STAR*PAC
Stop the Arms Race Political Action Committee
2010 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire
As a candidate for Congress, your views on war and peace issues are very important to Iowa voters. Please return this questionnaire by Friday, March 20, 2010, to STAR*PAC, via email to STARPACNational@aol.com, or by U.S. mail to Box 561, Des Moines, Iowa 50302. (Phone: Chet Guinn, 515-282-8054.)
Please feel free to add more comments in response to any of the questions, or to provide other information about your views on U.S. foreign and military policy.
Thank you very much.
Terrorism:
1. “I believe U.S. wars and occupation, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, create more terrorists and increase hatred of us around the world.”
__ Strongly Agree _X_Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
Military action, warranted or unwarranted is always destructive in so many ways. The physical damage and the toll on human life are obvious. What is not so obvious, but none-the-less real, is the psychological impact it has on not only the sentiment of the people directly impacted by military action, but the world. The hatred generated by military action may not manifest itself for years to come. The United States must always weigh this carefully when considering the necessity of military action anywhere in the world.
Iraq:
2. “I support an early withdrawal of all U.S. occupation forces in Iraq, no permanent bases, and all oil agreements crafted to assure Iraqi ownership and control for their benefit.”
___ Strongly Agree _X_Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
We cannot undo what has already been done in Iraq. While it is important for us to withdraw all occupation forces, we should not just walk away from an environment which we helped create. We must move from a militaristic approach in Iraq to a humanitarian approach which will help the Iraqis rebuild their country and economy. What is Iraqi (natural resources, etc.) must be and remain Iraqi. This is an important part of restoring their economy. While I do not believe we should establish permanent bases in Iraq, I do believe we must maintain a strategic presence in the Middle East and particularly the Persian Gulf Region. This presence should be for no other purpose than to act as a deterrent to those countries and organizations that might seek to take advantage of a less than stable situation.
Afghanistan – Escalation:
way to reduce the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, including replacing all private contractors with local and regional contractors.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
Absolutely! The unilateral behavior of the Bush Administration was totally unacceptable. The United States should always engage a policy of cooperation and diplomacy involving the nations of a region along with the world community through the United Nations. This is particularly true now in Afghanistan. We must work cooperatively in Afghanistan and with other countries of the Near East, as well as the United Nations to help stabilize this region of the world and support them in the constructive resolution of their own problems. Eliminating the involvement and presence of U.S. private contractors in all areas of the world is critical to restoring U.S. foreign policy and global leadership. All nations and regions should be allowed to pursue the services of local and regional contractors as a matter of national and economic interest.
The Aftermath of Our Wars:
4. “The U.S. has a responsibility to provide financial and humanitarian aid for displaced persons, refugees, and wrongful deaths.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
The Marshall Plan which followed World War II was instrumental in bringing humanitarian assistance and relief to a war torn Europe. This approach by the United States was critical to healing a war torn world and establishing the United States moral leadership around the globe. When a conflict comes to an end, it is our moral obligation to provide the leadership needed to bind the wounds in a compassionate manner that leads to peace.
Iran:
5. “I believe preemptive military actions against Iran would be a grave mistake.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
The United States must be a nation of peace, not a nation of war. It takes greater strength and resolve to pursue avenues of peace, than it does actions of war. It must be the policy of the United States to never initiate a first strike. Preemptive military action is not in our national interest and it is a failure of our global leadership. As for Iran, we must exercise every possible diplomatic and international resolution to deal with concerns of aggression, nuclear weapons, support of terrorism, and its general bellicose behavior.
Military Spending:
I believe the military budget should be
[ ] increased by about $ __________ billion
[ ] maintained at about its current level
[X] decreased by about $200 billion
I will never vote to leave our young solders without the equipment and supplies necessary to keep them safe while serving in harm’s way. However, I will stand firm on the need to bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is where I propose to decrease the military budget by $200 billion. By bringing our solders home, we will save many young promising lives as well as add resources to the national budget for other purposes as well as reducing the national debt.
