 New
York
Congressman Speaks
Out Against the War
Congressman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) spoke Sunday at The Riverside
Church in Morningside Heights against unilateral military action
in Iraq. It's time for New York Senator Hillary Clinton to listen
to her constituents and speak
out against President Bush's foreign policy.
March 10, 2003
³The threat is to the international community. The
solution will have to be an international solution,² said Rep. Rangel
in a speech entitled Securing Peace Through Shared Sacrifice.
³If we do not get the authority and the support of our friends and
allies in the United Nations, not only does it mean that itıs the
first time that our country has ever struck another country without
provocation, but it means that we lose the moral authority to be
able to tell countries that God made us to live together, to work
together, and to try to live in a peaceful environment.²
Rep. Rangel told the audience of approximately a thousand that
he and other members of Congress had no information showing that
Iraq was responsible for the September 11th attacks or posed an
imminent threat. Pointing out that North Korea and other states
with repressive dictatorships have more weapons of mass destruction
than Iraq, Rep. Rangel asked ³Why Iraq?²
³We have to be practical about it. There ainıt no oil in
North Korea,² Rep. Rangel said. ³[But] the question has to be:
will we in New York, will we in the United States, will we on this
planet feel any safer after we bomb Iraq senseless?²
The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Senior Minister at The Riverside
Church, said in introducing Rep. Rangel that Rangel truly understood
war and service because he was a decorated combat veteran of the
Korean War and had served as General Counsel to President Johnsonıs
Commission on the Selective Service. Rep. Rangel made clear
that Americans opposed to war still would strongly support the troops
serving in the Persian Gulf region. In fact, he said those
currently in the military bear a disproportionate burden of the
responsibility of defending our nation.
³There is a strange atmosphere that exists in Washington
where people talk about war without talking about the sacrifices
or war,² related Rep. Rangel. ³It reminds me of when groups
of people would say, letıs go fight, Iıll hold your coat.ı
Weıve got a lot of people in Washington that want to hold peopleıs
coats.²
Rep. Rangel is the lead sponsor of a bill to re-instate a military
draft (H.R. 163) requiring all citizens and permanent residents
men and women from the ages of 18-26 to be drafted for national
service. Under the Rangel legislation, the Administration
would determine how many would be needed for military service with
all others serving in civilian service working to improve homeland
security, health care, and re-build our communities. Rep.
Rangel argues that if all segments of society truly had to share
in the sacrifice of war, the U.S. would be much more likely to avoid
war.
³If you take a look at who is going to put themselves in harmıs
way, it will not be the sons and daughters of members of Congress
or the Presidentıs cabinet. It will not be the rich and affluent
who are talking about taking him out now,² Rep. Rangel said.
³Donıt tell me that in this great country only those who can not
do better economically should be those that carry all the burden.²
The Riverside Church was the site of several historical speeches
including the April 4, 1967 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
in which Dr. King sharply criticized U.S. policy in the Vietnam
War. In his speech, Rep. Rangel compared the struggle for
peace in 2003 with the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. King.
He told how he had gone to Selma, Alabama, to march for Civil Rights,
doubting whether it would do any good.
³I didnıt believe that me and my bad feet could make any
difference in bringing about the Voting Rights Act just as sometimes
you may believe that the power of the U.S. is so overwhelming that
your voices can not be heard,² Rangel told an audience that included
hundreds of peace activists. ³We have a responsibility as
Americans not to wait for things to happen but to be involved.
We are America. We are history. Your voice really counts.²
The speech sponsored by The Riverside Church Ministry for Social
Justice and New Yorkers Say No To War was broadcast nationwide by
C-SPAN and in New York by WBAI radio and public access cable.
Contact Charles Rangel's Office and
thank him for his courageous stand against war.
Washington D.C. Office
2354 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4365
New York Office
163 West 125th Street, Suite #737
New York, NY 10027
(212) 663-3900
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