Orange County Democratic Party

Resolutions Passed

April 19, 2008

 

Table of Contents

 

 

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

 

1. A Resolution Seeking Reform of the Role and Responsibilities of Super Delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

 

Whereas the National Democratic Party has instituted the designation of “super delegates” as a means of giving special influence to select members of the Party; and

 

Whereas the principles of operation of the Democratic Party are specifically designed to seek out and represent the participation, views and opinions of all Democratic Party members throughout the country without regard to particular classifications or status;

 

Be it resolved that in order to fully achieve this mandate of inclusiveness and representation, the North Carolina Democratic Party and other State Democratic parties need to redefine the role of “super delegates” to the National Convention better to reflect the total votes cast during the primary and caucus season.

 

And be it further resolved that super delegates to the 2008 Democratic Convention be instructed by the State Convention to support candidates for the Presidency in proportion to the votes for President cast in the Presidential Primary.

 

IMMIGRATION

3. Resolution in Support of Higher Education for Immigrant Students

Whereas the North Carolina Democratic Party’s platform affirms our commitment to “…full and equal protection of the lives, liberties, rights, and properties of all citizens and residents of North Carolina and to striving for educational excellence for all persons - regardless of their race, age, gender, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, developmental disability, primary language, location, or station in life”; and

Whereas the failure of Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform has left tens of thousands of undocumented North Carolinian school children in legal limbo without the possibility to further their education beyond high school, thereby, significantly reducing their opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home; and

Whereas immigrant students who came here as young children were educated in our school system; were steeped in our culture and values and consider themselves Americans; will most likely never return to their countries of origin, either voluntarily or involuntarily; are clearly an asset to our communities, and will be an important part of North Carolina’s communities and workforce for decades to come; and

Whereas for North Carolina to remain competitive in a globalized economy it must nurture a knowledge-based workforce that has access to the education and training necessary to adapt to a constantly changing world economy;

Therefore, be it Resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party hereby fully supports the NC Community College System’s Admission Policy for undocumented immigrants that gives deserving young immigrant students the same opportunities to go to college as their American classmates; and

Further be it Resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party urges the NC Community College System and the University of NC System as well as North Carolina legislators to make in-state tuition available to immigrant students who have graduated from our high schools and fulfill North Carolina residence requirements.

4a. Resolution Calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

 

Whereas the North Carolina Democratic Party recognizes the inherent dignity and humanity of North Carolina’s immigrant residents, regardless of immigration status, and recognizes the importance of their many contributions to our State’s rich and varied economic, cultural, social, political and religious life; and

Whereas Congress has utterly failed in its responsibility to overhaul the broken and out-dated immigration system which is forcing state and local governments to address the myriad problems that this failure engendered,

 

Therefore be it Resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party urge the

Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority.

 

4b. Resolution Against Making Local Law Enforcement Responsible for Enforcing Federal Immigration Law

 

Whereas the current emphasis on the enforcement of current Federal immigration law falls far short of addressing the complex economic and social realities of immigration and therefore leaves state and local authorities ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of a many-layered issue; and

Whereas programs that transfer federal immigration responsibilities to state and local officials, with or without incentives, blur the line between civil and criminal law and may infringe on NC state laws and local ordinances as well as violate civil and human rights of immigrants and citizens alike; and

Whereas these types of programs erode the relationship between immigrant communities and local authorities with the result that fewer people would report being victims of or witnesses to crimes in our communities, and fewer seek medical care for contagious diseases, alert authorities to dangerous conditions, or obtain the required training or licensure to meet basic safety standards, consequentially undermining the efforts of local law enforcement and posing a threat to public health and public safety; and

Whereas these types of programs may also encourage mutual distrust and resentment in our communities instead of cooperation and goodwill; and

Whereas enforcement policies that differ greatly from county to county, from community to community, from agency to agency, from institution to institution, will result in unequal protection under our laws, promote divisiveness and discord, and may encourage overzealousness and even vigilante violence, all of which will weaken North Carolina’s unity and stability;

Therefore be it Resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party opposes any efforts to make state and local authorities responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

LABOR RELATIONS

5. Resolution in Support of Collective Bargaining Rights to Public Employees

Whereas the Platform of the North Carolina Democratic Party states: “We reassert our fundamental belief in the collective bargaining process as a means of serving the interests of both public and private employees and employers. Those interests include better productivity, fair and adequate employee compensation and benefits, and safe, harmonious, and healthy working conditions;” and

Whereas public employees in our state have for too long been denied this fundamental right to collectively bargain for improvement of their wages and working conditions;

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party supports H1583, which restores that right, as a major priority in this coming legislative session and strongly urges our Democratic legislators to pass said legislation and for the Governor to sign it.

