Title
Welcoming the "Bring Them Home Now Tour to Philadelphia."
Body
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia City Council supports the brave men and women deployed in Iraq, honors the memory of those who have lost their lives in the war and the families who have lost their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, Working families in the United States have paid a heavy price for the U.S. involvement in Iraq with the deaths of more than 1,900 U.S. troops, the wounding and disabling of more than 14,000 U.S. military personnel, and the deaths of nearly 25,000 Iraqi civilians; and
WHEREAS, More than $200 billion has been appropriated by Congress to fund military operations and reconstruction in Iraq, and American working families are bearing the costs of this war, not only monetarily and physically, but because needed resources are not available, for education, healthcare, and other social services; and
WHEREAS, Prior to the initiation of combat operations in Iraq, the City Council of the City of Philadelphia, on behalf of the people of Philadelphia, passed a resolution with 11 co-sponsors on December 19, 2002, urging a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi conflict and exhaustion of all diplomatic avenues in order to avert a war in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, The funds spent by Philadelphia taxpayers on the war and occupation in Iraq could have provided Head Start for one year for 93,181 Philadelphia children; or medical insurance for one year for 421,271 Philadelphia children; or 12,192 public school teachers for one year in Philadelphia; or 6,334 additional housing units in Philadelphia, according to the National Priorities Project; and
WHEREAS, Cindy Sheehan, whose son, Army Specialist Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq in April 2004, has been waiting to speak to President Bush outside his ranch in Crawford, Texas and has been joined by other mothers whose children have been killed in Iraq is now on the Bring Our Troops Home bus tour throughout the U.S. in advance of the September 24, 2005...
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