WHEREAS it has not been established that Iraq harbors a significant amount of weapons of mass destruction and terror, nor that Iraq intends to threaten any other country,

WHEREAS current economic sanctions on Iraq have already devastated the country's infrastructure and resulted in massive malnutrition, poverty, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis,

WHEREAS military action in Iraq would kill many innocent Iraqis, destabilize diplomacy in the region, and cost billions of dollars, thus endangering further the economy and taking money away from satisfying human needs,

HEREAS military aggression towards Iraq would intensify hostility towards the United States and raise the risk of terrorist attacks around the globe, and

WHEREAS there exists no satisfactory plan for the future of the Iraqi people were Saddam Hussein's regime to be removed from power,

BE IT RESOLVED, we, as students of Macalester College, stand in firm opposition to military action against Iraq.


A vote on the resolution was held October 30. The vote was sponsored by MPJC, Mac Greens, Mac GOP and Mac Dems.

—Total number of votes cast: 589

—Total number of votes in favor of resolution: 535 (91% of total votes)

—Total number of votes opposed to resolution: 50 (8% of total votes)

—Total number of null votes: 4 (1% of votes cast)

Percentage of total student body that voted: 32% (according to Fall 2001 statistics)

This was an unofficial, grassroots-based referendum independent of MCSG.