ENVIRONMENT

16. Resolution in Support of Canceling Duke Energy’s proposed New Coal Plant at Cliffside

Whereas global warming is almost universally recognized by the world’s climate scientists as posing unprecedented threats to our environment and society in terms to increasingly severe droughts, floods, storms, and sea level rise; and

Whereas coal plants generate 40% of US greenhouse gases – largely in the form of CO₂; and

Whereas Duke Energy is proposing to add a huge new coal plant to its complex at Cliffside 60 miles west of Charlotte that will emit 6 millions tons of additional CO₂ , compared to the old units it would replace; and

Whereas the new Cliffside plant would double the amount of water presently evaporated from the Broad River to 21 million gallons a day – more than that used by the City of Durham; and

Whereas every statewide environmental organization in North Carolina that works on energy or climate change issues opposes the plant; and

Whereas Dr. James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies and the nation’s foremost climate change expert, wrote to the CEO of Duke Energy, Mr. James Rogers, on March 25, 2008 that “It would be a tragic mistake for Duke to proceed with plans for new coal-fired plants in Cliffside, North Carolina and Edwardsport, Indiana, and

Whereas energy experts have repeatedly brought before the NC Utilities Commission and legislative bodies data that demonstrate that the new generation capacity from this plant is not necessary and that proven, economical energy efficiency measures, co-generation, and wind and solar power can meet projected energy demand;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party

(1) strongly supports cancellation of the Cliffside coal plant; and urges the county and state Democratic Parties, upon passage of this resolution, to notify Duke Energy’s CEO of its views; and to urge the Governor, legislative leaders, and North Carolina Democratic candidates for office to take a public stand in support of this resolution to rescind the Cliffside permit.

(2) strongly urges state officials and executives of power-generating companies to create a long-term, comprehensive strategy for multiple-source generation of electricity that is sensitive to and responsive to global warming.

 

7. Resolution on OWASA

 

Whereas, OWASA has been a model and leader among utilities nationwide in the pursuit of sustainable water supply management and effective wastewater treatment;

 

Whereas, the governments of Orange County have been leaders in North Carolina in watershed protection, thereby providing OWASA customers with some of the best water in the state, and

 

Whereas, as the region continues to grow and prosper, the challenge to supply water in the quantities needed in the face of a growing population and periodic drought will be with us for some time,

 

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party commend OWASA and encourage it to continue to be a regional leader in conservation and efficient use of water resources;

 

Be it further resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party supports the OWASA Board, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the Chapel Hill Town Council, and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen in their mutual desire to take all practical steps to protect the watersheds of University Lake and the Cane Creek Reservoir, through a combination of zoning regulation and land acquisition,

 

Be it further resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party encourages OWASA to continue to plan and implement water reuse projects where practicable and to prepare for the development of and implementation of plans to draw on water from Jordan Lake when necessary, and to do so in coordination with other water authorities, and

 

Be it further resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party encourages the State to promote and support multi-county planning and management for the delivery of water services and in so doing recognizing that water is a limited precious resource that must be utilized carefully and protected effectively.