7. “I favor reducing military spending, internationalizing the response to problems like terrorism, and dedicating more resources to meeting essential human needs and
providing critical human services at home and abroad.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
All of our past Presidents and national leaders with vision understood that the promise of a safe, secure, and peaceful world could only be achieved through diplomatic relations, international cooperation, and programs of humanitarian assistance. We must build bonds of friendship and respect around the world so we can once again regain our position of global leadership. “Civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.” JFK
National Security Policy and Strategy:
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
This is a very common quote, but I cannot think of a better way to make this point, so I defer to Ben Franklin who said, “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.” We must always preserve, protect, and defend our liberties and rights as found in the Constitution of the United States.
Preemptive war strategy:
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
I not only object to preemptive war . . ., but I believe it is the responsibility of the United States to stand firm as an example for the rest of the world.
Nuclear Weapons:
weapons such as ‘bunker busters’ and low-yield ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
The use of any type of nuclear weapons is a slippery slope to Armageddon. We must be the global leader in moving the world away from the brink of extermination by seeking to eliminate all nuclear and biological weapons from the face of the earth.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation:
across the world and help prevent further proliferation of nuclear weapons, and, therefore,
should be quickly ratified by the U.S. Senate.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
The U.S. role in the world:
nations to take the lead in moving forward on policies with North Korea.”
X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
You are unclear regarding the assertion of policies. I believe that the United States must take the lead in the development of a cohesive international (to include all countries of the region) plan to cause North Korea to make changes necessary to bring it into the community of nations and ensure stability in that region of the world.
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
After eight years of irresponsible unilateral leadership under George W. Bush, it is time the United States re-join the community of nations in a cooperative effort to resolve the great issues that threaten the world. The Middle East has long been a region of instability. The Israeli-Palestinian crisis must be resolved if there is to be any hope for peace in the Middle East. This crisis requires a collaborative and cooperative approach from the United Nations with direct involvement on the part of the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
14. The U.S. should not develop an anti-missile defense system.
___ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree _X_ Undecided
My hesitation comes out the uncertainty regarding the cost and our ability to develop a reliable anti-missile defense. However, I do believe a strong defense is a deterrent to aggression. An anti-missile defense shield is not an offensive weapon. While I understand the implications it has regarding the balance of power, it remains defensive in nature. The problem we face is that during the eight Bush years, our prestige and moral position in the world was destroyed. It is going to take time to restore our position as a trusted global leader. Therefore, our move to develop a missile defense system could be viewed with suspicion. None-the-less, we must also keep our options open when it comes to the defense of our country. For these reasons, I remain undecided regarding the development of this system.
The United Nations and International Cooperation:
15. “The United Nations is the primary forum for dealing with ethnic
cleansing, civil war, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism.”
___ Strongly Agree _X_Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
I believe the United Nations is the primary forum for dealing with international issues and crisis. However, I do not believe the United States should abdicate its sovereignty or position as a global leader. If and when the United Nations fails to fulfill its role and responsibility in dealing with global crisis, then the United States should not hesitate to go to the aid of those in need. The lack of action in the face of a great wrong is as bad as committing the wrong itself.
16. “The U.S. should fulfill its funding obligations to support the U.N. The U.S. also should
lead in efforts to immediately begin reform and restructuring the U.N. in accord with its
original purposes and goals, including getting rid of war and bringing our lawless world under the rule of law.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
This is an absolute! We must meet our funding obligations and our obligations to see that the United Nations become everything it was meant to be as a world organization. To do anything less would be to fail our hope and vision for a world of peace.
Conventional Weapons Sales:
17. “Our government should should stop promoting and underwriting weapons
sales in the international community.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
We must find a way to reverse the arms race which goes on around the globe. We must find a way to do this to promote world stability, and move the world towards peaceful ways of resolving national and international issues.
Charges of war crimes in an international court of law:
18. “Vigorous investigations should be made of any and all government officials in any branch of government or the military, and in any administration, where laws, basic constitutional principles and processes are violated.”
_X_ Strongly Agree ___Agree ___ Disagree ___Strongly Disagree ___ Undecided
We must always be a nation and world of laws, not of men. Therefore, it is imperative that all who violate the law be held accountable before the law!
Bill Maske ________ _________________________ 3-26-10___
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