Vermont: "Bring the Troops Home Now!"

[reprehensor]

Burlington Votes to Bring the Troops Home Now!

"A town meeting revolt over the Iraq war" is what The Christian Science Monitor called Vermont's historic votes for anti-war resolutions in 49 of 57 cities and towns. The resolutions passed not only in traditional liberal strong holds, but also in rural areas usually dismissed as conservative. The votes demonstrated overwhelming anti-war sentiment.

In the state's largest city, the Burlington Anti-War Coalition (BAWC) proposed a resolution (full text below) that called for bringing the troops home now. It passed with 65.2% of the vote. It won in all the city's wards, including the two most conservative. In the towns of Marshfield and Hinesburg (one of the more conservative towns in Vermont) voters also considered and passed "Out Now" resolutions by overwhelming margins.

However, only a handful of the anti-war resolutions put forth in Vermont towns included the word "now." Ben Scotch, former executive director of the Vermont ACLU, sparked the statewide campaign and drafted the resolution used outside Burlington, Marshfield and Hinesburg. That resolution calls for the Vermont Governor to have more control over the state's National Guard, demands an investigation into the impact on the state of the guard's large deployment, and advocates the return of the troops in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Both resolutions were universally recognized as victories for the anti-war movement. Nevertheless, the two resolutions flow from different perspectives within the state's anti-war leadership on public opinion about the war, what demands we should put forward, and what actions we should build.

more@link

[wtbymark]

1. Vermont has the highest per capita deployment rate

and the highest per capita death toll, i wonder why we have these deployment rates. Is it because we are one of the (if not The) most liberal states in the country, that we have sen. Leahey that chimp's handler cheney told to fuck off, that we have sen. Jeffords that jumped the republican ship, that we have rep. Bernie Sanders who is a thorn in every politicians side or is it because Howard was a conservative governor of our state????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! makes ya wonder.

[beam me up scottie]

3. As a transplanted Vermonter

I couldn't have said it better myself!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. If it wasn't for all the damned snow, we'd move to Vermont.

Hell, we still may.