 

8. Environmental Justice

 

Whereas Orange County “encourages the wise and productive use of the county’s natural resources” and requires an environmental impact evaluation for projects that require either a state permit or a local land use permit (Code of Ordinances, Orange County, NC, Chapter 40), and

 

Whereas Orange County is committed to protect the rights of all its residents, and

 

Whereas historically waste dumping and dump siting on what was considered low-value land in poor and often African American neighborhoods was common practice because it carried little political and social cost to the dominate culture, and

 

Whereas vulnerable populations have suffered negative effects to their health and quality of life from exposure to those waste sites for generations; and

 

Whereas the term “environmental justice” was created to address the needs and rights of low-income people and people of color in framing sound environmental policies; and

 

Whereas the Executive Order 12898 signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 calls for all federal agencies to make environmental justice part of their mission; and

 

Whereas the EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council’s (NEJAC) recommendations have become a standard nationwide;

 

Therefore be it resolved that for all development, both public and private, Orange County develop an environmental justice component for its environmental impact evaluation; and

 

Be it further resolved that Orange County urges North Carolina legislators to support Senate Bill 1345 and House Bill 1849 which call for the creation and funding of an Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Administration.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

9. Resolution to Facilitate Prisoner Reentry

 

Whereas the NC Department of Correction (DOC) last year released more than 27,000 prisoners

 

Whereas treatment programs for substance abuse have proven effective in helping prisoners achieve recovery, and recovery is a strong predictor of successful prisoner reentry, but many prisoners lack access to adequate treatment, and

 

Whereas vocational and educational programs for prisoners have proven to be effective in preparing prisoners to obtain employment and work successfully upon release, and whereas many prisoners lack access to such programs, and

 

Whereas opportunities for prisoners to work outside prison during their periods of incarceration under work release programs have been remarkably effective in allowing prisoners to learn and improve job skills, demonstrate their competence, save money and thereby transition smoothly to civilian society

 

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party, in accordance with the respective sections of Senate Bill 1499 “DOC Reentry Funds,” urges the General Assembly to authorize the NC Department of Correction

• To increase access to substance abuse services in the State prison system with a full continuum of care throughout incarceration by providing additional residential beds at medium custody prison facilities

• To increase inmates’ access to educational and vocational training opportunities at all State prison facilities

• To increase the number of work release slots for prisoners at minimum security prisons

 

10. Resolution to control the sale, ownership and possession of hand guns

 

Whereas, the United States, with nearly 6 homicides per 100,000 population, has the highest murder rate in the industrialized world, more than 3 ½ times the murder rates in England and France and 6 times the homicide rate in Germany;

 

And whereas, murders by firearms were 9.3 times greater in the United States than in Canada, 16 times greater than in France, and 32 times greater than in Germany.

 

And whereas, the large majority of firearm related homicides in the United States are committed with handguns.

And whereas the industrialized nations of the world which maintain strict control of hand guns tend to have much lower murder rates,

 

Therefore be it resolved that the United States control the sale, ownership, and possession of hand guns, so that only those who can prove a clear necessity to own a hand gun may possess one.

 

 

 

 

 

11. Resolution to recognize the contribution of Eve Carson and work to reduce violent crime

Whereas Eve Carson, UNC Student Body President was an extraordinary asset to our entire community, working hard in leadership and service roles including her membership on the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees; co-president of the Honors Program Student Executive Board; as a member of the Committee on Scholarships, Awards and Student Aide; the Academic Advising Program; the Chancellor’s committee for University Teaching Awards; teaching and working at Frank Porter Graham Elementary School in Chapel Hill as part of UNC’s INSPIRE program; tutoring at Githens Middle School in Durham; coaching in the Girls on the Run of the Triangle; and as a friend and ally to both those on campus and beyond, and

Whereas the life of this young woman was tragically stolen on March 5, 2008, leaving us now devoid of the great potential she held and more importantly, of a beautiful and loving human being, and

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party wishes to recognize the service that Eve Carson provided to our community and to honor her life by continuing to serve the progressive causes she cared so deeply about, and to work with local authorities to do everything within our power to extinguish violent crime from our community.

 

12. Resolution on Land Transfer Tax

Whereas Orange County requires additional revenue sources to support our growing need for quality schools, to create parks and preserve other open space, and more generally to ensure the high quality of life that wish to enjoy, and

 

Whereas the County Commissioners have made clear their intent to raise the necessary funds for these purposes through the means best suited to the people of our county, and

 

Whereas both sales tax and property tax increases tend to cause disproportionate hardship on those in our community who are already struggling to make ends meet, and

 

Therefore be it resolved that instituting the Land Transfer Tax is preferable to increases in other forms of taxes available to the county, including sales and property taxes, and

 

Be it further resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party hereby endorses the proposed Land Transfer Tax on the May 6 ballot and encourages all citizens to vote in its favor.

