Thursday, March 22, 2007

Portland council passes resolution urging U.S. not to bomb Iran

March 21, 2007 12:58PM

Portland City Council members voted 4-0 today to urge President Bush and Congress not to bomb Iran.

Never shy about expressing their opinions on world affairs, City Council members called on Congress to pass a bill prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for military action in Iran without proof that the Middle Eastern nation proves "an imminent threat."

Portland becomes the second city in the nation, behind Berkeley, Calif., to join what peace activists and Iranian immigrants hope will become a national movement to prevent war against Iran.

"The United States ... should be a force for good," said Commissioner Randy Leonard. "Instead we find us using our resources to get a foothold in oil and preserve our industrial engine."

In years past, Leonard and his colleagues have passed resolutions deploring the Patriot Act, the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward homosexuality and the war in Iraq.

They did not, however, go quite as far as Berkeley's City Council, which also passed a resolution last week urging Germany to indict former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes.

Posted by The Oregonian

-- Anna Griffin
annagriffin@news.oregonian.com

No comments: