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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The United States of America was the victim of a | ||||||
3 | massive and unprovoked terrorist attack on September 11, 2001; | ||||||
4 | and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 was | ||||||
6 | orchestrated by Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorist | ||||||
7 | network; and | ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorist network | ||||||
9 | are also responsible for horrible acts of treachery and murder | ||||||
10 | against American citizens in Yemen, Tanzania, and Kenya; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, The oppressive Taliban regime of Afghanistan | ||||||
12 | harbored Osama bin Laden and the leadership of the al Qaeda | ||||||
13 | terrorist network, and the Taliban regime of Afghanistan | ||||||
14 | refused to disavow and turn over to the United States | ||||||
15 | government Osama bin Laden and the leadership of the al Qaeda | ||||||
16 | terrorist network responsible for the September 11, 2001 | ||||||
17 | attack; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, With the strong support of the people of the | ||||||
19 | United States, including the people of Illinois, the United | ||||||
20 | States Armed Forces pursued Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda | ||||||
21 | terrorist network in Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban |
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1 | regime; and | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Through the dedicated efforts of the United States | ||||||
3 | Armed Forces and as a direct result of the fall of the Taliban | ||||||
4 | regime, a democratically elected government emerged in | ||||||
5 | Afghanistan; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, The President of the United States and members of | ||||||
7 | the United States government, utilizing faulty and unreliable | ||||||
8 | intelligence, redirected United States military resources from | ||||||
9 | pursuing Osama bin Laden and the leaders of the al Qaeda | ||||||
10 | terrorist network in Afghanistan to an invasion of the country | ||||||
11 | of Iraq, though the government of Iraq had no responsibility | ||||||
12 | for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and harbored | ||||||
13 | neither Osama bin Laden nor the leadership of the al Qaeda | ||||||
14 | terrorist network; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, The United States Armed Forces are now engaged in | ||||||
16 | a protracted occupation of the country of Iraq that began in | ||||||
17 | 2003; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, More than 137,000 American military personnel are | ||||||
19 | serving in Iraq, and thousands more have served since March of | ||||||
20 | 2003, with the bravery and professionalism consistent with the | ||||||
21 | finest traditions of the United States Armed Forces; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Thousands of American military personnel serving | ||||||
2 | in Iraq, including members of the Illinois National Guard, are | ||||||
3 | past and present residents of the State of Illinois; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, All United States military personnel deserve the | ||||||
5 | support of the American people, and the people of Illinois; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, The war and occupation of Iraq have resulted in | ||||||
7 | the deaths of more than 3,000 United States military personnel, | ||||||
8 | and the wounding and disabling of more than 22,000 United | ||||||
9 | States military personnel, among them past and present | ||||||
10 | residents of the State of Illinois; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, On January 10, 2007, President George W. Bush | ||||||
12 | announced the escalation of United States military involvement | ||||||
13 | in Iraq by proposing the deployment of more than 21,000 | ||||||
14 | additional United States military personnel, who are likely to | ||||||
15 | include many past and present residents of the State of | ||||||
16 | Illinois; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, The proposed escalation could further extend the | ||||||
18 | tours of duty of members of the Illinois National Guard; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, The cost of deployment to Iraq of members of the | ||||||
20 | Illinois National Guard has been significant, as reckoned in | ||||||
21 | lost lives; combat injuries; disruption of family life; |
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1 | financial hardship for individuals, families, and businesses; | ||||||
2 | interruption of careers; and damage to the fabric of civic life | ||||||
3 | in our communities; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, An escalated, open-ended commitment of United | ||||||
5 | States military forces in Iraq is unsustainable and serves as a | ||||||
6 | deterrent to the government of Iraq exercising political and | ||||||
7 | military leadership and providing Iraqi personnel and | ||||||
8 | resources required to end sectarian violence; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, The continued redirection of United States | ||||||
10 | military resources away from the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and | ||||||
11 | the leadership of the al Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan | ||||||
12 | has led to a resurgence of Taliban forces, which could lead to | ||||||
13 | the destabilization of the democratically elected government | ||||||
14 | of Afghanistan; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, United States military experts, including past | ||||||
16 | and present members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have stated | ||||||
17 | their opposition to an escalation of United States military | ||||||
18 | personnel in Iraq; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, More than $357 billion has been appropriated by | ||||||
20 | the United States Congress to fund military and reconstruction | ||||||
21 | efforts in Iraq to date, money that could be utilized for | ||||||
22 | education, health care, housing, nutrition, and other domestic |
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1 | social services, along with international humanitarian aid; | ||||||
2 | and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Prior appropriations made by the United States | ||||||
4 | Congress have prioritized operations in Iraq, resulting in cuts | ||||||
5 | to critical financial assistance to states, including the State | ||||||
6 | of Illinois, and have increased the gross debt and compounded | ||||||
7 | interest of the United States, which leads to additional cuts | ||||||
8 | in funding for critical needs in the states; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, The United States Congress has broad authority and | ||||||
10 | a long tradition of limiting military escalation by placing | ||||||
11 | budgetary limitations on such escalation, utilizing power | ||||||
12 | granted by the Constitution of the United States of America; | ||||||
13 | therefore, be it | ||||||
14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, That | ||||||
16 | the State of Illinois, on behalf of its citizens, salutes and | ||||||
17 | supports the dedicated service of the members of the United | ||||||
18 | States Armed Forces, including members of the Illinois National | ||||||
19 | Guard; and be it further | ||||||
20 | RESOLVED, That the American people, including the people of | ||||||
21 | Illinois, with unbounded determination, support the efforts of | ||||||
22 | the United States Armed Forces to pursue and defeat the |
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1 | terrorist forces responsible for the September 11, 2001 attack | ||||||
2 | and make certain this form of treachery will never endanger the | ||||||
3 | American people again; and
be it further | ||||||
4 | RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois, on behalf of its | ||||||
5 | citizens, urges that the United States government should not | ||||||
6 | put more members of the United States Armed Forces in harm's | ||||||
7 | way by escalating our involvement in Iraq through an increase | ||||||
8 | in troop levels; and
be it further | ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, That the President of the United States should | ||||||
10 | obtain explicit approval from the United States Congress before | ||||||
11 | the deployment of additional United States military personnel | ||||||
12 | to Iraq; and be it further | ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, That the United States Congress should pass | ||||||
14 | legislation prohibiting the President of the United States from | ||||||
15 | spending additional taxpayer money to fund an escalation of | ||||||
16 | troop levels in Iraq unless the President seeks and receives | ||||||
17 | congressional approval; and
be it further | ||||||
18 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall be | ||||||
19 | sent to President of the United States George W. Bush, each | ||||||
20 | member of the Illinois congressional delegation, the Speaker of | ||||||
21 | the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader | ||||||
22 | of the United States House of Representatives, the President |
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1 | Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, and the Minority | ||||||
2 | Leader of the United States Senate.
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