Iraq war draws nays in state capitols

[struggle4progress]

Friday, February 16, 2007
By Joshua Brockman, Stateline.org Staff Writer

... The U.S. House is expected to vote Friday (Feb. 16) on a nonbinding resolution against Bush’s plans for a troop surge in Iraq. But the first legislative bodies in the nation to lash out at the war were the Democratic-controlled Vermont Legislature, which passed a resolution Tuesday (Feb. 13) calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the Democratic-controlled California Senate, which adopted a measure Feb. 13 against an increase in U.S. troop levels in Iraq ...

Governors are beginning to make their voices heard as well, largely to raise their concerns over the Pentagon’s heavy reliance on part-time soldiers in the National Guard, whose state-based units serve at the direction of governors until called to active duty by the president.

Although the U.S. Constitution gives federal lawmakers the power and purse strings to wage war, the unprecedented use of National Guard troops is making the four-year-old conflict a local concern for governors and state legislatures nationwide. While unable to change the execution of the war, state politicians are able to amplify pressures on Congress, which can.

The National Guard is the chief flash point between the Bush administration and governors when it comes to the war. Governors rely on Guard units in time of natural disasters, such as snowstorms or hurricanes, and communities face the loss of employees, many from vital services such as police and fire departments. Of 3,122 U.S. soldiers and Marines killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, 468 were from National Guard units, according to the Department of Defense and the Army National Guard ...

http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=181267

[struggle4progress]

1. Hundreds of furious motorists stranded for hours on Pa. highway

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
02/15/2007

A biting storm caused a 50-mile backup on an icy, hilly section of Interstate 78 and forced the closure of other highways Thursday as police, road crews and the National Guard struggled to gain ground on a colossal traffic jam that left some motorists stranded for more than a day ...

National Guard vehicles loaded with food, water, baby supplies and fuel delivered help to hundreds of stranded motorists. One woman was taken away by ambulance, but no serious injuries were reported ...

The National Guard began helping the motorists at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, an operation that ended once vehicles were cleared from I-78 Thursday evening. More than 130 guardsmen using Humvees and other vehicles helped control traffic, give out food, blankets and baby supplies and rescue motorists, said Lt. Jay Ostrich ...

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17858606&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6