Whitney: Keep the Illinois National Guard Out of Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 19, 2006

Contact:
Jennifer Rose, Campaign Manager
Whitney for Governor, whitneyforgov.org
campaignmanager@whitneyforgov.org
618-528-VOTE

Tim Tacker, Communications Director
Whitney for Governor, whitneyforgov.org
communicationsdirector@whitneyforgov.org
815-735-6139

WHITNEY: KEEP THE ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD OUT OF IRAQ

As governor, Green Party candidate Rich Whitney will work to end the
involvement of the Illinois National Guard in the occupation of Iraq and
will prevent any further mobilization, making him the only gubernatorial
candidate to have a position on this important issue.

As a congressman, Rod Blagojevich voted to authorize President Bush to
attack Iraq. Rich Whitney opposed the war before it began, understanding
that the real goal was to ensure control of Iraq's oil and economy by giant
U.S. corporations - the same corporations that buy the votes of Democratic
and Republican politicians.

“I will not consent to sending our young men and women to fight and die in
the service of corporate greed, in an ill-conceived war that is making us
less safe and more hated around the world and that is starving our state
and local governments of funds to meet human needs at home,” Whitney said.

As commander in chief of the Illinois National Guard, the governor has the
authority to veto deployment of Guard units for federal duty. Whitney
acknowledged that, in response to the refusal of several state governors to
consent to mobilizations for operations in Central America under the Reagan
administration, Congress limited the power of governors to veto a
mobilization “because of any objection to the location, purpose, type, or
schedule of such active duty.” However, he argued, this leaves open the
possibility of a veto because of the illegality of the mission.

The invasion and continuing occupation of Iraq is plainly illegal under
international law, particularly the U.N. Charter, which “as a whole imposes
a general prohibition on the use of force to resolve conflicts in
international relations,” Whitney said. The only exceptions are a specific
authorization by the U.N. Security Council or the right of self-defense,
the latter of which did not apply because the U.S. was neither attacked nor
even threatened by Iraq.

As such, Whitney said, the invasion and occupation were and remain acts of
aggression, a war crime under international law. Further, he argued that as
a government official, he would be legally required to not participate in
such a crime by the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which states that
“Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a
crime against humanity... is a crime under international law.”

“I will not be even a complicit or passive participant in a crime under
international law," Whitney said. "I will do everything possible to prevent
the sacrifice of any more human life in the service of such a crime."