Ashwin Madia Candidate for Congress - 3rd District Minnesota:

"End the war responsibly:

 

The time has come to change course in Iraq. We must have the courage to change, and we must have leaders in Congress that understand this conflict and our military."

I had boots on the ground in Iraq from September 2005 to March 2006 as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. While there, I coordinated efforts with Iraqi officials, military officers, and officials from the State Department, Justice Department, United Nations, and the European Union to strengthen Iraq's criminal justice system. Through my time there, I learned firsthand that Iraq's problems can only be solved politically, not militarily.

 

 

Our armed forces, which have performed so bravely and admirably through the duration of this conflict, simply cannot sustain the current deployment pace. We must change our mission, change our strategy, and most importantly, dramatically reduce our presence.

 

 

Our best hope for a resolution to the Iraq war is for the U.S. to reduce its forces on a responsible timeline and to build a political solution to the country's problems. I propose withdrawing our forces over a period of 18-24 months, with a force of about 10,000-20,000 left in Iraq for three missions:

 

1. protecting U.S. State Department and USAID workers;

2. targeting high ranking members of Al-Qaeda; and

3. in conjunction with other nations, preventing ethnic cleansing.

 

Through these measures, I hope to bring about the best possible resolution to an incredibly complex and difficult situation.

 

 

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Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - US Senate Minnesota

(St. Thomas University - Peace & Justice Studies)

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer has a vision of the United States as a just and compassionate nation whose security is rooted in strong communities, international partnerships, the strength of our values, the integrity of our actions, and the wisdom of our priorities. He has practical plans to responsibly end the Iraq war and to forge a new pathway to security.

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer's Vision :

I believe we will enhance U.S. and global security as we help our nation transition from being a global military superpower to being a strong, healthy nation that joins the community of nations as a reliable global partner.

Our present fear-based national security policies do not strengthen our communities or make us secure. 

Consider:

1. The United States accounts for half the world’s military spending while nearly half the world’s people live on less than $2 a day and nearly 1 in 5 U.S. children lives in poverty.[1] 

    

2. Our nation wages a “war on terror” that results in more terrorism.

    

3. President Bush calls for military expenditures of $650 billion in 2008 to be paid for with cuts in 141 programs including health care, education, development assistance and the environment.[2]

    

4. Congress devoted 57 cents of every dollar it appropriated to military spending in 2006 and less than 4 cents to education, less than 3 cents to nutrition, about 2 cents to housing, less than 2 cents to the environment, about 1 penny to foreign aid and less than 1/2 cent to job training.[3]

    

5. There are no military solutions to problems such as climate change, trade and budget deficits, rapid population growth, depleted soil and water resources, oil dependency, inadequate health care, poverty, or hatred of America.

    

Our nation is at a crossroads. We can choose to remain on a fear-based path grounded in the faulty premise that U.S. military supremacy is the key to U.S. and global security. Or, we can choose a new, visionary path. I believe national and global security depend on the health of our communities, mutual respect, just and sustainable economies, international partnerships, the well-being of others, and the ecological health of the planet.

I believe the United States guided by this vision could lead an international effort to end global poverty and restore ecological systems for a fraction of the cost of current military expenditures.  That is why I believe creating a culture of peace, including ending the Iraq war and embracing a new path to security, is a core need in this most important decade. 

We need to promote a culture of peace by working to:   

1. Bring a responsible end to the Iraq War within 6 months based on an orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops, Iraqi reconciliation, renouncing basing rights and oil contracts, and commitment to Iraqi reconstruction.

    

2. Support returning veterans to ensure they receive the medical care and other support they need.

    

3. Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through determined, balanced diplomacy which would diminish threats of terrorism, improve prospects for peace in the Middle East, and enhance our standing in the Muslim world.

    

4. Build international partnerships to solve pressing global problems, including climate change.

    

5. Abandon U.S. efforts to militarize space and support international efforts to keep space for peaceful purposes. (A recent UN vote was 166 in favor to 1 opposed, with the U.S. casting the lone no vote).[4]

    

6. Support international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, including solidifying the U.S. responsibility under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to take steps to reduce its own nuclear arsenal.

    

7. Embrace international human rights laws and treaties to promote peace.

    

8. Elevate nonmilitary aspects of security by establishing a cabinet level Department of Peace, reducing U.S. military spending by 50%, and redirecting funds to global development, efforts to address climate change, and diplomacy. 

    

9. Reduce U.S. dependency on imported oil and stop embroiling U.S. soldiers in overseas missions involving control of oil.

    

10. Redefine security to include measures of a good society such as sustainable development, living wages, fiscal responsibility, and meeting the education, health, and housing needs of our people. 

     

    As the world grows smaller and as the consequences of climate change become widely known, it is clear that peace is not just an option but an imperative.

Jack at the weekly peace vigil in Grand Rapids, Minnesota