 

HEALTH

 

13. Resolution Supporting Priority of Mental Health Care by NC,

County & State

 

Whereas services and programs to address the needs of North Carolinians who suffer from various categories of mental/emotional illness or substance abuse have received inadequate levels of public financial support or state-level oversight and regulation, and

 

Whereas these services and programs should receive parity of financial support from both public and private healthcare insurance (as has been passed in recent legislation from the U.S. House of Representatives), and

 

Whereas comprehensive approaches to the assurance of adequate healthcare services for all North Carolinians should include access to quality professional care for mental health and substance abuse services,

 

Be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party instruct our

county and state elected officials to place the mental health care of NC

citizens as a priority for funds, provision of services and accountability.

 

 

14.* Resolution Supporting Efficient, Effective Street-Lighting in Chapel Hill

Whereas good outdoor lighting at night benefits both drivers and pedestrians alike, particularly those with age-diminished vision and other vision problems, by increasing safety, enhances our community's nighttime character by allowing businesses, the university, and other organizations easier access for a greater patronage, and helping provide security by reducing crime through increased visibility; and

 

Whereas improperly designed and improperly installed outdoor lighting can create such problems as light pollution, light trespass, higher energy use, and excessive glare, which has been shown to be particularly hazardous to drivers with poor night vision; and

 

Whereas new innovations such as LED and compact fluorescent bulbs can be combined with appropriately sized, sited, and aimed fixtures to be both environmentally responsible and mitigate the deleterious effects of light pollution on human health while still retaining all of their positive benefit; and

 

Whereas blackout shades can help maintain bedroom darkness to ensure effective sleep patterns;

 

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party supports the installation where appropriate of additional effective, energy-efficient street and pedestrian lights throughout our community.

 

*Although the topic of outdoor lighting merits discussion,, the Resolutions Committee does not recommend this resolution for consideration at this time because of questions regarding the location and cost of lighting, the reduction of air circulation by blackout shades, and the possibility for considering alternative modes of transportation for drivers with poor night vision.

 

IMPEACHMENT

15. Impeachment of George Bush and Richard Cheney

Whereas, there is evidence that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others intentionally to mislead the Congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and

Whereas, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

Whereas, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to approve the torture of prisoners in violation of the "Federal Torture Act" Title 18 United States Code, Section 113C, the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land," and repeatedly asserted that the United States does not torture; and

Whereas, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney in direct violation of the laws of the land and constitutional protections acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law; and

Whereas, George W. Bush through his use of signing statements has refused to execute duly adopted and signed laws of the land in violation of his oath of Office; and

Whereas, In all of this, there is evidence that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of North Carolina and of the United States of America; and

Whereas, Petitions from the country at large may be presented by the Speaker of the House according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII; and

Whereas, Jefferson's Manual section LIII, 603, states that impeachment may be set in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State;

Be it resolved that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;

Be it further resolved by the legislature of the State of North Carolina, our senators and representatives in the United States Congress be, and they are hereby, requested to cause to be instituted in the Congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of the George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, to the end that they may be impeached and removed from such office.

 

MILITARY, FOREIGN RELATIONS AND TORTURE

 

116. Resolution Regarding the Military Recruitment of Minors

 

Whereas, minors under eighteen cannot enlist in the military without parental permission, and as a society we deny other rights to minors such as voting, signing contracts, purchasing alcohol and cigarettes, or making certain medical or legal decisions, and

 

Whereas, sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds are routinely urged by military recruiters to commit themselves to future enlistment after their eighteenth birthday, and these ages are too young for many individuals to comprehend and evaluate fully the consequences of their decisions, and

 

Whereas, military recruiters have both the incentive and resources to promote military service by stressing its positive aspects and down-playing its costs, and

 

Whereas federal legislation, particularly the No Child Left Behind Act, mandates that “every local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students,”

 

Therefore, be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party hereby expresses its disapproval of attempts by military recruiters to urge or extract any form of commitment for military service prior to an individual’s eighteenth birthday and,

 

Therefore, be it also resolved that the Party calls upon North Carolina’s elected representatives in Congress to amend the No Child Left Behind Act to prohibit the recruitment or solicitation of commitments for military service from minors, whether this be on school property or outside of school property, unless the minor initiates without prompting, inquiries or commitments for military service.

