Referendum against Iraq war gaining ground

[ProSense]

BALLOT QUESTIONS

Referendum against Iraq war gaining ground

By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | November 8, 2006

From the Berkshires to parts of Boston yesterday, voters in more than one-third of Massachusetts' cities and towns delivered a resounding protest against the Iraq war.

With 52 percent of the votes counted in the 36 House districts where an anti war question appeared, voters instructed their state representatives, 147,202 to 99,140, to approve a resolution calling on President Bush and Congress to end the war immediately and bring the troops home.

The nonbinding question, which appeared on the ballot in all or part of 139 municipalities, was one of the nation's most ambitious antiwar referendums considered yesterday, said Paul Shannon, statewide coordinator of the ballot effort for the American Friends Service Committee.

"I'm just absolutely thrilled that so many people are starting to see through the lies about this war," he said. "You see people pushing from the ground floor up, putting pressure on the top. There is a real groundswell that is insisting that the government change its policy absolutely, radically."

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"This is just one day in a larger, bigger picture of a grass-roots effort," said Barbara Chalfonte of Easthampton, who coordinated the referendum effort in Western Massachusetts. "Here's a direct measure of the way people feel about the war in Iraq."

Shannon said the measure's supporters "would immediately find out how soon we can possibly introduce a measure into the state Legislature."

Elsewhere in the nation, communities in Wisconsin and Illinois also had anti war measures on the ballot, Shannon said.

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Advisory Referenda On War In Iraq Pass Around SE Wisconsin

Wed Nov 8, 2:40 PM ET

Voters in several cities were asked to weigh in on the war in
Iraq and while each referendum was worded differently, they all passed.

# In Milwaukee, the referendum said: "Shall the United States commence a humane, orderly, rapid and comprehensive withdrawal of United States military personnel and bases from Iraq?"

Yes: 72 percent
No: 28 percent

# In the city of Wauwatosa the referendum said: "The United States should now begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, and continue steady withdrawals until all our troops are home."

Yes: 57 percent
No: 43 percent

# In Fox Point, the referendum said: "Shall the following resolution be adopted: Be it resolved, that the United States should now begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, and continue steady withdrawal until all our troops are home."

Yes: 60 percent
No: 40 percent

# In Ozaukee County, the county-wide referendum said: "Do you support the efforts of the United States and its military in waging a war on terror throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, until such time as organized terrorism is eliminated and citizens of all countries can be assured of their safety to go about their tasks of everyday life?"

Yes: 66 percent
No: 34 percent

# In the city of Racine, the referendum said: "Should the United States government immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, including private contractors beginning with the National Guard and Reserves?

Yes: 61 percent
No: 39 percent

These referendums are advisory.