United Antiwar Movement Tells Obama: No Escalation Of War!

[Better Believe It]

United Antiwar Movement Tells Obama:
No Escalation!


President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, D.C.

November 30, 2009

Dear President Obama,

With millions of U.S. people feeling the fear and desperation of no longer having a home; with millions feeling the terror and loss of dignity that comes with unemployment; with millions of our children slipping further into poverty and hunger, your decision to deploy thousands more troops and throw hundreds of billions more dollars into prolonging the profoundly tragic war in Afghanistan strikes us as utter folly. We believe this decision represents a war against ordinary people, both here in the United States and in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan, if continued, will result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of U.S. troops, and untold thousands of Afghans.

Polls indicate that a majority of those who labored with so much hope to elect you as president now fear that you will make a wrong decision -- a tragic decision that will destroy their dreams for America. More tragic is the price of your decision. It will be paid with the blood, suffering and broken hearts of our young troops, their loved ones and an even greater number of Afghan men, women and children.

The U.S. military claims that this war must be fought to protect U.S. national security, but we believe it is being waged to expand U.S. empire in the interests of oil and pipeline companies.

Your decision to escalate U.S. troops and continue the occupation will cause other people in other lands to despise the U.S. as a menacing military power that violates international law. Keep in mind that to most of the peoples of the world, widening the war in Afghanistan will look exactly like what it is: the world's richest nation making war on one of the world's very poorest.

The war must be ended now. Humanitarian aid programs should address the deep poverty that has always been a part of the life of Afghan people.

We will keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way possible. We will urge elected representatives to cut all funding for war. Some of us will be led to withhold our taxes, practice civil resistance, and promote slowdowns and strikes at schools and workplaces.

In short, President Obama, we will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace activists, to build the kind of massive movement -- which today represents the sentiments of a majority of the American people -- that will play a key role in ending U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Such would be the folly of a decision to escalate troop deployment and such is the depth of our opposition to the death and suffering it would cause.

Sincerely, (Signers names listed in alphabetical order)

Jack Amoureux, Executive Committee
Military Families Speak Out

Michael Baxter
Catholic Peace Fellowship

Medea Benjamin, Co-founder
Global Exchange

Frida Berrigan
Witness Against Torture

Imam Mahdi Bray, Executive Director
Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

Elaine Brower
World Can't Wait

Leslie Cagan, Co-Founder
United for Peace and Justice

Tom Cornell
Catholic Peace Fellowship

Matt Daloisio
War Resisters League

Marie Dennis, Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Robby Diesu
Our Spring Break

Pat Elder, Co-coordinator
National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth

Mike Ferner, President
Veterans For Peace

Joy First, Convener
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Sara Flounders, Co-Director
International Action Center

Sunil Freeman
ANSWER Coalition, Washington, D.C.

Diana Gibson, Coordinator
Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice

Jerry Gordon, Co-Coordinator
National Assembly To End Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupation

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence

David Hartsough
Peaceworkers San Francisco

Mike Hearington, Steering Committee
Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Atlanta

Larry Holmes, Coordinator
Troops Out Now Coalition

Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Hany Khalil
War Times

Kathy Kelly, Co-Coordinator
Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Leslie Kielson , Co-Chair
United for Peace and Justice

Malachy Kilbride
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Adele Kubein, Executive Committee
Military Families Speak Out

Jeff Mackler, Co-Coordinator
National Assembly to End Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations

Kevin Martin, Exec. Director
Peace Action

Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair-Elect
World Parliament of Religion

Michael T. McPhearson, Executive Director
Veterans For Peace

Gael Murphy, Co-founder
Code Pink

Michael Nagler, Founder
Metta Center for Nonviolence

Max Obuszewski, Director
Baltimore Nonviolence Center

Pete Perry
Peace of the Action

Dave Robinson, Executive Director
Pax Christi USA

Terry Rockefeller
September 11th Families For Peaceful Tomorrows

Samina Sundas, Founding Executive Director
American Muslim Voice

David Swanson
AfterDowningStreet.org

Carmen Trotta
Catholic Worker

Nancy Tsou, Coordinator
Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice

Jose Vasquez, Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War

Kevin Zeese
Voters for Peace

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/afghanistan301109p.html

[freddie mertz]

1. I hope people will read and think about this, and we can avoid...

The usual barrage of accusations and mudslinging.

