[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H11228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IT IS TIME TO END THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Braley of Iowa). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the American people are opposed to the 
occupation of Iraq. And when I say ``the American people,'' I am not 
referring to members of one party or one political persuasion. I am 
referring to members of both parties who live in every part of our 
country, in cities and towns big and small.
  According to the organization Cities For Progress, approximately 300 
States, cities and towns have passed resolutions or referenda opposing 
the occupation of Iraq. They include places like Kalamazoo, Michigan; 
Carrboro, North Carolina; Ladysmith, Wisconsin; Butte, Montana; 
Chicago, Illinois; Guilford, Vermont; Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; 
South Charleston, West Virginia; and Sacramento, California.
  They also include 17 States that have either passed a State House or 
State Senate resolution opposing the occupation or sent letters to 
Congress signed by large numbers of the State legislature's members. 
These include the red States of Colorado, North Dakota, and Arizona and 
the blue States of Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon.
  In addition, the United States Conference of Mayors has passed a 
Bring Home the Troops resolution. In their resolutions the cities and 
towns decry the terrible loss of life in Iraq. And they describe how 
the soaring costs of the occupation consume resources that would be 
much better spent on the needs of local communities.
  I want to read portions of a few of these resolutions so that Members 
of the House can get a sense of the anguish that's out there in the 
heartland.
  The resolution passed by South Charleston, West Virginia, declares 
that the conflict has ``mired American Armed Forces in an internecine, 
centuries-old conflict of ethnic, cultural, and religious rivalries.'' 
The resolution of the U.S. Conference of Mayors declared that ``the 
continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is reducing Federal funds 
available for needed domestic investments in education, health care, 
public safety, homeland security, and more.'' The Cincinnati city 
council echoed that sentiment and said that spending on the occupation 
``severely lessens the ability of the city of Cincinnati to rebuild its 
urban core, promote homeownership opportunities in Cincinnati, and 
provide critical housing services for the poor.'' The Chicago city 
council warned that the occupation has ``inflamed anti-American 
passions in the Muslim world and increased the terrorist threat to 
United States citizens.'' The resolution of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
laments the ``grievous impact of the loss of lives in the Iraq war on 
families and communities on both sides of the conflict and the 
destructive social and economic effects of the war.''
  The city of Bellingham, Washington, said that ``the killing of 
civilians is an unspeakable crime against humanity.'' The Cleveland 
city council declared that ``the costs to the States of the call-up of 
National Guard members for deployment in Iraq have been significant, as 
reckoned in lost lives, combat injuries and physical trauma, disruption 
of family life and damage to the fabric of civic life in our 
communities.''
  The New Hampshire House of Representatives urged ``the President to 
commence talks with the neighbors in the Middle East and begin the 
orderly withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq.''
  And the Vermont Senate declared that the escalation of the conflict 
``is exactly the wrong foreign policy direction and the presence of 
American troops in Iraq has not and will not contribute to the 
stability of that nation, the region, or the security of Americans.''
  More information about these resolutions, Mr. Speaker, can be found 
on the Web site of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and I urge my 
colleagues to read these resolutions in their entirety. They represent 
the true voice of America, the America that has compassion for the 
people of the world, believes in international cooperation, and knows 
that restoring our moral leadership is the best way to guarantee our 
own security and freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, the people have spoken. It is time to end the occupation 
of Iraq.

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