WHEREAS:	The citizens of Cambridge and their representatives on the Cambridge City Council have a strong tradition of upholding principles of democracy and respect for all peoples, and
WHEREAS:	The Council has often affirmed its support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, principles of international law and of peaceful alternatives to war, and
WHEREAS:	The Council passed a resolution in February 2003 opposing the decision of the United States government to go to war with Iraq, and
WHEREAS:	The reasons given by the U.S. government for beginning combat operations without the support of the United Nations have proved to be groundless – no weapons of mass destruction were found and no connection was demonstrated between the Iraqi government and the terrorist group responsible for the September 11, 2001 attack on the US, and
WHEREAS:	More than 200 billion has been appropriated by Congress for military operations in Iraq, draining funds from education, health care, and other social services in our cities and rural areas, and
WHEREAS:	Over 1900 US troops have been killed and more than 14,000 wounded and disabled, with estimates of Iraqis killed ranging between 25-100,000, and
WHEREAS:	There is no end in sight and support for continuing the war has been dropping steadily and recent polls indicate that more than a majority of the American people now oppose continuing the war and support our withdrawal from Iraq, and
WHEREAS:	Citizens of Cambridge wish to join other communities that have expressed their opposition to the war by passing resolutions calling for the rapid withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Evanston, Illinois and Gary, Indiana, now therefore be it
RESOLVED:	That the Cambridge City Council go on record recognizing the grievous impact of the loss of lives in the Iraq war on families and communities on both sides of the conflict and the destructive social and economic effects of the costs of the war, and urges the United States government to begin a rapid and orderly withdrawal of US military personnel from Iraq and to provide the people of Iraq with all necessary non-military aid to provide for their security and rebuilding of their country, and
RESOLVED:	That the City Clerk be and here by is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to President Bush, the Secretaries of State and Defense, and to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation on behalf of the entire City Council.