Colorado mountain town urges Iraq exit

Anti-Iraq war activists have found Nederland.

Saying the war is “draining enormous resources,” the board of trustees of the Colorado town adopted a resolution last night urging the federal government to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

“Nederland’s young people serving in the military may be killed in pursuing this war,” said the resolution, which passed 5-2. “Nederland residents are directly impacted by the $452 (billion) that has been removed from our national coffers.”

But a spokesperson for the leader of the free world, Blair Jones, said the president’s strategy already is “allowing us to begin bringing troops home.”

“We are making progress in Iraq, and withdrawing before we have completed our mission would have dire consequences for the region and our national security. If we were to leave before the job is done, chaos could ensue,” said Jones, speaking for the White House.

The town’s clerk, Christi Icenogle said the measure passed at the initiative of Mountain Forum for Peace, a group of activists who gathered about 200 signatures from the community to present the resolution.

She added that the atmosphere was collegial during the pre-vote discussion, especially since there were no pro-Bush activists in the room.

Nederland now joins Durango, Colorado, and dozens of other localities in passing “Bring the Troops Home” measures, according to a list compiled by the advocacy group Cities for Progress.

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