[Lnc-business] ***SPAM*** Re: Email Ballot 2017-18: Unity Statement

[William Redpath]

I vote "No."  Bill Redpath
--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 9/3/17, James Lark <jwl3s at eservices.virginia.edu> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Email Ballot 2017-18: Unity Statement
 To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
 Date: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 9:29 AM
 
 
     Dear colleagues:
 
     
 
         I hope all is well with you.  I am writing in my
 capacity as
     Region 5 representative to vote "nay" on the
 motion.
 
     
 
         As always, thank you for your work for
 liberty.
 
     
 
         Take care,
 
         Jim
 
     
 
         James W. Lark, III
 
         Dept. of Systems and Information Engineering
 
         Applied Mathematics Program, Dept. of Engineering
 and Society
 
         Affiliated Faculty, Dept. of Statistics
 
         University of Virginia
 
     
 
         Advisor, The Liberty Coalition
 
         University of Virginia
 
     
 
         Region 5 Representative, Libertarian National
 Committee
 
     -----
 
     
 
     On 8/28/2017 3:06 AM,
 Alicia Mattson
       wrote:
 
     
     
       
         
           
             We have an electronic mail
               ballot.
 
             
             
 
             Votes are due to the LNC-Business list by
 September 7,
                 2017
                 at 11:59:59pm Pacific time.
 
                
 
             Co-Sponsors:  Vohra, Bittner, Harlos,
 Demarest
 
             
 
             Motion:  The Chair is authorized by the
 LNC to sign
             the following petition on behalf of the LNC: 
 http://noforeignbases.org/
 
             
 
           
           --------------------Resolution
 Text--------------------
 
           
           
 
           Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases
 
           
 
           Unity Statement
 
           
 
           We, the undersigned peace, justice and
 environmental
           organizations, and individuals, endorse the
 following Points
           of Unity and commit ourselves to working together
 by forming a
           Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases,
 with the goal
           of raising public awareness and organizing
 non-violent mass
           resistance against U.S. foreign military bases.
 
           
 
           While we may have our differences on other issues,
 we all
           agree that U.S. foreign military bases are the
 principal
           instruments of imperial global domination and
 environmental
           damage through wars of aggression and occupation,
 and that the
           closure of U.S. foreign military bases is one of
 the first
           necessary steps toward a just, peaceful and
 sustainable world.
           Our belief in the urgency of this necessary step
 is based on
           the following facts:
 
           
 
           1.  While we are
 opposed to all
             foreign military bases, we do recognize that the
 United
             States maintains the highest number of military
 bases
             outside its territory, estimated at almost 1000
 (95% of all
             foreign military bases in the world). Presently,
 there are
             U.S. military bases in every Persian Gulf
 country except
             Iran.
 
           
           
 
           2.  In addition,
 the United
             States has 19 Naval air carriers (and 15 more
 planned), each
             as part of a Carrier Strike Group, composed of
 roughly 7,500
             personnel, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70
 aircraft —
             each of which can be considered a floating
 military base.
 
           
           
 
           3.  These bases
 are centers of
             aggressive military actions, threats of
 political and
             economic expansion, sabotage and espionage, and
 crimes
             against local populations. In addition, these
 military bases
             are the largest users of fossil fuel in the
 world, heavily
             contributing to environmental degradation.
 
           
           
 
           4.  The annual
 cost of these
             bases to the American taxpayers is approximately
 $156
             billion. The support of U.S. foreign military
 bases drains
             funds that can be used to fund human needs and
 enable our
             cities and States to provide necessary services
 for the
             people.
 
           
           
 
           5.  This has made
 the U.S. a
             more militarized society and has led to
 increased tensions
             between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
 Stationed
             throughout the world, almost 1000 in number,
 U.S. foreign
             military bases are symbols of the ability of the
 United
             States to intrude in the lives of sovereign
 nations and
             peoples.
 
           
           
 
           6.  Many
 individual national
             coalitions — for example, Okinawa, Italy, Jeju
 Island Korea,
             Diego Garcia, Cyprus, Greece, and Germany —
 are demanding
             closure of bases on their territory. The base
 that the U.S.
             has illegally occupied the longest, for over a
 century, is
             Guantánamo Bay, whose existence constitutes an
 imposition of
             the empire and a violation of International Law.
 Since 1959
             the government and people of Cuba have demanded
 that the
             government of the U.S. return the Guantánamo
 territory to
             Cuba.
 
           
           
 
           U.S. foreign military bases are NOT in defense of
 U.S.
           national, or global security. They are the
 military expression
           of U.S. intrusion in the lives of sovereign
 countries on
           behalf of the dominant financial, political, and
 military
           interests of the ruling elite. Whether invited in
 or not by
           domestic interests that have agreed to be junior
 partners, no
           country, no peoples, no government, can claim to
 be able to
           make decisions totally in the interest of their
 people, with
           foreign troops on their soil representing
 interests
           antagonistic to the national purpose.
 
           
 
           We must all unite to actively oppose the existence
 of U.S.
           foreign military bases and call for their
 immediate closure.
           We invite all forces of peace, social and
 environmental
           justice to join us in our renewed effort to
 achieve this
           shared goal.
 
           
 
           ---------------End of Resolution
 Text---------------
 
           
 
         
         -Alicia
     
     
 
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