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Alumni in the news

SHA alumnists are the movers and shakers of the Puget Sound region and throughout the world. As such, our alumni frequently find themselves making news. Send us articles and links to articles that feature an SHA alumnist in the news. E-mail us your submissions by clicking HERE.

Michael Behar (77) shook up the Seattle City Council in April of 2003 when he proposed a resolution in support of our Troops.

Resolution ignites war of words

By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
April 1, 2003

With thousands of local men and women risking their lives in the Iraq war, Michael Behar thought it would be nice for the Seattle City Council to approve a resolution offering its support for them.

If only it were that simple.

Over the past few weeks, members of Seattle's liberal and anti-war council have whipped out their editing pens and proposed several revisions to Behar's proposed resolution.

Some object to depicting the troops' current mission as being "in defense of their country" or a response to "foreign tyrants and aggressors." Some want to add statements calling for diplomacy, avoiding "unnecessary combat" and expressing sorrow for Iraqi casualties.

The resolution, which Behar began circulating in early March, is still being passed back and forth among council offices as members search for wording that a majority can agree on. Now some council members are saying maybe there should be two resolutions — one offering support for the troops and a second opposing the war in Iraq.

While Behar's resolution has stagnated, all nine members of the council and Mayor Greg Nickels did sign a letter last week that will be mailed to local military units. The letter says that "whatever the passionate political discourse regarding the war" the troops' service in the armed forces is "one of the highest traditions of American patriotism."

Behar, a Seattle resident and social worker, said he knew about the letter but wanted the council to pass the resolution as a more public act of support for the troops. After all, he noted, the council two weeks ago approved a resolution heralding the great blue heron as the city's official bird.

"If they can all agree to honor a heron, they can all agree to honor our troops," he said.

Behar said he had no personal friends or relatives in the war but has participated in "support-the-troops" rallies. After talking with some military personnel and families, he said he wanted to do something showing the troops have public support — even in a city where public opinion has been leaning anti-war.

But his proposed resolution, which he patterned off language he found on the Internet, has been through several rounds of revisions.

First to go was Behar's proposed language referring to "the cause of Freedom and Justice" being "threatened by foreign tyrants and aggressors."

Those initial changes were drafted by a council staffer friendly to Behar's cause — Barbara Clemons, an aide to Councilwoman Jan Drago. Clemons' son, Maj. Jeff Clemons, is an Army physician whose unit is training for possible deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Still, Clemons knows the political realities of the council, whose nine members all signed letters opposing the use of force in Iraq earlier this year. So she added language to Behar's resolution touting Seattle's "history of dissent against wars in general, and this war in Iraq in particular" and acknowledging "sharply divided opinions over the politics which sent our troops on this first-strike invasion of Iraq."

That version drew further revisions from council members Richard Conlin and Nick Licata.

Conlin wanted to delete references to the troops being called out "in defense of their country," preferring to say they were called to "military service."

He also objected to a line saying local troops had answered the call of duty "whenever the cause of freedom is threatened."

Licata wanted to go further, adding a paragraph that urged the government to "achieve victory through diplomacy and engagement with the United Nations" and saying that "avoiding and ending unnecessary combat in Iraq is a sure way to support our troops and ensure their safe and speedy return home." It also said the council regretted the "loss of life, destruction of homes and damage to cities and infrastructure in Iraq."

Licata's proposed addition was more than twice as long as the paragraph stating support for the troops and wishing them "a safe return home from harm's way."

Licata said yesterday this was "a very touchy subject" and council members want to be careful what they publicly endorse. He said one message they all want to send is concern for local troops who are in a dangerous situation.

"My problem with just doing that is I don't want to send a message saying this is a legitimate war or good for the country," Licata said.

He and Conlin said they are mulling a separate anti-war resolution that could be passed along with a support-the-troops resolution.

It's not clear when the council will take up the measures. Drago said she thinks it will be another two weeks before the council considers them. She has proposed another revision to the resolution that deletes references to the war being a "first-strike invasion" while acknowledging "a healthy diversity of opinion" about the conflict.

Behar, who says he thinks the war is "for a noble effort," said he likes that latest version and said he's been frustrated by some of the efforts to insert "backhanded" anti-war sentiments into his proposed resolution.

