Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) will lead a coalition of peace
and justice groups and activists in a Veterans' Day Vigil in Rockville
at the Metro Stop, starting 5 PM on November 11, 2008.
Keep the Maryland Guard at Home, an organization working to keep our
National Guard in Maryland, is part of a nation-wide movement to bring
Guard personnel back from Iraq. If successful, this effort will help end
the occupation of Iraq and also will challenge the concept of the
"imperial presidency." The coalition is asking Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley to read the results of last Tuesday's election and end the
deployment of Maryland National Guard.
Maryland State Senator Richard Madaleno and Maryland Delegate Jill
Carter plan to sponsor legislation Maryland General Assembly that will
direct Governor O'Malley to end the Maryland National Guard deployment.
This coalition, including PDA and Keep the Maryland Guard at Home,
strongly supports Sen. Madaleno and Del. Carter and works to inform and
educate the public about the Constitutional and other issues raised by
National Guard deployments. Members of the coalition will contact their
State Senators and Delegates and urge them to support Madaleno and
Carter's bill.
The "Keep the Maryland Guard at Home" coalition is launching its first
petition drive at the vigil Tuesday night, and will also sponsor and
participate at hearings, press conferences, town halls and other events.
Mike Hersh, PDA Maryland Coordinator, says, "We hope to bring back the
Guard in time for Thanksgiving. They should be home with their family,
not facing ongoing danger in Iraq. If "the surge" was such a success,
then why are our weekend warriors still stuck 5,000 miles away? If "the
surge" didn't work, again why are our National Guard members still
there? Either way, it's time to bring them home. We're calling on
Governor O'Malley to stand up to what we contend is an illegal
presidential order to deploy the Guard to Iraq. We could not have
occupied Iraq without the National Guard."
Steve Lane says, "The US has deployed about 600,000 National Guard and
reserve troops to Iraq, 5,900 of them members of the Maryland National
Guard. Their deployment causes their families financial harm and
emotional suffering, and impairs our State's ability to respond to
emergencies at home. Using the Guard to occupy Iraq set a precedent that
must be reversed in order to prevent more harm to Maryland's citizens
and to prevent future US governments from waging wars of choice and
aggression. The Congressional 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military
Force (AUMF) is the legal basis for federalizing the Guard and sending
it to Iraq. Our Web site, http://www.MDGuardHome.org explains why the
2002 AUMF is no longer relevant and why the Maryland National Guard's
deployment to Iraq is illegal."
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