Wisconsin Green Party
wisconsingreenparty.org
August 29th, 2005
Contacts:
Arif Khan, Chair, Libertarian Party of Wisconsin, 920-251-0844
Jeff Peterson, Campaign Coordinator, Referendum on Troop Withdrawal
from Iraq 715.472.2728
Jill Bussiere, Co-Chair, Wisconsin Green Party
920.388.0529, cell 920.255.2175, jdt@wisconsingreenparty.org
The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin and the
Wisconsin Green Party have joined in calling for support for U.S.
troops in Iraq by bringing them home as soon as possible.
The Green and Libertarian Parties both oppose the
current U.S. occupation. Both believe war should be waged only to
defend the United States, and that the war on Iraq did not meet that
condition. Both parties' 2004 presidential candidates proposed
withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Both are concerned that the
longer the U.S. occupation remains in Iraq, the more long-term will be
the damage. They agree the best thing for the United States and Iraq
is to bring U.S. troops home as quickly as possible. "The United
States was not threatened by Iraq," said Jill Bussiere, Co-chair
of the Wisconsin Green Party. "Many of us knew there were no
weapons of mass destruction well before the invasion, and the
administration knew it too, having fixed the 'intelligence around the
policy' as the Downing Street memo notes. Now, we find that the
invasion and occupation of Iraq have decreased our national security -
just the opposite of what the administration claims."
The two parties take different strategies in their
attempt to end the occupation, yet they support each other's
efforts.
The Wisconsin Green Party is promoting a
"Bring the Troops Home NOW!" referendum on the April ballot
in as many cities and villages as possible. The Libertarian Party of
Wisconsin is calling upon Governor Doyle to bring home the National
Guard troops.
"We are building a coalition of patriotic
citizens to get a referendum on the ballot so that Wisconsin voters
have a chance to voice their opinion," said Jeff Peterson, who is
coordinating the Bring the Troops Home referendum. "Giving voters
a voice about the war is an exercise in democracy."
"We call upon Governor Doyle to bring the
troops home," said Arif Khan, Chair of the Libertarian Party of
Wisconsin. "Units of the 32nd Brigade have been called to active
duty, not as a last line of defense to protect Wisconsin and the
nation from foreign invaders, but to be deployed overseas to occupy a
country which the Governor and President now know was not a threat to
the U.S. Wisconsin National Guard units belong in Wisconsin, to
protect our 'Homeland'"
This month Governor Doyle told departing Wisconsin
National Guard troops at Volk Field, "You are the ones going off
and making this sacrifice so that Wisconsin can continue being the
wonderful state in which we all live."
"If you believe that Wisconsin Guard troops
are needed in Iraq to protect Wisconsin, I have a bridge over the
Black River for sale," offered Ed Thompson, former Libertarian
candidate for governor. "President Bush misused his powers to
justify the federalization of the National Guard and the dispatch of
Wisconsin National Guard units to fight in Iraq," said Thompson.
"Since there was no threat to the United States, the Bush
administration had no constitutional jurisdiction to send troops to
Iraq."
"The National Guards were developed to
provide security in the case of domestic unrest and help states with
dealing with natural disasters," said Khan. "In the
interests of Wisconsin's 'homeland security', rather than waving
goodbye, Governor Doyle should be demanding that all Guard members be
immediately returned to the state. Support our Guard troops -- bring
them home now."
Libertarian Party of Wisconsin http://www.lpwi.org/
Wisconsin Green Party
www.wisconsingreenparty.org
Bring Home the Troops Now! Referendum
http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org/iraqreferendum/
