HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 1994.03.23 - 24164R.L G04E1 NT COMMITTEE
REPORT (Misc. #94042) March 24, 1994
BY: General Government Committee, Donald Jensen, Chairperson
IN RE: MR 94042-Policy Prohibiting Business Activity With Vietnam
TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The General Government Committee, having reviewed the above
referenced resolution, reports with the recommendation that the
resolution be adopted with amendments as reflected in Exhibit A
(attached); with recommended deletions being lined out, and
recommended additions shown in bold type.
Chairperson on behalf of the General Government Committee, I
move acceptance of the foregoing report.
EXHIBIT A
BUSINESS ACTIVITY WITH VIETNAM
WHEREAS totalitarian governments such as Vietnam's represent
enslavement, oppression, tyranny and stand as an affront to
American ideals of liberty and freedom; and
WHEREAS in the 1960's and 1970's, the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces left behind their families and careers
to engage in battle for the protection of the persecuted and
victimized people of Vietnam, and to reaffirm our own deeply rooted
love of democracy and our soul-felt desire for a world at peace;
and
WHEREAS the President recently lifted a 19-year-old U.S. trade
embargo on all commercial and financial transactions with Vietnam
which was originally imposed as part of a unilateral severing of
all diplomatic relations with the communist government in 1975; and
WHEREAS support for the severing of diplomatic relations has
remained strong over the years due to the poor state of human
rights in Vietnam, knowledge of the Vietnamese government's vicious
treatment of American POW's, and Vietnam's refusal to assist the
United States in accounting for our POW's and MIA's; and
WHEREAS the President's decision is a big victory for Vietnam
in that it enhances and expedites the process of bringing Vietnam
back into the international financial community; and
WHEREAS we do not honor those Veterans who served their
country faithfully and honorably in Vietnam, nor do we honor the
memory of those who were imprisoned and tortured, and those who
were killed, by lifting the trade embargo and promoting the economy
9,-1911.1 EWES
of a totalitarian nation, a nation which has historically shown
total disregard in providing even a minimum of information
regarding United States POW's and MIA's since the outbreak of the
Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS although recent periodic gestures have been made by
Vietnam under the guise of cooperation, these gestures have been
predosinatly symbolic and not substantive as there remains a
significant number of POW's and MIA's unaccounted for; and
WHEREAS it is, therefore, inappropriate for Oakland County
federal, state or local government to engage, either directly or
indirectly, in business with Vietnam until the accounting for
United States POW's and MIA's has been satisfactorily resolved.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners hereby prohibits Oakland County government from
engaging in any business with Vietnam, either directly or
engage in business with Vietnam, or purchasing the products or
disagrees with the decision by the
President to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam, and urges the
United States Congress to reject all proposals for monetary aid to
Vietnam until such time as the accounting for POW's and MIA's is
resolved to the satisfaction of United States Veteran's
organizations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Oakland County government be
discouraged from engaging in direct or indirect business with
Vietnam.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Oakland County political,
industrial, commercial, cultural and other organizations arc hereby
encouraged to refrain from engaging in business with Vietnam until
,
ouch time aa the accounting for United States POW'a and MIA's ia
oatiofacorily resolved be advised of this resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
submitted to the President of the United States, Michigan's
Congressional delegation, Oakland County's state legislative
delegation and the Governor, and that the state legislature be
admonished encouraged to adopt similar legislation in response to
the lifting of the U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam.
I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
COMMISSIONER JOHN GARFIELD
.011•'
MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #94042
BY: Commissioner John Garfield, District #9
IN RE: Board of Commissioners - Policy Prohibiting Business
Activity with Vietnam
TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS totalitarian governments such as Vietnam's represent
enslavement, oppression, tyranny and stand as an affront to
American ideals of liberty and freedom; and
WHEREAS in the 1960's and 1970's, the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces left behind their families and careers
to engage in battle for the protection of the persecuted and
victimized people of Vietnam, and to reaffirm our own deeply rooted
love of democracy and our soul-felt desire for a world at peace;
and
WHEREAS the President recently lifted a 19-year -old U.S. trade
embargo on all commercial and financial transactions with Vietnam
which was originally imposed as part of a unilateral severing of
all diplomatic relations with the communist government in 1975; and
WHEREAS support for the severing of diplomatic relations has
remained strong over the years due to the poor state of human
rights in Vietnam, knowledge of the Vietnamese government's vicious
treatment of American POW's, and Vietnam's refusal to assist the
United States in accounting for our POW's and MIA's; and
WHEREAS the President's decision is a big victory for Vietnam
in that it enhances and expedites the process of bringing Vietnam
back into the international financial community; and
WHEREAS we do not honor those Veterans who served their
country faithfully and honorably in Vietnam, nor do we honor the
memory of those who were imprisoned and tortured, and those who
were killed, by lifting the trade embargo and promoting the economy
.` .;
of a totalitarian nation, a nation which has historically shown
total disregard in providing even a minimum of information
regarding United States POW's and MIA's; and
WHEREAS although recent periodic gestures have been made by
Vietnam under the guise of cooperation, these gestures have been
symbolic and not substantive as there remains a significant number
of POW's and MIA's unaccounted for; and
WHEREAS it is, therefore, inappropriate for Oakland County
government to engage, either directly or indirectly, in business
with Vietnam until the accounting for United States POW's and MIA's
has been satisfactorily resolved.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners hereby prohibits Oakland County government from
engaging in any business with Vietnam, either directly or
indirectly through such means as contracting with organizations who
engage in business with Vietnam, or purchasing the products or
services of those organizations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Oakland County political,
industrial, commercial, cultural and other organizations are hereby
encouraged to refrain from engaging in business with Vietnam until
such time as the accounting for United States POW's and MIA's is
satisfactorily resolved.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
submitted to Oakland County's state legislative delegation and the
Governor, and that the state legislature be admonished to adopt
similar legislation in response to the lifting of the U.S. trade
embargo against Vietnam.
