8 March 2003
David Franczyk's amendment to the peace resolution which David Franczyk never tried to submit at the Council meeting but which James Pitts, Betty Jean Grant and Antoine Thompson tried to get into consideration, but which eight other members of the Council—LoTempio, Golombek, Franczyk, Coppola, Fisher, Bonifacio, Martino, Fontana—kept from being considered and for which failure Golombek and Coppola later tried to scapegoat Pitts
BY: MR. FRANCZYK
RE: NATIONAL AGENDA ECLIPSED BY WAR
WHEREAS: The Bush Administration is solely focused on fighting a foreign war, and for the last two years has had no urban agenda, or is supporting policies detrimental to American cities; and,
WHEREAS: The Bush Administration scrapped President’s 100,000 man federal police program for cities like Buffalo, is attempting to scrap tax benefits for the purchase of municipal bonds, and had adopted a tax program largely beneficial to America’s most wealthy citizens, thus hurting the poor, working and middle classes; and,
WHEREAS: President Bush invoked Buffalo in his State of the Union Speech as an area where an alleged terrorist cell was uncovered, yet he has committed no federal Homeland Security funding to Buffalo. In the meantime, hundreds of millions of dollars has been pumped into downtown Detroit and the Detroit train terminal for the Northern Headquarters of Homeland Security; and,
WHEREAS: The nation’s economy continues to falter, while any positive domestic policy is eclipsed by Bush’s obsession with war in Iraq; and,
WHEREAS: There is no doubt that Sadam Hussein is an oppressive right-wing military dictator, who has cruelly persecuted his people but in the past the U.S. has provided him with arms and foreign aid; and,
WHEREAS: War should be a last resort to settle international problems, and the Common Council is deeply concerned by the likely loss of American life in addition to innocent Iraqi civilians;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That the Common Council supports and urges the federal government to exhaust all possibilities to avoid war in Iraq by attempting to bring a close to the crisis though diplomatic means; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That the Bush Administration offer at least some of the billions of dollars in proposed aid to foreign countries to induce them to supporting an Iraqi war , into an urban aid package for American cities, and that the Bush Administration develop a national policy that prioritizes an urban agenda.
_________________________________________
David A. Franczyk
"Buffalo Goons," which describes what happened at the March 4 Common Council meeting
The text of the resolution proposed by Council President Pitts and Councilman Thompson.
"Scoundrels and liars at the Buffalo Common Council," which describes the way several members of the council subsequently tried to scapegoat Pitts for what they did.
"What I would have said to the Buffalo Common Council about the peace resolution before them on March 4 if I'd been allowed to speak which I wasn't because nobody at all got to speak about the resolution because eight members on the Council wouldn't let anybody talk about it."
Copyright 2003 by Buffalo Report, Inc.