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Resources for the Campaign to Defederalize
the NJ National Guard

2800 of the New Jersey National Guard were deployed to Iraq in September. Many are parents, some are grandparents, our teachers, police officers, first responders, students, and our children. Ask yourself: What is their purpose in Iraq? What is the purpose of ANY of our military in Iraq? It is the obligation of the civilian leadership of this country to use our military appropriately, to defend and protect us. Having had 6 years of lies about this war from that civilian leadership, the majority of the American people have reached the conclusion that there is no good reason for our good soldiers to be in Iraq. Let us work to bring, and keep, our Guard home where they are needed, and to bring all of our loved ones home.

On November 6, a Statewide Town Hall Meeting was held in Highland Park, NJ to discuss the recent deployment of 2800 NJ National Guard members to Iraq and the State Senate bill to defederalize the Guard and deny the federali government the right to deploy them to Iraq. 

Speakers included bill sponsor State Senator Loretta Weinberg, of Bergen County, constitutional scholar Ben Scotch of Vermont's Liberty Tree Foundation and Bring the Guard Home (It's the Law) via videoconference, Military Family Speak Out's Paula Rogovin, whose son served two tours of duty in Iraq, former NJ National Guard member and current Iraq Veterans Against the War's National Treasurer Margaret Stevens, NJ Peace Action's Madelyn Hoffman, Milo Schwab of the Highland Park Human Relations Commission and Highland Park Police Officer and former NJ National Guard member who served a term in Iraq, Officer Fitzgerald. 

In August, at the urging of members of People's Organization for Progress, Central Jersey, the Highland Park Borough Council passed a resolution supporting legislation to defederalize the Guard. At the same time, the Borough Council agreed to host the Town Hall Meeting. In October, the Teaneck Town Council passed a similar resolution, at the urging of Military Families Speak Out and the Bergen Peace and Justice Coalition.

According to the national campaign, the 2002 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) provided the legal means for the federal government to use the state national guards in Iraq. Having met the conditions set out by the AUMF, which were to depose Saddam Hussein and eliminate any threat associated with possible weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the legal use of state guards has now expired.

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Learn About the National Campaign to Defederalize the State Guards.
Visit Bring the Guard Home, the National network of organizations working to bring and keep the state National Guards home.

DOWNLOAD OUR NEW PETITION!

From New York? Sign the online petition to defederalize New York State's National Guard and learn more at NY Save the Guard!

Click to listen to a report from the Press Conference introducing SJR55, the bill to defederalize the NJ National Guard.

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Two identical bills have been introduced in the State Senate and the Assembly urging the President and Secretary of Defense to withdraw the NJ National Guard from Iraq and withholding consent of the Governor and legislature from further National Guard deployments to Iraq. SJR55: PLEASE CONTACT Senate State Government Committee Chair Nick Scutari at (908) 587-0404 to ask him to move bill SJR55 out of committee. CONTACT bill sponsor State Senator Loretta Weinberg at (201) 928-0100 to THANK HER for sponsoring SJR55. AJR104: PLEASE CONTACT Assembly State Government Committee Chair Joan Quigly at (201) 217-4614 to ask her to move bill AJR104 out of committee. Call, e-mail, or go SEE your Assemblymembers and State Senator to ask them to COSPONSOR legislation to Defederalize the National Guard. Download and send postcards to your reps NOW! Find Your State Legislator Sample City Council Resolution Liberty Tree web site, with a copy of the bill that you can download and bring to your state legislator National Guard Home Now Toolkit from Cities for Progress web site Township of Maplewood Resolution Urging Withdrawal of Troops from Iraq Download, sign and ask others to sign the NEW petition (a new online petition will be up soon!) Return signed petitions to BPJC, PO Box 2070, Teaneck, NJ 07666.

Talking Points Cost of the War - Find out exactly how much the occupation of Iraq has cost New Jersey and your district on this web site. It has cost the state $20,833,600,000. as of FY 2007. The Case for a New Guard Operational Model From Liberty to Empire: The Demise of American Defense by Ben Manski, a Wisconsin attorney and editor of the Liberty Tree Journal.