"The City Council seems to bend over backward to make sure every sub-constituency has a voice. It seems to me those of us who support our folks in the military are the only ones they feel they can disregard," he said.

Rewording the resolution

Here is the resolution as proposed by Seattle resident Michael Behar:

WHEREAS, The President of the United States has activated and deployed numerous men and women of the Armed Forces from Seattle to assignments and missions related to the ongoing global war on terror and the current crisis in Iraq; and,

WHEREAS, The citizens of Seattle have achieved worldwide renown for their zeal and patriotism in answering their nation's call to duty whenever the cause of Freedom and Justice is threatened by foreign tyrants and aggressors; and,

WHEREAS, The uniformed men and women of our community are once again called upon to offer their utmost devotion in the defense of their country and to bring peace to a troubled corner of the Earth.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1: It wholeheartedly supports and appreciates the brave men and women of Seattle serving in the United States Military, and wishes them Godspeed in their dangerous missions and a safe return from harm's way.

Councilwoman Jan Drago's office offered to sponsor a revised version of Behar's resolution, deleting the reference to "foreign tyrants and aggressors" and changing other parts to read as follows:

WHEREAS, the citizens of Seattle are known both for their zeal and patriotism in answering their nation's call to duty whenever the cause of freedom is threatened, and for their history of dissent against wars in general, and this war in Iraq, in particular; and

WHEREAS, while we as citizens of Seattle may have sharply divided opinions over the politics which sent our troops on this first-strike invasion of Iraq, we can agree that we are concerned about the lives, safety and health of these troops as they fight in this war, particularly given the number of casualties to date;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT:

We wholeheartedly support and appreciate the brave men and women serving in the United States Military, and wish them Godspeed in these dangerous missions and a quick and safe return home from harm's way.

Councilman Richard Conlin suggested deleting Drago's reference to the troops' devotion "in defense of their country," preferring to call it devotion "in military service."

Councilman Nick Licata also wanted to delete references to the war being "in defense of" the United States and to add this paragraph:

"We also urge our government to not abandon a foreign policy that can still achieve victory through diplomacy and engagement with the United Nations. Avoiding and ending unnecessary combat in Iraq is a sure way to support our troops and ensure their safe and speedy return home. We deeply regret the loss of life, destruction of homes, and damage to cities and infrastructure in Iraq. Our hearts go out to the people of Iraq in this time of suffering and loss, and we hope and pray for peace at the earliest possible time."

Albeit late, city council backs troops

By Bob Young
Seattle Times staff reporter
April 15, 2003

With the war in Iraq winding down, the Seattle City Council finally agreed yesterday on a statement of support for U.S. troops fighting abroad.

It took the council over a month to craft the resolution, as liberal council members wanted to strike some of the bellicose language from the initial draft sponsored by Councilwoman Jan Drago.

In turn, some of the anti-war language sought by Councilmen Richard Conlin and Nick Licata was eliminated from the final compromise.

Meanwhile, the council was ridiculed by Rush Limbaugh of talk-radio fame, among others, for swiftly passing a resolution last month to make the great blue heron the official city bird, while struggling to say it supported U.S. troops in Iraq.

The compromise adopted by unanimous vote did not include reference to "foreign tyrants and aggressors" like the initial draft, which was based on language submitted by Michael Behar, a Seattle social worker who said he wanted to do something to show troops that they have public support, even in a city with a strong anti-war population.

Nor did it contain Licata's text saying that "avoiding and ending unnecessary combat in Iraq is a sure way to support our troops" and that the council regretted the "loss of life, destruction of homes and damage to cities and infrastructure in Iraq."

The council passed the resolution with no debate and little comment. Drago called it a "salute to the armed forces, expressing our pride in their service."

Councilman Jim Compton noted that the council and Mayor Greg Nickels had already sent a "firm, clear" letter thanking troops overseas but said it had gone largely unnoticed in the flap over the resolution.

Behar said he was pleased with the final version. "It should never have been a big deal," he said. "I'm glad they passed it."

The adopted resolution noted that "there has been and continues to be a healthy diversity of opinion regarding the situation in Iraq."

Then it went on to conclude, "We wholeheartedly support and appreciate the brave men and women serving in the United States military and do hereby express our concern for their lives, their safety and health, offering our hope for a swift and just conclusion to this conflict, wishing them Godspeed in these dangerous missions, and a quick and safe return home from harm's way."