[Peace] Fwd: Your interest in the Iraq War resolution

[John W.]

At 09:06 AM 3/6/2006, Tammy Watts wrote:

>This is Councilman Roberts' letter:

Very thoughtful letter, in my unAWARE opinion.

John Wason



>droberts at uillinois.edu wrote:
>Hello to everyone who has e-mailed me concerning their views on the Iraq 
>War and the expected end-the-war resolution.
>
>I have basically stated that I was "uncommitted" as of yet concerning the 
>Iraq War Resolution which AWARE introduced in February during their Open 
>Forum. AWARE representatives wish to bring this resolution to the Urbana 
>City Council in March. I thought it was only fair for me to wait and allow 
>the members on our City Council, who publicly support the resolution, to 
>take the opportunity to talk about this step and to discuss their interest 
>in bringing the resolution to the City Council. As you know it is fairly 
>controversial. While many individuals are actively against the war, the 
>City is not an individual, but a group of residents with wide-ranging 
>feelings about our presence in Iraq. How does one censor the War when 
>there are people in town who have "Support Our Troops" signs in front of 
>their homes, and flags on their porches? Can the City thoughtfully act on 
>a anti-war resolution while honoring the honest conscience of ALL of its 
>residents?
>
>A person in public office has to use "right discrimination" before making 
>sweeping statements on what are basically moral and/ or political issues. 
>In so many words, I think you have to look at these issues like 
>judiciously. I believe "right discrimination" can not made through our 
>emotions, even though the cause for wanting and advocating for a change 
>must naturally come from a deep feeling of injustice, frustration, 
>inspiration, or even anger. As an individual I can be outraged, but as an 
>Alderman, and representative of the City, I believe I am required to act 
>with mindful intent. And this is how I prefer to act as a member of City 
>Council.
>
>I attended David Adam's talk at the Disciples meeting room in February. He 
>is an eloquent and credible spokesperson from the group of Iraq Veterans 
>who are against the war. His words as a first person observer said more 
>about the reality of our involvement in Iraq than any activist hand-out.
>
>I also attended the Anti-War Forum in hosted by AWARE last month, and I 
>believe I understand the point of view of the Anti-War group. Durl Kruse, 
>as a spokesperson for AWARE, has also contacted me several times, and I 
>did reply to him that, based on other controversial issues that were 
>brought recently to Council, I did not think it likely that everyone on 
>Council would choose to discuss this issue.
>
>To be truthful, I wanted to wait and hear from some of the members on City 
>Council who are in support of this resolution and who wish to bring it 
>forward, because I wanted to explore the position the City might take and 
>I wanted to actually see the proposed ordinance before voicing my opinion 
>on it. It was not made clear to me that the Resolution passed out at the 
>Aware meeting would be the actual words we would be asked to ratify in 
>Council. For, if they were, there are many statements that I, as an 
>Alderman of the City, would not wish to make, whereas perhaps, I, as an 
>individual, might.
>
>But as of the end of February, I had NO contact either by phone or e-mail 
>from a member supporting this Resolution.
>
>I think that in handling this type of important legislation, we ought, in 
>fairness, have the opportunity to discuss it a little before we bring it 
>up to City Council. I think the members of Council should talk about it in 
>the more informal venue of our Caucus, to see what we are doing and where 
>we are going, and to allow members to talk about their reservations in 
>handling this issue. Even if there isn't a discernable agreement in 
>Caucus, we are at least allowed to relate to each other our wishes and 
>concerns. This is a very democratic forum, and it allows a preliminary 
>discussion which can be used to build a working consensus. The issue can 
>still be brought to the Committee of the Whole or directly to Council for 
>a vote, even where there is no consensus or actual opposition during Caucus.
>
>One reason that this would be useful is that if there is a way of 
>customizing the wording of the Resolution in a way that would bring more 
>members on board to support it, why not first learn that this is possible, 
>and take the opportunity to hear what those items are?  If I state that I 
>am uncommitted to supporting the Resolution, wouldn't you want to call me 
>up and ask why?
>
>To offer my own viewpoint on this, since I was told that the Resolution 
>will be brought to our Committee meeting on the 13th of March, I have 
>taken the responsibility of contacting the members of City Council myself. 
>I copy my letter, so you, who have taken the time to write or call me, can 
>understand my thoughts. I indulge your patience as I repeat my letter here:
>
>
>>>Hi fellow Council Members
>>>
>>>I feel it is extremely extremely odd the I am the one who has to 
>>>initiate this, but here goes:
>>>
>>>The AWARE group has held a public forum to generate public support for a 
>>>resolution they would like the City to endorse which calls for the 
>>>immediate withdraw of American troops from Iraq.
>>>
>>>I actually have not personally heard from any member of our City Council 
>>>concerning this Resolution.  So effectively, there is no resolution to 
>>>consider.
>>>
>>>I understand there is a pretty strong feeling that this is one of those 
>>>issues in which this Council probably ought not get involved. The Iraq 
>>>War Resolution is much like the Chief Issue, which I brought forth and 
>>>attempted to schedule to discuss in Caucus a year ago. The Chief 
>>>question is a social and a human rights question, specific to our 
>>>community, and no other. Guidance on the Chief issue from this City and 
>>>the City's own Human Relations Commission could have benefited our 
>>>community by offering leadership in encouraging the university to 
>>>finally and definitely seek a meaningful resolution, hopefully based on 
>>>the findings of our own Human Relations Commission.
>>>
>>>But among the members of Council there was a universal feeling that, as 
