Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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When we heard that the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors would be taking up the issue of the war in Iraq as part of their regular business, with a proposed resolution calling for a timetable for phased-in defeat, we simply had to do something despite the late notice.

News that the board would be taking a look at the resolution first broke last week, causing a small firestorm of controversy here in sleepy old Sacramento, where Move America Forward bases it’s headquarters.

As a recently arrived resident of this town I have grown to like Sacramento, in a very short time, so I was interested to come to a meeting of its County Board of Supervisors to see how local government works. It was unfortunate that my first visit would be to witness the County Board take up an issue that clearly is beyond it’s operational jurisdiction.

This was the same opinion voiced by dozens of other people from the community, who stood with Move America Forward in opposition to the resolution at the board meeting.

While the Board moved to drop the resolution, a motion enacted by Supervisor Peters – bravo! – Which was the right thing to do, the Board also took the time to let the members of the community who came to speak about the issue, from both sides, give their opinions.

After sitting through about 15 minutes of watching people come up and rail at the board about the war, sometimes offering comments as frivolous as the wording of the resolution itself, we were finally given our chance to present.

Joe Wierzbicki, Cat Moy, Mary Pearson and I all got up to address the board, as did dozens of other supporters from the area.

Mary Pearson got up, introduced herself and talked about our recent trip to Iraq and what she saw there.

“I was able to see for myself, firsthand, the progress that has been achieved - progress which has cut down on the violence that previously threatened the lives of the Iraqi people as well as our soldiers deployed there”

Mary told the board about all the Iraqis that we had talked to there, about all the soldiers we had spoken to who are proud of their work and all the accomplishments they have made in recent months and who want to see that progress continue uninhibited by the meddling of people back home who try to deny and discredit the successes of the surge. 

“Do not send the message that the great accomplishments our troops have made are unappreciated.”