Citing the failure of the Bush Administration to
substantiate their basis for going to war and the
rising cost of the war in Iraq in terms of both lives
and dollars, Chicago Aldermen Helen Shiller, Freddrena
Lyle and Gene Schulter today introduced a resolution
into the ChicagoCity Council calling on the 'United
States government to immediately commence an orderly
and rapid withdrawal of United States military
personnel from Iraq to prevent further casualties, both
American and Iraqi, resulting from a misguided and
unjustified war.'

The 'Resolution Urging a Cessation of Combat Operations
in Iraq and the Return of U.S. Troops' begins by
outlining the claims upon which the Bush Administration
sent the nation to war and its failure to prove their
claims of either the presence of chemical, biological
or nuclear weapons or any ties to Al Qaeda despite the
president's legal responsibility to do so as a first
premise for the call for cessation of war .

The Resolution then goes on to describe the cost of the
war in terms of lives, including not only the l700
American lives lost, but also the 100,000 Iraqis killed
(as estimated by the British Medical journal,Lancet),
since the 2003 invasion, and dollars - more than $200
billion, including $2.1 billion of Chicago tax payer
dollars.

Introducing the resolution, Alderman Gene Schulter
said, it is time for the nation's local elected leaders
to speak up for those they represent. When in January
2003 Chicago led the more than 135 cities throughout
the nation by passing a resolution that voiced our
opposition to a war that we felt was unnecessary,
unjustified and misguided, we were told by those in
Washington, that cities did not have the knowledge to
make that call. Yet, today, two years and thousands of
lives later, we know not only that we were right in
doubting the claims of the Administration, but also
that the war in Iraq would be fought with the lives of
our city's youth and on the backs of our city's
residents.

As the resolution explains not only have four
Chicagoans have been killed, scores more have been
injured and more than $2.1 billion Chicago-tax dollars
have gone into the war coffers.

Alderman Freddrena Lyle was explicit about needing to
bring the troops and dollars home. 'War is not an
abstraction to the people of Chicago- they feel it when
funds for public safety, schools, housing are denied
their neighborhoods. They feel it when there are
cutbacks in college funds for their kids, but an army
recruiter at every high school in the Black and Latino
community. They feel it when their friend, neighbor or
relative sends them the awful news that one more youth
has been cut down - in a war built on false premises,
in an army built on false promises.'

According to the National Priorities Project the funds
spent by Chicago taxpayers on the war and occupation in
Iraq could have provided the following: 238,056
children attending Head Start for one year; or medical
insurance for one year for 1,076,242 children; or
31,147 public school teachers for one year; or 16,183
additional housing units.

Alderman Helen Shiller, who began her political life
more than 30 years ago protesting the war in Vietnam,
spoke about the rising tide of public dissatisfaction
and disbelief. 'The action that we take today is
consistent with the will of the American people, who in
increasing numbers have come to the inescapable
conclusions that not only did the Bush Administration
mislead the country on the reasons for war, but that
the Administration's actions have rendered us less
secure than ever before.'

In closing the resolution states that it joins members
of the Illinois Congressional in their opposition to
the war and calls on the city council to resolve:

1. That the City Council of Chicago, on behalf of the
citizens of Chicago, urges the United States government
to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal
of United States military personnel from Iraq to
prevent further casualties, both American and Iraqi,
resulting from a misguided and unjustified war.

2. That the City Council of Chicago, recognizing that
the stability of Iraq is crucial to the security of the
citizens of Chicago and to all Americans, urges the
United States government to provide the people of Iraq
with all necessary non-military material aid as shall
be necessary for the security of Iraq's citizens and
for the rebuilding of the devastation wrought by United
States military action.

3. That the City Council of Chicago, recognizing that
the financial resources used to prosecute the war in
Iraq have inevitably come at a severe cost to necessary
health, education, and security funding at home, and
that these costs have been borne disproportionately by
residents of America's great urban centers, urges that
these resources be redirected to urgent needs among the
most vulnerable portions of our population.

The Aldermen said that the resolution is being
circulated to all Council members for their sign-on and
that various peace groups, including Chicagoans Against
War and Injustice, Peace Pledge Chicago, the American
Friends Service Committee, Logan Square Neighbors for
Peace, Hyde Park Neighbors for Peace, Women for
Democracy and Fair Elections and Lincoln Park Neighbors
for Peace and others will be passing petitions in
support of the resolution and the hoped for action of
the City Council as protectors of the lives and
resources of the people of Chicago.

Ann-Breen Greco, of Women for Democracy and Fair
Elections said her group will do everything possible to
support the aldermen. 'On the one hand Bush's ill-
conceived and brutal actions in Iraq have created not
only a recruiting ground not only for terrorists, On
the other hand,Bush's combination of tax cuts for the
wealthy and war payments for the poor, have left
communities bereft of the real security that only
education, health care, public safety and job security
can bring. This war, which has been a disaster for Iraq
and the United States, must end.'