>>>we could not directly affect the outcome of that controversy, it was not 
>>>appropriate to bring this into City Council discussion.
>>>
>>>While I disagree to a great extent with this premise, I honored the 
>>>informal decision of the mayor and members of Council.
>>>
>>>What can we learn from this? Perhaps we need to understand that in 
>>>deciding one such issue, we may well face others, such as resolutions on 
>>>abortion rights, the death penalty, or any other such subject which 
>>>comes to our attention through advocate groups.
>>>
>>>I myself am not against having the City take a stand where leadership 
>>>and guidance is a benefit to the residents of Urbana. I do not think we 
>>>were elected to our posts here to "not think." Our job is to have the 
>>>total welfare of our community in sight, and to be able to have to the 
>>>ability to talk on difficult issues. We were not elected just to rubber 
>>>stamp municipal projects introduced by city staff. Our position is to be 
>>>leaders in this community, and to represent this community's greatest 
>>>interests, even its hopes and aspirations. And it may not be limited 
>>>just to who should own our water system.
>>>
>>>Getting back to the Iraq War Resolution.
>>>
>>>If action concerning this Resolution IS going to be introduced at 
>>>Council, I believe the appropriate place to begin is in Caucus session, 
>>>not in Committee.
>>>
>>>I applaud the effort of AWARE to bring this significant cause to our 
>>>attention. In fairness to AWARE, from whose members I have recently 
>>>received quite a few e-mails, I suggest someone on Council who 
>>>definitely supports this resolution should decide if we are going to do 
>>>anything with it.
>>>
>>>As was the case in "adopting" the WUNA "white paper report", which came 
>>>to us two months ago, I feel the AWARE resolution, as it was offered in 
>>>the handout at the recent public forum, has a need of serious discussion 
>>>and possible revision if it is to be used as the official mouth piece 
>>>for the City of Urbana. The revision of the WUNA white paper by Alderman 
>>>Smythe was a significantly responsible act of leadership to bring into 
>>>harmony the wishes of the West Urbana Neighborhood community and the 
>>>various real reservations concerning the document held by members of 
>>>City Council. The final product as adopted was far better for its 
>>>revision, and was ultimately stated in a way that all members of Council 
>>>could support.
>>>
>>>Those Council members who would like to see action on the Iraq 
>>>Resolution should work in a similar manner to achieve consensus and 
>>>ultimately, their goal.
>>>
>>>I think it is only fair to this community and to the advocates of this 
>>>resolution, who have very optimistic hopes about this cause, to get 
>>>things right out there on the table, if anyone hopes this is going to happen.
>>>
>>>Sincerely,
>>>Dennis Roberts
>>>Ward 5 Alderman
>
>
>Having said the above, I was contacted by Charlie Smythe by e-mail. I gave 
>him my thoughts as to how the Resolution might be edited to receive the 
>greater support of Council. It was interesting to me that in a phone 
>conversation yesterday, the the Mayor voiced an almost exact concern as I 
>had outlined to Alderman Smythe. Our City has had such a negative 
>reputation concerning its various public stands on policies, the Mayor has 
>a sensitivity to keep the City's head above water and to avoid laying us 
>open to cheap slandering pot-shots, when possible (these are my words, not 
>the Mayor's). I think, considering the economic and ideological struggles 
>we seem to have with Champaign, this is a reasonable concern. We will 
>undoubtedly get 3 days of free bad press via editorials and letters to the 
>editor in The News-Gazette.
>
>So - how can we proceed in a way that makes us look thoughtful and 
>reasoning, and still meet the objective of AWARE and other proponents of 
>this Resolution? How can we do this and honor in our midst that part of 
>our community who have sons and daughters actually fighting in the war today?
>
>The AWARE sponsored Resolution has many of what I'd call emotionally 
>charged passages. When we have statements in the preamble "whereas" 
>sections of the Resolution which include comments sucs as: "misled its 
>citizens",  and  "false and distorted evidence" - these are made as value 
>statements, and the CITY should not indulge in this type of dialoguing. It 
>does not need to do this, when there are other completely tangible reasons 
>to detest this war.
>
>We have to be a little more sensitive. Remember, many in the community, 
>even in my neighborhood,  may have sons or daughters who are stationed 
>overseas and who still believe in the concept of "fighting for freedom and 
>democracy". There are many in town who support the patriotic aspects of 
>this war. We do not have to cross swords with these groups. Let's step 
>around that altogether.
>
>If we can make this Resolution very short, and based on the economic 
>devastation that a prolonged war is having on this City and its ability to 
>secure adequate federal funding to provide social services, developmental 
>funds, decent education, and federal assistance grants for our residents, 
>I would easily support the Resolution.
>
>In the strictest sense I would omit or rewrite "Whereas-es" nos. 2., 3., 
>4., 5., 6., and 7. which read as opinions and address issues that are out 
>of the bounds of the City's direct purveyance. But I could see supporting 
>and even expanding  on  "Whereas" no. 8. - the billions spent on the war 
>-  as the main reason this City must speak up and tell the Federal 
>administration that we are fed up. OK, honestly, I'd include a 
>humanitarian reason too, such as "Whereas" no. 3.
>
>I have sent my thoughts on this to Alderman Smythe, and I hope he will 
>take the initiative to somewhat rewrite or condense the elements in the 
>proposed AWARE Resolution in a way that I and even Alderwoman Lynne Barnes 
>and the Mayor could support. As a member of City Council I think it is 
>possible for the City of Urbana to take a stand against the War's 
>continuance,  be thoughtful of all her residents, while still act 
>decisively as good guardians of her welfare.
>
>Sincerely,
>Dennis Roberts
>Ward 5 Alderman
>drobertscitycouncil at yahoo.com
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