STAR*PAC's Mission Statement:
STAR*PAC seeks to "wage peace" by taking action in the political process, especially in Congressional elections and the quadrennial Iowa Presidential Caucuses.
STAR*PAC raises war and peace issues with candidates, putting candidates on record with forums and questionnaires and at their appearances, and urging candidates to take strong positions for peace.
STAR*PAC ultimately endorses candidates and urges Iowans to support them. STAR*PAC primarily supports candidates by working to influence public opinion and mobilize voters. STAR*PAC often hosts guest speakers on war and peace issues in order to influence opinion and encourage action by Iowans.
STAR*PAC was founded in 1980 at the peak of Cold War conflict. It advocates on a wide range of foreign and military policy issues perhaps summarized in the conviction, "War is not the answer."*
President Dwight D. Eisenhower:
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."
"Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose."
STAR*PAC'S top goals for 2008:
STAR*PAC's primary goal for 2008 is to raise war and peace issues.
Iowa historically has had a strong international perspective, in both major parties. (People attribute that to various historical factors, such as Iowa's long reliance on international trade, our multi-national ethnic heritage, pacifist and other faith traditions, and Iowans who have been giants in espousing cooperative approaches in U.S. foreign policy – including Herbert Hoover, Henry Wallace, Sen. Harold Hughes, Gov. Bob Ray and hospitality for refugees, and Sen. Tom Harkin.) STAR*PAC seeks to continue and strengthen that tradition.
US Representative Barbara Lee(D-California):
On September 15, 2001 the US Congress approved a resolution authorizing President Bush to use "all necessary and appropriate force" against anyone associated with the terrorist attacks of September 11. The measure passed 98-0 in the Senate and 420-1 in the House. The lone dissenting vote was a colonel's daughter, California Democratic Representative --Barbara Lee. "I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States," Lee said on the House floor on Sept. 15. "There must be some of us who say, 'Let's step back for a moment and think through the implications of our actions today -- let us more fully understand the consequences."
STAR*PAC Activities for 2008:
STAR*PAC is organizing individual-candidate "town hall" meetings on war and peace issues. Candidates will have 10-15 minutes for remarks of their choosing, then there will be questions and answers with the audience. All candidates of both parties will be invited to conduct such individual candidate forums. Other organizations are being invited to co-sponsor the individual candidate forums, which will be held at Central Iowa churches or other public venues.
STAR*PAC is asking all candidates to complete a thorough Questionnaire on their views and commitments regarding a wide range of foreign and military policy issues. The candidates' replies will be published, circulated, and posted at STAR*PAC's web site.
STAR*PAC would like to see an all-candidate forum organized in Iowa on foreign and military policy (as STAR*PAC did in the last wide-open Caucus in 1988, when all the Democratic candidates participated in a war-and-peace forum at Hoyt Sherman Place that was broadcast live and statewide on IPTV.) Candidates of both parties would be invited to participate in separate all-candidate forums.
STAR*PAC is likely to endorse a candidate or candidates. It will choose to endorse a candidate viewed to be best for the cause of peace, based on positions the candidate takes, commitment to peace, his or her record to date, and any other factors. STAR*PAC will commend the endorsed candidate to caucus-goers.
STAR*PAC is likely to revisit past actions to bring in expert guest speakers for talks and events on foreign and military policy issues. It will continue to collaborate with other Iowa and national peace groups.
General Zinni: In a criticism of the Bush White House and Rumsfeld's Pentagon leadership Gen. Zinni, former Commander of Central Command of U.S. Military, and Special envoy to the Middle East in the Bush Administration until he resigned in disgust, said "Heads should roll at the Pentagon - - Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith and those who foisted the Iraq war on the U.S. despite my objections and those of most U.S. Generals including, Schwartkopf, Skowcroft, Clark, Shinseki, and others."
STAR*PAC Issues for 2008:
The War in Iraq remains top priority. STAR*PAC advocates a swift end to the U.S. military role there and will focus on candidates' views on what the U.S. should do next. It also remains important to continue to delve into the claims, processes and events that led to the U.S. launching of the war.
Other issues relate closely to the Iraq War, including the war in Afghanistan, and how candidates would address the "Roots of Terrorism."
We also will ask candidates to address a wide range of other foreign and military policy issues, such as: tensions with Iran and North Korea, nuclear weapons and disarmament, military spending and their position on proposed new weapons systems, regional foreign policy issues such as Latin America and Israel-Palestine, the role of diplomacy, the U.S. role in the U.N. and other international organizations, their plans for U.S. and multilateral humanitarian assistance, and other issues.
*"War is not the answer" is a slogan championed by the Friends Committee on National Legislation and espoused by many members of STAR*PAC.