****

Additional Note from Alderman Joe Moore 7/29/2005:

As you know, a number of Aldermen introduced a
resolution in the City Council on Wednesday calling for
an "orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States
military personnel from Iraq. In drafting the
resolution, we borrowed heavily from a bipartisan
resolution currently pending in Congress and a proposal
drafted by Ann Breen-Greco and others. Aldermen Helen
Shiller and Gene Schulter were especially instrumental
in securing the signatures of 40 of our colleagues.
This is a remarkable feat and underscores the growing
dissatisfaction with the war in all neighborhoods in
our city.

The following aldermen have NOT signed the resolution

Manuel 'Manny" Flores (1st Ward)
[Not present at Wednesday's meeting.]

Dorothy Tillman (3rd Ward)
[Supportive, but didn't have a chance to sign]

John Pope (10th Ward)

James Balcer (11th Ward)
[Only Alderman to vote against 2003 Iraq War Resolution]

Ed Burke (14th Ward)
Thomas Murphy (18th Ward)
Virginia Rugai (19th Ward)

Walter Burnett (27th Ward)
[Not present at Wednesday's meeting]

Theodore Matlock (32nd Ward)

Brian Doherty (41st Ward)
[City Council's lone Republican ]

The resolution was referred to the City Council
Committee on Human Relations, chaired by Alderman Billy
Ocasio (26th Ward). That is the same committee that
considered and passed the January 2003 resolution
opposing a pre-emptive military invasion of Iraq. We
hope to pass the current resolution at the next City
Council meeting, which will be held on Wednesday,
September 14th. Hearings on the resolution will be held
before then. I will let you know when the date for the
hearings is set.

**********

Current Full Text of the Resolution:

RESOLUTION URGING CESSATION OF COMBAT OPERATIONS IN
IRAQ AND THE RETURN OF U.S. TROOPS

WHEREAS, The Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 was passed by the U.S.
Congress on October 11,2002, and that Public Law
107-243 cited Iraq's possession of weapons of mass
destruction as a primary reason for the use of United
States Armed Forces against Iraq; and

WHEREAS, On January 12, 2005, President Bush officially
declared an end to the search for weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, The United States initiated combat operations
in Iraq on March 19, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of members of the United
States Armed Forces have served with honor and
distinction in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, More than 1,700 members of the United States
Armed Forces have been killed and more than 12,000
members of the Armed Forces have been wounded in
substantially accomplishing the stated purpose of the
United States of giving the people of Iraq a reasonable
opportunity to decide their own future; and

WHEREAS, The United States military occupation of Iraq
has placed significant strains on the capacity of the
United States Armed Forces, both active duty and
reserve and the National Guard.

WHEREAS, The armed forces of Iraq number more than
76,000 troops as of June 8, 2005, and are growing in
number and capability daily; and

WHEREAS, The forces of the Iraqi Interior Ministry
number more than 92,000 personnel as of June 8, 2005,
and are growing in number and capability daily; and

WHEREAS, More than $200 billion has been appropriated
by Congress to fund military operations and
reconstruction in Iraq, and Chicago residents' share
now exceeds $2.1 billion; and

WHEREAS, The funds spent by Chicago taxpayers on the
war and occupation in Iraq could have provided Head
Start for one year for 238,056 children; or medical
insurance for one year for 1,076,242 children; or
31,147 public school teachers for one year; or
16,183 additional housing units, according to the
National Priorities Project; and

WHEREAS, The war and continued occupation have resulted
in the devastation of Iraq's physical and social
infrastructure and led to widespread and continuous
resistance to U.S. occupation that threatens the lives
of Iraqi civilians and the men and women who compose
the ranks of U.S. and other occupying forces; and

WHEREAS, The presence of United States forces in Iraq
and the alleged torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib,
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other facilities have
inflamed anti-American passions in the Muslim world and
increased the terrorist threat to United States
citizens, both at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, Polls show that less than half of the American
people support the war; and

WHEREAS, Illinois Congresspersons Rush, Lipinski,
Emanuel, Davis, Schakowsky, Jackson, Gutierrez, and
Costello joined more than 100 other Congresspersons in
voting for a House resolution on an Iraq exit strategy;
and

WHEREAS, On January 2003, the Chicago City Council
passed a resolution 47-1 opposing the war in Iraq prior
to its commencing in March 2003;now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, That the City Council of the City of
Chicago, on behalf of the citizens of Chicago, urges
the United States government to immediately commence an
orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States military
personnel from Iraq; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of
Chicago, recognizing that the stability of Iraq is
crucial to the security of the citizens of Chicago and
to all Americans, urges the United States government to
provide the people of Iraq with all necessary non-
military material aid as shall be necessary for the
security of Iraq's citizens and for the rebuilding of
Iraq; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the financial resources
used to prosecute the war be redirected to address the
urgent needs of America's great urban centers and the
most vulnerable portions of our population, including
health, education, and homeland security; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this
resolution shall be sent to George W. Bush, President
of the United States, and the members of the Illinois
Congressional delegation.