Vote could bring Bay State Guard home

[Ian David]

Vote could bring Bay State Guard home
By Marie Szaniszlo
Sunday, November 13, 2005

A new petition drive in Massachusetts would for the first time put the Iraq war on the ballot.
If approved by voters next November, the initiative would require whoever is elected governor in 2006 to use all legal means available to bring home the Massachusetts National Guard.


The governor would also need the Legislature’s approval before granting a president’s request to deploy more National Guard soldiers from the Bay State to Iraq or any other foreign country. The initiative would not change the basic fact that the president retains sole authority over National Guard troops in Iraq, including the ability to recall them.

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“That, by itself, is a very powerful message,” said Harold Hubschman, a co-founder of www.homefromiraqnow.org, which is pushing the effort. “No matter how people feel about the war or the president, the one thing most people agree on is they want the troops home.”


Gov. Mitt Romney has given indications he wants to run for the presidency, and whether he’ll seek a second term is unclear. Yesterday, his spokeswoman, Julie Teer, said he “believes Massachusetts, like every other state, has to do its part in defending the nation’s freedoms in the war on terror.”

State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer (D-Barre), co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, said he disagrees with the initiative. “I understand there are heartfelt feelings about this, and I respect that,” he said. “But if we disagree with the civilian control of our military, then we should elect a new president.”



More:
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=111909