Senate Resolution 12

PAG LIN

  1  1               SENATE RESOLUTION NO. ____
  1  2     BY  HOLVECK, BOLKCOM, CONNOLLY, DVORSKY, HORN,
  1  3                     HATCH, and SENG
  1  4 A Resolution regarding preemptive, unilateral military
  1  5    action against Iraq.
  1  6    WHEREAS, there is an urgent need for genuine,
  1  7 multilateral action to eliminate weapons of mass
  1  8 destruction worldwide; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, a preemptive, unilateral strike by the
  1 10 United States against a sovereign nation without a
  1 11 direct threat to the national security of the United
  1 12 States violates a basic principle of American foreign
  1 13 policy enunciated in George Washington's farewell
  1 14 address and historically adhered to by our nation; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, most other governments in the
  1 16 international community oppose preemptive, unilateral
  1 17 action against Iraq and support the full pursuit of
  1 18 diplomatic resolutions and weapons inspections before
  1 19 any further military action is taken against Iraq; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, a preemptive, unilateral military strike
  1 21 by the United States against Iraq will undermine
  1 22 efforts to bring to justice those who helped carry out
  1 23 the attacks of September 11, 2001, and hinder efforts
  1 24 to reduce acts of international terror; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, a preemptive attack against Iraq will set
  1 26 a dangerous precedent which other countries may
  1 27 follow; and
  1 28    WHEREAS, a United States military attack on Iraq
  1 29 threatens the stability of the Middle East region; and
  1 30    WHEREAS, conflict in the area may result in the
  2  1 widespread destruction of the environment and the
  2  2 civilian infrastructure of Iraq; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, war in Iraq will likely be a humanitarian
  2  4 disaster, jeopardizing the lives of American soldiers,
  2  5 potentially exposing American soldiers to biological
  2  6 and chemical forms of warfare almost too horrible to
  2  7 imagine, and resulting in the killing of many innocent
  2  8 Iraqi civilians who have already suffered enormously
  2  9 under Saddam Hussein's rule and sanctions of the
  2 10 United Nations; and
  2 11    WHEREAS, military action will likely result in a
  2 12 long=term United States military presence in Iraq with
  2 13 no guarantee that the next regime in Iraq will achieve
  2 14 a better record on democracy, human rights, and
  2 15 disarmament issues, or in maintaining peaceful
  2 16 relations with its neighbors; and
  2 17    WHEREAS, it has been estimated that a war with Iraq
  2 18 would likely cost between $100 billion and $1 trillion
  2 19 and the American occupation of Iraq would cost another
  2 20 $15 to $20 billion per year; and
  2 21    WHEREAS, unlike the 1991 war with Iraq, a
  2 22 preemptive, unilateral strike against Iraq will result
  2 23 in the United States bearing most of the financial
  2 24 cost of the war; and
  2 25    WHEREAS, the costs of a war with Iraq will cause
  2 26 further federal budget deficits, further weakening of
  2 27 an already sluggish economy, and further undermining
  2 28 of the long=term prospects for solvency of the Social
  2 29 Security and Medicare systems, and will ensure
  2 30 reductions in federal aid to the State of Iowa; and
  3  1    WHEREAS, such reductions in state aid at the
  3  2 federal level would hinder the likelihood of
  3  3 increasing reimbursement rates for Medicare and
  3  4 Medicaid and make financial assistance to seniors for
  3  5 prescription drugs even less likely; and
  3  6    WHEREAS, the State of Iowa is already suffering
  3  7 from a financial crisis, which has severely impacted
  3  8 many of the programs that assist working people and
  3  9 families; NOW THEREFORE,
  3 10    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Iowa Senate
  3 11 supports the efforts of American troops to protect and
  3 12 defend the nation against those who seek to harm it,
  3 13 but, out of concern for the safety of those who would
  3 14 risk their lives, respectfully urges and requests the
  3 15 President of the United States not to initiate a
  3 16 preemptive, unilateral military strike against Iraq;
  3 17 and
  3 18    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa Senate
  3 19 respectfully urges that if the United States does take
  3 20 military action against the sovereign nation of Iraq
  3 21 that it only be done with the official approval of the
  3 22 United Nations Security Council as required under
  3 23 international law; and
  3 24    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of
  3 25 this resolution, duly authenticated by the Iowa
  3 26 Secretary of the Senate, be transmitted to the
  3 27 Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United
  3 28 States, to each member of the Iowa congressional
  3 29 delegation, and to the Governor of the State of Iowa.
  3 30 LSB 1562XS 80
  4  1 lh/pj/5.2