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# Laying down the law on taking a war stance
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/laying-down-the-law-on-taking-a-war-stance/
- Published: 2007-06-16T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T01:09:34.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

This past week, Q-line asked: Do you think cities like Santa Monica should take a stance on issues such as war?

Here are your responses: “FRANKLY, I DON’T REALLY CARE WHAT stance the City Council takes on the war, whether it is individually or as a group.What they need to do is fix Santa Monica first. Concentrate on getting the bums, drug addicts, alcoholics, crazies and criminals off our streets. Get something done about the awful traffic and parking issues. Never mind the side issues for the moment. Please focus on the citizens of this city for a change.”

“NO, I DON’T THINK THE CITY SHOULD take a stance on the war in Iraq, but of course, they will, those stinkers. They make decisions about cutting down those beautiful trees, so why not the war, which I am against.”

“WHAT A HILARIOUS, FUNNY QUESTION! Why would you cede more undeserved moral power to a group that has already destroyed Santa Monica with its rampant over-building, no parking, no driving, bums, extortion payments to schools with out-of-town students, $700,000 tree cuttings, low income housing for L.A.’s undeserved citizens and pseudo-military cemeteries? This council reminds me of my years at Roosevelt Elementary School. Some kids had their pants pulled down and then whined for their mommies because they didn’t have enough character to stand up to bullies. This council and half the people in this town remind me of those whining kids, except now they whine for that socialist propaganda milk.”

“CITIES SHOULD CONDUCT CITY AFFAIRS and butt out of issues that are beyond their scope of authority. This includes sanctuary cities that are counter-productive to living in a law-and-order society.”

“FIRST, ALLOW ME TO CLARIFY: KOREA, Vietnam and Iraq are not wars. They are military conflicts and police actions. The difference being that Congress has to declare war and wars have to be won. The United States has not won a war since World War II. The United States bailed out of Korea, Vietnam and will bail out of Iraq as soon as its questionable purpose has been served. The purpose usually has to do with greed and money. In the meantime, we are losing the precious lives of our men and women in the military. Real wars are allegedly fought to protect our freedoms. I suppose those freedoms allow the Santa Monica City Council to take a stand \[on the war\].”

“YES, WE ARE THE LIBERAL CORNER OF America. I would guess the majority of people in Santa Monica want our troops out now. But to risk sounding presumptuous, I think our do-nothing City Council could take a simple vote like a lot of other small city councils have done to say they are against the war and have our troops out as soon as possible.”

“I WOU LD HOPE THAT TH E CITY Council demands an investigation into the war and why we even got into the war in the first place. That means we would have to investigate what happened on 9/11\. The kids they will be taking will be ours: I mean, yours and mine, not Arnold Schwarzenegger’s children. They draft in the high schools and the colleges. Please take a stand, City Council, for our children.”

“THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY, SO THE Santa Monica City Council has the right to issue a statement on the Iraq war. Of course, it is out of their jurisdiction, so the Bush Administration won’t give a hoot about it. They don’t give a hoot what anybody else says about the war. It is all Bush’s idea and he’s going to keep it up.”

“I THINK IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that cities like Santa Monica take a very firm stance against the war in Iraq. It is important that we let our voices be heard around the country.”

“YES, I DO THINK WE SHOULD NOT support the occupation of Iraq and impeach the architects of the war — Bush and Cheney.”

“I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SANTA MONICA take a stance against the war.”

“OF COURSE, IN FACT, THE SANTA Monica City Council has already taken a stance against the war. They took that position a few years ago. It is very responsible for city councils around the nation to take a stance on issues of peace and war. They should not say it is not in their purview.”

“SANTA MONICA AND OTHER CITIES should take a stance on national issues such as the war. I think we should think globally and act locally. But I would hate to see the city spend too much time on global issues when things are not going well locally. There is a balance that needs to be followed there.”

“THE CITY COUNCIL HAS 154 MILLION reasons to take a stance against this war.”

“I WOULD SAY THE COUNCIL HAS THE responsibility and has the patriotic duty to take a stance.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 16, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)