 

117. Resolution to control the use of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test in all public schools in Orange County, NC

 

Whereas, The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a half-day examination given to 900,000 juniors and seniors in 13,000 high schools and post-secondary schools every year in a collaborative effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Defense, and

 

Whereas, according to the US Army Recruiting Command's School Recruiting Program Handbook, the primary purpose of this test is to provide military recruiters "with a source of leads of high school juniors and seniors qualified through the ASVAB for enlistment into the Active Army and Army Reserve” and to provide information for the placement of potential recruits into military jobs, including combat specialties, and

 

Whereas, the ASVAB is routinely marketed in schools as a "career exploration program," which purports to aid high school administrators and counselors in helping their students make decisions about career paths in general, and

Whereas, on posters advertising the test in schools, the sponsor of the test – the Armed Services – is routinely not identified, nor is the full name of the test displayed, but only the acronym. Even the military's official "ASVAB" website does not display what the ASVAB acronym stands for, or if the program has anything to do with the military (http://www.asvabprogram.com/), and

 

Whereas schools do have the option to withhold students’ test results or identifying information from the military, the Department of Defense has not consistently informed school officials of their options, and

 

Whereas, the NC Department of Public Instruction discourages the test’s use unless a student has expressed interest in the military; and

 

Whereas, a career vocational test designed for all students, is critically needed in high schools;

 

Therefore, be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party urge the school systems in Orange County to use at least one alternative career exploration test to the ASVAB among the many which are currently available;

 

Be it further resolved that the school systems of Orange County be urged to fully disclose the underlying purpose and sponsorship of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to teachers, students, and parents; and

 

Be it further resolved that the schools in Orange County Schools be urged to limit the administration of the ASVAB test to those students explicitly expressing an interest in the military; and

 

Finally, be it further resolved that the schools in Orange Country be urged to adopt the policy (known as ASVAB Option 8) that when the ASVAB test is chosen by students as their test of choice, the school, as a default, will preclude test data from being transferred to military recruiters without the active consent of parents to release the ASVAB test results and information to the military.

 

18. Relations with Iran

 

Whereas there has been increasing public concern about the intentions of the Bush administration regarding Iran, caused particularly by its assertions that Iran is a participant in the war against American forces in Iraq and that Iran is attempting to develop a nuclear capability that would threaten the United States and its allies, and

 

Whereas this administration’s track record suggests that it might, by design and/or ineptness, become involved in hostilities with Iran,

 

Therefore, be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party declares its position that the United States and its elected officials should undertake every reasonable effort to resolve any difficulties with the Islamic Republic of Iran by peaceful means, insisting that legitimate American concerns be given due consideration by the Iranian government, but recognizing that the United States must be attentive to legitimate Iranian concerns as well.

 

And be it further resolved that this declaration be communicated to North Carolina’s elected representatives in Washington.

 

19. Ending United States Use and Sponsorship of Torture

 

Whereas acts of torture violate United States criminal laws, specifically the federal Anti-Torture Statute and the Federal War Crimes Act of 1996, and they violate international treaties to which the United States is a party, including the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and

 

Whereas all acts of torture, regardless of circumstance, are immoral, unjustified, and illegal; and

 

Whereas the right to be free of torture is a fundamental human right recognized in both constitutional and international law; and

 

Whereas United States sanctioned torture is not justified by national security needs as it engenders hatred against the nation, does not keep the country safe, shames the nation, endangers United States troops abroad and citizens at home and does not work: and.

