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Berkshires for Progressive Change Discussion Forum

Submitted by Administrator on Sat, 12/18/2004 - 3:26pm.

Discussion forum for Berkshires for Progressive Change members.

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Regarding the "Supporter for Deval" post

Submitted by Qane on Fri, 11/18/2005 - 8:13pm.
I'd like to set the record straight, if I can, on what Deval said regarding bringing National Guard troops home. He didn't say anything that I know of regarding the Congressional bill to disconinue funding. He did not support the use of Massachusetts national guard troops in Iraq. What he did say was that he supported a president's authority to nationalize state guard troops. That the Supreme Court had ruled on this issue in the 50s and 60s at a key time for African Americans and for civil rights. And that in no way was he willing to support reversing that ruling, when it had been so important for our country at another time.

Thus he didn't think a state could demand a recall of its troops, as states should not have that power.

I was stunned by this answer as well: stunned in that it completely turned my opinion on this issue around. I would of course have supported anything that brings our troops home, but when contextualized as a larger issue of what national guard troops have meant in our nation's history, and how they might be used in the future, the greater good seems to be that we need to end this war, rather than just end the use of our state's forces.
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Clarification

Submitted by MFW on Sat, 12/10/2005 - 7:41am.

Qane,

Without quibbling with anything you said, let me just clarify the source of the following statement of Deval's position, as recorded at http://www.mfw.us/deval-at-umass

"I oppose the war in Iraq.  I have been unambiguous about that.  Though I respect the job that our troops have been asked to do and honor their service, the Iraq invasion has been a catastrophic military and political miscalculation and I believe we should withdraw the troops as promptly as we can safely do so. 

I believe a firm response to terrorism, including use of the military, is important.  But I do not believe that that is what our invasion of Iraq is or ever was about.
 
As governor, I will urge a policy of prompt withdrawal upon the president and the Congress.  I would also support federal legislation prohibiting use of National Guard troops in overseas missions.  But I do not support any governor's unilateral withdrawal of any one state's National Guardsmen.  I believe that withdrawal of the troops should occur across the board and in a manner consistent with military order and human safety, not on the calendar of individual states."

These words were lifted directly out of an email send to me by Deval, when I asked him to clarify his position. I don't think they are contrary to anything he said at UMass, but obviously he had time to think more about the issue and to formulate his words to reflect the discussion that day.

To me, one of the appealing things about this candidate is that he is thoughtful, and willing to listen to and to learn from his audiences. To the extent that his words here are more nuanced than the ones he spoke that day, I think that displays his ability to absorb and incorporate the concerns of those he listens to.

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