SJM 6 on the National Guard and preventing foreign wars

74th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2007 Regular Session

Senate Joint Memorial 6

Sponsored by Senator Avel GORDLY
(at the request of Sean Cruz)

SUMMARY

Urges Congress to pass legislation requiring declaration of National Energy Emergency prior to deployment of National Guard troops in foreign war.

JOINT MEMORIAL

To the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled:

We, your memorialists, the Seventy-fourth Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent as follows:

Whereas the United States has recently developed a policy of extensively using the National Guard to fight foreign wars; and

Whereas this policy has burdened a small number of American citizens who are members of the National Guard and their families with extraordinary, open-ended sacrifice, while the vast majority of American citizens make no sacrifice whatsoever; and

Whereas this policy is unfair and morally repugnant to the ideals under which this nation was founded; and

Whereas the cost of energy is integral to the cost of war, and the nation's dependency on foreign sources of energy is a continuing, contributing cause to the onset and prosecution of foreign wars; and

Whereas should this nation go to war in a foreign land, it should do so with a policy of shared sacrifice and a policy of energy conservation designed to reduce dependency on foreign sources of energy; and

Whereas this nation has often failed to provide adequately for the postwar needs of its veterans and their families, contributing greatly to the insecurity and suffering of those deployed to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

Whereas a National Energy Emergency imposing a surtax on foreign sources of energy, wherein said revenues would fund the long-term medical, housing, educational and employment needs of members of the National Guard and their families who are subject to deployment orders, would reduce the insecurity and suffering of said members and their families; and

Whereas a National Energy Emergency imposing a surtax on foreign sources of energy, wherein said revenues would fund the long-term medical, housing, educational and employment needs of members of the National Guard and their families who are subject to deployment orders, while the nation is in the crisis of a foreign war, would reduce the nation's consumption of and dependency on foreign sources of energy and thus would contribute positively to the nation's war effort; and

Whereas the disruption to the normal lives of National Guard members and their families by the extraordinary, open-ended sacrifice demanded of them by the President's policies requires an extraordinary commitment in kind by the nation; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:

That we, the Seventy-fourth Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the citizens of Oregon, respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to immediately enact legislation declaring a National Energy Emergency, recognizing that many members of the National Guard are already deployed in a foreign war; and be it further

Resolved, That no future deployments of National Guard members to a foreign war should occur without the threshold step of the declaration of a National Energy Emergency and the imposition of a national energy surtax; and be it further

Resolved, That the long-term medical needs of National Guard members and their families will be met regardless of the physical, mental or emotional nature of their conditions; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this memorial shall be sent to the Senate Majority Leader, to the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Representatives and to each member of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.