Albany County Peace Dividend Proclamation

At the urging of Upper Hudson Peace Action and other groups,  the Albany County Legislature  issued an official proclamation calling for all U.S. troops to be brought home from Afghanistan and for the U.S. government funds saved thereby to be spent on the public services that our cities, counties, and states so desperately need.  22 legislators, a majority signed the resolution to make it official on October 9, 2012.

The proclamation — entitled Proclamation Calling on Congress to Fund Urgently Needed Services in Albany County and Throughout the United States by Reducing Military Spending — was introduced by Albany County Legislators Douglas Bullock, Norma Chapman, Bryan Clenahan, Raymond Joyce, David Mayo, Timothy Nichols, and Phillip Steck in the County Legislature session of October 9.

Thirty community organizations endorsed the proclamation prior to its passage.

This proclamation is similar to proclamations and resolutions already passed in cities, towns, and counties across the United States, and provides a useful way to bring pressure to bear upon the U.S. government for a change in national priorities.