Pictured: Aleppo, Syria; courtesy AP Photo/Narciso Contreras
CARRBORO – Led by Mayor Mark Chilton, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved a letter to Congress taking a stance against U.S. military action in Syria.
Chilton explained that the letter will be directed to North Carolina’s federal elected officials, including Congressman David Price (D-NC 4th District), as well as President Barack Obama.
Price said over the weekend that a “targeted, limited response” was merited, but he was not advocating entering into a war. Senator Kay Hagan said that the U.S. should find ways to prevent “atrocities” from happening again without putting Americans into ground combat.
“Different people on the Board have perhaps slightly different views on the situation in Syria and how to respond, but I think all of us are feeling that missile strikes or bombings would definitely be premature and not a good way to respond to this situation,” Chilton said.
The motion was proposed by Alderman Sammy Slade at Tuesday’s board meeting. Similar resolutions have been made by the Board of Alderman before, including a letter petitioning the U.S. entry into the Iraq War and another calling for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On Saturday, about a dozen protesters gathered at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, calling for the U.S. to avoid military action against Syria.
A Senate panel voted Wednesday to give Obama the authority to use military force against Syria in response to apparent use of chemical weapons. The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure next week.
The resolution would permit Obama to order a limited, 90 day maximum military mission against Syria, prohibiting the use of American troops on the ground for combat operations.
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