I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
COMMISSIONER JOHN GARFIELD
Resolution #94042 March 24, 1994
Moved by Jensen supported by Obrecht the General Government Committee
Report be accepted.
A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the report was accepted.
Moved by Jensen supported by Obrecht the resolution be adopted.
Moved by Wolf supported by Obrecht the resolution be amended to coincide
with the recommendation in the General Government Committee Report, as reflected
in Exhibit A, as follows:
In the 6th WHEREAS paragraph, after the words "a nation which has", delete
the word historically; also, at the end of the paragraph after "POW's and MIA's",
add since the outbreak of the Vietnam War;
In the 7th WHEREAS paragraph, after the words "these gestures have been",
add the word predominatly;
In the 8th WHEREAS paragraph, after the words "inappropriate for", delete
the words Oakland County and insert the words federal, state or local;
In the NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED paragraph, after the words "Oakland
County Board of Commissioners hereby", delete the words prohibits Oakland County
government from engaging in any business with Vietnam, either directly or
indirectly through such means as contracting with organizations who engage in
business with Vietnam, or purchasing the products or services of those
organizations., and end the paragraph with disagrees with the decision by the
President to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam, and urges the United States
Congress to reject all proposals for monetary aid to Vietnam until such time as
the accounting for POW's and MIA's is resolved to the satisfaction of United
States Veteran's organizations.
Add as the first BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that Oakland County government be discouraged from engaging in direct or indirect
business with Vietnam.
In the next BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, after the words "and other
organizations", delete are hereby encouraged to refrain from engaging in business
with Vietnam until such time as the accounting for United States POW's and MIA's
is satisfactorily resolved., and add be advised of this resolution.
In the last BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, after the words "resolution
be submitted to" add the President of the UnitedStates, Michigan's Congressional
delegation; also after the words "the state legislature be", delete the word
admonished and insert the word encouraged.
A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the amendment carried.
Moved by Wolf supported by Obrecht the title of the resolution be amended
by replacing the word PROHIBITING with DISCOURAGING.
A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the amendment carried.
Moved by Powers supported by Obrecht the resolution be amended by deleting
the first BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, which reads:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Oakland County government be discouraged from
engaging in direct or indirect business with Vietnam.
A sufficient majority having therefor, the amendment carried.
Moved by Kingzett supported by Pernick the resolution be amended in the 5th
WHEREAS paragraph by deleting the words "the President's decision is a big
victory for Vietnam in that it" and inserting the words this change, and, in the
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED paragraph, after the words "disagrees with the
Resolution #94042 continued March 24, 1994
decision", delete the words by the President and also, after the words "trade
embargo against Vietnam", delete the comma (,), insert a period (.) and delete
the remainder of the paragraph, ie, and urges the United States Congress to
reject all proposals for monetary aid to Vietnam until such time as the
accounting for POW's and MIA's is resolved to the satisfaction of United States
Veteran's organizations.
The Chairperson stated a "YES" vote would delete the wording and a "NO"
vote would let the wording remain.
AYES: Kaczmar, Kingzett, Oaks, Palmer, Pernick, Aaron, Johnson. (7)
NAYS: Law, McCulloch, McPherson, Miltner, Obrecht, Powers, Schmid, Taub,
Wolf, Crake, Dingeldey, Douglas, Garfield, Gosling, Huntoon, Jensen. (16)
A sufficient majority not having voted therefor, the amendment failed.
Vote on resolution, as amended:
AYES: Kingzett, Law, McCulloch, McPherson, Miltner, Obrecht, Palmer,
Powers, Schmid, Taub, Wolf, Crake, Dingeldey, Douglas, Garfield, Gosling,
Huntoon, Jensen, Johnson. (19)
NAYS: Oaks, Pernick, Aaron, Kaczmar. (4)
A sufficient majority having voted therefor, the resolution, as amended,
was adopted.
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
I, Lynn D. Allen, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the
foregoing resolution is a true and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the
Oakland County Board of Commissioners on March 24, 1994 with the original record
thereof now remaining in my office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the
A
County of Oakland at Pontiac, Michigan this 24th day o R arch 1994. .....- _
D. Allen; Cbuffy irk DOES NOT REQUIRE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ACTION