 

Whereas sub contactors of the United States Government including Aero Contractors Ltd., situated in Johnston and Lenoir counties of North Carolina among others, acting on behalf of the United States, have been implicated beyond reasonable doubt in the practice of facilitating torture by providing “extraordinary rendition” services (illegal kidnapping and transport of suspects to countries where torture is routine);

 

Therefore be it resolved that the Democratic Party of North Carolina calls on the national leadership to eradicate current torture practices by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo as well as in United States controlled prison facilities elsewhere; and

 

Be it further resolved that the Democratic Party of North Carolina calls on United States Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and the North Carolina delegation in Congress to ban the United States policies and practices of torture through appropriate and immediate legislative restraints, including specifically the prohibition of CIA detainee transport by Aero Contractors Ltd and others; and

 

Be it further resolved that the Democratic Party of North Carolina calls on North Carolina legislators to support passage of HB 1682, the “North Carolina No Place for Torture Act,” sponsored by Representative Paul Luebke and others, the language and intent of which was approved by the NC Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission on March 7, 2008.

 

Be it further resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party calls upon the Governor, the Attorney General of North Carolina and the NC State Legislature to investigate, to report to the People of North Carolina, and to prosecute if any of these alleged activities have violated N.C. law.

 

20. Withhold Further Funding of the War in Iraq

 

Whereas it has now been shown that the President of the United States made his case to the Congress and the American People for the war in Iraq based upon apparently deliberate misinterpretation of intelligence as to the intention and actions of the Iraq government toward the United States;

 

Whereas an overwhelming majority of American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and more than one in four say the troops should leave immediately;

 

Whereas an overwhelming majority of Iraqis would like U.S. forces to exit the country within a year;

 

Whereas Iraqis of all sectarian and ethnic groups believe that the U.S. military invasion is the primary root of the violent differences among them, and see the departure of "occupying forces" as the key to national reconciliation. ⁱ

 

Whereas the “Declaration of Principles” issued by the United States and the US-backed, US-installed Iraqi government, a government under military occupation, envisions U.S. forces to remain indefinitely in Iraq in order to “deter foreign aggression and also to facilitate and encourage the flow of foreign investments [to] Iraq, especially American investments.”

 

Whereas the American public generally agrees that the Democrats success in the 2006 mid-term elections was effectively a referendum on the War;

 

Whereas the Democratic Party, in its deep gratitude and unalterable support for the dedication and bravery of our service men and women and their families, cannot stand by while more of our service men or women are killed or maimed by prolonging the senseless policy of the Bush Administration.

 

Whereas the Democratic Party cannot condone the killing of another million lives in Iraq.

 

Whereas Representative David Price is a ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee;

 

Whereas the only power Congress has to represent effectively the will of the people to pull out of Iraq by the end of the year is through the withholding or limiting the funds that make the war possible and the prohibition of funding for existing or prospective deployments;

 

Whereas 70 percent of Americans want Congress either to vote against Iraq war funding requests or to require that funds only be used to protect troops and bring them home.

 

Therefore be it resolved that the Orange County Democratic Party join with other NC 4^th Congressional District County and/or Precinct Democratic Parties in making a formal public requests to Representative David Price, and all members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate to:

 

1. Support the insertion of the following provisions in all appropriations bills that fund directly or indirectly the war In Iraq:

 

None of the Funds herein appropriated under this act may be expended to support directly or indirectly combat activities, in or over Iraq by United States forces or contractors.

Nothing in this provision shall be interpreted to limit the expenditure of the funds necessary for withdrawal of American forces, material, and equipment, and its contractors, for the protection of troops and extraction activities in withdrawal, or for the necessary and proper medical assistance for all personnel, both during withdrawal or there after.

 

2. Sign the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s letter to commit supporting only funding for the occupation of Iraq that protects and safely redeploys all troops out of Iraq before president Bush leaves office. Also, co-sponsor H.R. 5507 Fully Funded United States Military Redeployment And Iraqi Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2008 introduced by Congress Members Lee, Woolsey, and Waters.

 

3. Urge House leadership not to bring up any more bills to fund the occupation of Iraq, vote No on any bill that funds the occupation of Iraq, and Vote ‘No’ on any procedural vote to bring funding of the occupation of Iraq up for a vote

 

Be it Further Resolved that the North Carolina General Assembly is hereby urged to pass a resolution asking the North Carolina Congressional delegation to oppose any further funding of the Iraq war.