•Actions you can take to Keep the Guard Home updated 5/28/09

    •Current list of supporters (last updated 2/14/09)
•Original draft resolution/legislation (last updated 7/1/08)
• Links to Oregon Measures HB 2556, HR 4 & SR 1
•NEW! 6/8/09 "Joint Memorial" Measure (HJM 5-1) Proposed to Substitute for HB 2556

• MEDIA section
(the Campaign in the press-updated 5/29/09)
•NEW! Guard Home Campaign Considers Successes in 2009 session (6/23/09)

•Authorizations for Use of Military Force
(2002 & 2001)
•Previous Oregon resolutions and letters

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CAMPAIGN TO KEEP OREGON'S NATIONAL GUARD
FROM DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
(2008-2009)

For a summary of the campaign's efforts from May 2008 to June 2009, read the document "Guard Home Campaign Considers Successes in 2009 session" released on June 23, 2009.

This includes urging resolutions and legislation which the state of Oregon can use to challenge the federalization of the Guard. A Bill ( HB 2556) and Resolutions ( HR 4 and SR 1) have been introduced into the Oregon Legislature as of February 4 (links to .pdf versions below). Introduced by Representative Chip Shields of Portland in the House and Senator Vicki Walker of Eugene in the Senate, the measures are cosponsored by a total of 14 legislators (6 Senators and 8 Representatives). On March 11, a hearing was held in the House Rules committee on HB 2556, HR 4, and HJM 5, a "memorial" to Congress (which in its original form does not completely relate to the Campaign's goals). Contact your legislator to sign onto the measures and press for commitee hearings and votes on the floor of both chambers!

As of June 8, 2009, there has not been a work session scheduled on the measures, although organizers believed there were enough votes to pass at least HB 2556, if it had been amended as proposed by Rep. Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) and Rep. Shields. NEW! A revised version of HJM 5 was introduced on June 2 as a substitute for HB 2556. Though it would not have the power of law, the message to Congress would be the same: Our Guard should not be deployed abroad without a valid enactment of Congress. See the actions section for how you can urge the House Rules committee and the Speaker of the House to hold the wrok session and vote!

The main issues are that the Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) for the invasion of Iraq (October, 2002) and the "war on terror" (September 18, 2001) have no provisions to end those conflicts. Furthermore, the Iraq AUMF refers to the "national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforc[ing] all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq." It also references the regime of Saddam Hussein being in possession of weapons of mass destruction, harboring Al Quaida members responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks, and enforcing UN resolutions against that regime, reasons which were never or are no longer valid. Click to read a draft resolution / piece of legislation . NOTE: The deadline for petition gathering was December 15, 2008; thank you to all who gathered signatures and all 7000+ Oregonians who signed!

The official launch event for the Campaign was held Wednesday January 21, 2009, starting at noon, when 7139 signatures were delivered to the Speaker of the Oregon House, the President of the Oregon Senate, and Governor Kulongoski, as well as all 90 members of the legislature. The National Launch event was also held Wednesday the 21st in Washington, DC, at 10:30 AM PST (1:30 PM EST).

Groups working on this effort include Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-Portland, War Resisters League-Portland, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Community Alliance of Lane County, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, Code Pink Portland, Women in Black, Metanoia Peace Community, Oregon Action, Portland Jobs with Justice, PCUN, Veterans for Peace (chapters in Porland, Corvallis, Bandon and Grants Pass), Iraq Veterans Against the War-Oregon Chapter, and Military Families Speak Out-Oregon. Click here for a full list of supporting organizations and community leaders (56 groups, 4 individuals as of 2/14/09).

Efforts in 2008-09 include signature gathering, letter writing, educating elected officials on the local, state and national level on the issue, public visibility, and more.

You can read our Frequently Asked Questions List for more information.

There is a national effort being coordinated out of the Liberty Tree in Wisconsin called "Bring the Guard Home! (it's the law)" which focuses on the 2002 AUMF for Iraq. We are working in conjunction with them and have adopted the language they put forward as templates for legislation and resolutions were introduced in the legislatures of Vermont and New Jersey in 2008. Because our efforts also include the 2001 AUMF and the troops in Afghanistan, we have adopted different language in our proposed resolution/legislation and for the overall Oregon campaign. As of February, 2009, 22 states and Washington, DC are involved in the national effort, and eight states including Oregon have introduced legislation.

More information, including a detailed FAQ, can be found on the Cities for Progress website.

This effort follows Oregon's statewide resolutions from 2007, City Council Resolutions in Corvallis, Portland and Eugene, and letters from 67 Oregon elected officials to Congress (September, 2007) and 89 members of Congress (including two from Oregon) to the President urging the troops be brought home. Click for a packet of these previous Oregon resolutions and letters

On August 3, 2008, the Oregonian ran an article about the upcoming deployment called "A Mission from Hell" in which Governor Ted Kulongoski stated "Everybody is worried about the continual deployment of the Guard... I think sometimes we're asking too much of these kids and their families." Following this, 20 of the supporting organizations co- signed a letter to the Governor explaining that the Guard would not have to be deployed if the Legislature gives him the power to declare the Authorizations for Use of Military Force invalid. (Several other organizations have signed onto the letter since it was sent.) At least two letters to the editor responding to the article appeared in subsequent papers. For updates on media coverage of the Campaign visit our media section.

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The bill empowers the Governor to withhold the Guard lacking valid federal authorization
Read HB 2556 • .html • .pdf HB 2556-1: proposed amendment (.pdf only)

The resolutions call on the Governor specifically to withhold Guard deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan
Read House resolution: HR4 • .html • .pdf
Read Senate resolution: SR1 • .html • .pdf