one vet. Anytime the war was mentioned people applauded
> > > loudly to show their oppostion.  Margaret Kosal and Sarah Kanouse
> > > presented an enlarged print of the Champaign-Urbana women bearing
> > > witness for peace photo, made into a postcard.  I was the only one in
> > > the audience with a sign, which I held up high through much of the
> > > meeting. Thanks to a reference in one of the emails yesterday on the
> > > listserve, it said 'Support SR 32'. I got interviewed by all the media
> > > asking what it referred to. I also got to speak, asking the Senator if
> > > he would support it, and he responded that many in congress are
> > > concerned that now far too much power is going over to the executive
> > > branch, which could lead to tyranny. He said he will look in to the
> > > resolution. I've pasted it in below. I'll follow up with letters to
> > > Fitzgerald and Durbin tomorrow and would recommend others contact them
> > > about this as well.
> > >
> > > Lisa
> > >
> > >
> > > SRES 32 IS
> > >
> > >
> > > 108th CONGRESS
> > >
> > > 1st Session
> > >
> > > S. RES. 32 Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to the
> > > actions the President should take before any use of military force
> > > against Iraq without the broad support of the international community.
> > >
> > >
> > > IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
> > >
> > > January 29, 2003 Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. BYRD) submitted the
> > > following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
> > > Relations
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> > >
> > >
> > > RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to the
> > > actions the President should take before any use of military force
> > > against Iraq without the broad support of the international community.
> > >
> > > Whereas more than three months have passed, and circumstances have
> > > significantly changed, since Congress acted in October 2002 to
> > > authorize the use of military force against Iraq;
> > >
> > > Whereas the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved
> > > Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002) requiring Iraq to cooperate
> > > with strict weapons inspections and give United Nations weapons
> > > inspectors `immediate, unimpeded, unconditional, and unrestricted
> > > access' to all suspected sites involving such weapons;
> > >
> > > Whereas United Nations weapons inspectors arrived in Iraq on November
> > > 18, 2002, submitted their 60-day report to the Security Council about
> > > Iraq's cooperation with weapons inspections on January 27, 2003, and
> > > will report again on their activities on February 14, 2003;
> > >
> > > Whereas the President has not yet made a compelling case to Congress,
> > > the American people, or the international community that the use of
> > > armed force is the only alternative to disarm Iraq; and
> > >
> > > Whereas Congress and the American people are increasingly concerned
> > > that the President is prepared to use armed force against Iraq without
> > > broad support by the international community, and without making a
> > > compelling case that Iraq presents such an imminent threat to the
> > > national security of the United States that unilateral action is
> > > justified: Now, therefore, be it
> > >
> > >
> > >   Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that, before the
> > > President uses military force against Iraq without the broad support
> > > of the international community, the President should--
> > >
> > >     (1) provide full support to the United Nations weapons inspectors
> > > to facilitate their ongoing disarmament work; and
> > >
> > >     (2) obtain approval by Congress of new legislation authorizing the
> > > President to use all necessary means, including the use of military
> > > force, to disarm Iraq.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>