Alameda GOP is Anti-War?

While the Alameda County Republican Party (ACRP) has a history of hostility, lawsuits, and in-fighting, the November 17th Monthly Meeting is shaping up to be a war-zone.

Earlier this week, the ACRP Executive Committee gave their approval (4 ayes, 1 no, 1 abstain) to a resolution that would make a non-interventionist foreign policy, the official position of the county party. The text of the resolution is based on the widely circulated “What If” speech given on the House floor by Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

To pass, the resolution must receive 2/3rds approval from County Committee members at the November 17th meeting in San Leandro.

Alameda County Republican Party -- Proposed Resolution
Submitted by: Walter Stanley III, David LaTour, and Jerry Salcido of the Alameda County Republican Party 

Whereas, our foreign policy of the past century is deeply flawed and has not served our national security interests; and

Whereas, the terrorist threat is a predictable consequence of our meddling in the affairs of others and has nothing to do with us being free and prosperous; and
 
Whereas, propping up repressive regimes in the Middle East endangers America and our allies; and
 
Whereas, occupying countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan and bombing Pakistan is directly related to the hatred directed toward us; and
 
Whereas, losing over 6,000 American Military personnel in the Middle East since September 11, 2001 is not a fair trade off for the loss of nearly 3,000 American citizens, no matter how many Iraqi, Pakistani and Afghan people are killed or displaced; and

Whereas, torture, even if referred to as “enhanced interrogation techniques” is self-destructive and produces no useful information and that contracting it out to a third world country or a corporation is just as evil; and
 
Whereas, war and military spending is always destructive to the economy; and
 
Whereas, war time spending is paid for through the deceitful process of inflating and borrowing; and
 
Whereas, war time conditions always undermine personal liberty; and
 
Whereas, we as small government conservatives see our government’s interventionist foreign policy providing the greatest incentive to expand the government; and
 
Whereas, the only logical, conservative position is to reject military intervention and managing an empire throughout the world; and
 
Whereas, the official positions for going to war are almost always based on lies and promoted by war propaganda in order to serve special interests; and
 
Whereas, the quest for empire eventually destroys all great nations; and
 
Whereas, our aggressive foreign policy and seemingly permanent presence in other countries throughout the world has served to weaken our national defense at home; and
 
Whereas, the borders’ of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are more secure than our own borders here at home; and
 
Whereas, our foreign policy has nothing to do with national security and never changes from one administration to the next; and
 
Whereas, Christianity teaches peace and not preventive wars of aggression; and
 
Whereas, diplomacy is superior to bombs and bribes and the illusion of protecting America; and

Whereas, the aggressive foreign policy of so called “neo-conservatives” is anything but conservative and has wasted more than $1 trillion on nation building and billions more on foreign aid; and

Whereas, there is a strong tradition of non-interventionism in the Republican Party that is exemplified by the legacy of Senator Robert Taft and the Old Right.
 
Therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Alameda County Republican Party supports a non-interventionist foreign policy as advocated by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and believes costly undeclared wars and the occupation of other countries only serves to weaken our national defense and strengthen the resolve along with the ranks of our enemies.