DENVER-
When Diggs Brown talks about the war on terror, he speaks about the victories he saw while serving in Afghanistan as a Green Beret from 2002 to 2003, training the new Afghan army, teaching English and collecting school supplies for children.
For Gaye Lowe-Kaplan, it’s about how her 22-year-old son Andy, a Marine, helped provide security for a northern Iraqi town to vote on the country’s new constitution. She said only one villager showed up and then her son’s convoy was ambushed, leading to the death of one of his friends.
Both plan to tell state lawmakers their views on the war during a rare hearing on a non-binding resolution Wednesday at the state Capitol. Lawmakers are considering the resolution, which doesn’t carry the force of law, criticizing President Bush’s decision to send more troops to Iraq. The measure has split the Senate along party lines.
It’s similar to resolutions and letters to Congress being considered in 28 other states as part of an organized effort to put pressure on Congress and Bush to change course.
Hundreds of people could turn out for the hearing. Senators have reserved the Capitol’s largest meeting room, which holds about 200 people, and another hearing room could be opened if even more people show up.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, has criticized the measure as a “political circus routine.”
Brown, a Fort Collins city council member, said he thinks the resolution basically says Coloradans have no confidence in the military and their capability to win the war on terror. He thinks the public doesn’t hear enough about the good that American forces are accomplishing, adding that most parts of Iraq are now stable.
“The only people who are upset that we’re in Iraq are the terrorists who came across the border, the jihadists, and the Sunnis who lost their power,” Brown said.
Lowe-Kaplan, a retired teacher from Wheat Ridge, said her son, now back at his post in Hawaii, can’t wait until he is released in July and has given up on a military career after his experience in Iraq. She said she is proud of her son and doesn’t think debating the resolution will hurt morale.
“I think the troops are smart enough to know by now that this war isn’t winnable and the people back home are trying to support them by bringing them back home,” said Lowe-Kaplan, who helped raise about $4,000 at a bake sale to buy body armor for troops.
Only Democrats are backing the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, and Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, even though Tupa said he tried to reach out to Republicans by toning down the measure’s wording.
The resolution says that it’s not in the nation’s best interest to send more troops to Iraq and that the war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, hurting efforts to bring peace and democracy to the country.
It also says Colorado honors the bravery of servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and will support making sure they have sufficient resources.
