Lisa (center), a spokesperson for Waxman, described the vote as an attempt to show support for a UN resolution to the situation. Waxman and 122 other congressional signatories recently (1/14/03) presented the president a letter requesting he remain committed to UN Security Council resolution 1441.


Related News Item:
January 28, ‘03
As stated below:
In a unanimous vote, the township of Topanga CA became the latest community to formally oppose War in Iraq.



COPY OF TPA LETTER

Representative Henry Waxman
30th Congressional District
2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Wednesday, January 29, 2003


RE: Repeal of H. J. RES. 114 “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002”


Dear Congressman Waxman:

In October 2002 you voted in favor of resolution H. J. 114 “authorizing the Bush administration to use military force, if necessary, to compel Iraq to get rid of its biological and chemical weapons and disband its nuclear weapons program.” We, your new constituents due to recent redistricting, and members of the Topanga Peace Alliance, are writing to strongly urge you to reconsider your support for the proposed war and for this resolution, which we believe to be ill conceived and misguided.

Significant and compelling new information has become available since the passage of the October resolution that justifies such reconsideration. Specifically, the fact that United Nations weapons inspectors have now spent two months within Iraq and have discovered nothing significant that supports the contention that Iraq is embarked on a program to develop and use “weapons of mass destruction.” This new evidence seriously undermines the credibility of Bush administration, and its accusations against Iraq, and should compel congress to question the authorization it gave to the executive branch.

Today, we present you with a petition opposing war against Iraq in favor of non-violent means of dispute resolution, signed by over 600 of our community members and your constituents. We strongly advocate the application of the RULE OF LAW at the international level as a known and workable alternative to indiscriminate violence. We feel that our group and this petition represents the overwhelming majority opinion in your district and therefore strongly urge you to accurately represent us in Washington DC and introduce legislation in the House of Representatives to repeal H. J. RES. 114.

Further, we present you today with a resolution passed unanimously by our own Town Council on Monday, January 27th, opposing the use of military force against Iraq. Topanga joins with over 50 other cities, townships and municipalities including Chicago, Washington DC, and San Francisco, that have passed resolutions opposing the proposed military action in Iraq.

Finally, we request a meeting with you in your district office at your next opportunity. We wish
to discuss with you the fact that we face a crisis, and that congress can do something about it.

This is a crisis of a threat not from “rogue nations” and “axes of evil” in some distant lands, but a crisis borne of the threat of an executive branch that is escalating violence without regard for civilians and long-term consequences; an executive branch contemplating the use of nuclear weapons, which threaten all life for all time, and an executive branch that is, in our view, out of control. We believe it’s time for congress to provide some checking and balancing.

We anxiously await your response and a meeting date. Our contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Sincerely,


W. Woodland Hastings, on behalf of the over one hundred Topanga Peace Alliance members, and over 600 petition signatures.


Contact Information:
Topanga Peace Alliance PO Box 955, Topanga CA 90290 310-455-2497
www.topangapeacealliance.org info@topangapeacealliance.org