For once.

[HamdenRice]

2. They need to hold a rally!!1 Anti-war, pro-Palestinian, Vegan, Abortion, Global Warming, Ozone hole

Animal Rights, anti-factory farm, Socialist Worker, anti-Zionist, Latvian unions, Guatemalan peasant, Brazil rainforest, Congo rainforest pygmy male war rape victims, anti-AFL-CIO, polar bear, anti-nuke rally -- you know the kind of rally they always hold, which enables them to get across their undiluted message!!1

Because every time they do that, they have a HUGH impact on public consciousness of the war!!11

Every time!!11!!

[Name removed]

5. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freddie mertz]

8. There goes my hope for rational discourse.

Post number 2. Never had a chance.

[ShortnFiery]

3. KnR eom

[jefferson_dem]

4. Good for them.

...not that this statement will change anything.

EDIT: "...as nonviolent peace activists, to build the kind of massive movement -- which today represents the sentiments of a majority of the American people..."

It's a shame that outlandish assertions like this one above make a mockery out of legitimate war opponents.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

6. K&R I for one will be out there with them n/t

[Better Believe It]

7. Poster(s) # 2,4,7,9 and 10 are on ignore for either stalking or personal attacks against DU'ers

It she/he/they/it cleans up their act they might be taken off ignore sometime in the future .... about the same time U.S. troops are brought home from Afghanistan ..... in 2017, 2021, or 2039.

[dionysus]

9. you're pathetic.

[HamdenRice]

10. So you've put yourself on ignore?

:silly:

[Cha]

15. Not a bad idea considering all the

bullshit attacks he posts on the President.

[AVID]

13. dude..if you can't handle a little objection, you're in the wrong racket.

[Better Believe It]

14. I've only put posters on ignore who mainly engage in personal attacks against DU'ers.

The overwhelming majority of people who don't agree with me on issues have not been and won't be put on ignore.

Just those that have refused to engage in civil debate and who in the past insisted on mainly posting personal attacks and trash talk have been put on ignore.

Do you really think I should take posters who have repeatedly engaged in such disruption off my ignore list?

If they clean up their act, I might do that.

I may take a look at their posts some time in the future to see if they have abandoned their trash talk MO.

If they'd rather engage in personal attacks and trash talk I'm sure they can find a trash talk board that meets their low requirements. DU is not that kind of board.

[HamdenRice]

16. Where are the personal attacks in this thread? Are you United for Peace & Justice?

Is that what you're saying? Any attack on that famously incompetent and ineffective so called anti war organization is a personal attack on you?

[Thrill]

11. Too Late.

[AVID]

12. Duh...what did you expect them to say? Hip-hip-horray!!!

[avalonofmists]

17. He kept his promise of sending 2 brigades. Not he is uping his promises.........

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/134/send-two-additional-brigades-to-afghanistan/r

Obama orders brigades to Afghanistan

Updated: Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

President Obama issued an order Feb. 17, 2009, to send two additional brigades to Afghanistan.

"This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires," Obama said.

He also recognized "the extraordinary strain that this deployment places on our troops and military families. I honor their service, and will give them the support they need."

Obama often said during the campaign that Afghanistan required more troops and attention than it was receiving from the Bush administration. (Read our previous campaign coverage .) Obama said the United States "had taken our eye off the ball" by invading Iraq instead of concentrating on Afghanistan.

"Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need — and deserve," Obama said in a speech on Aug. 1, 2007. "As a result, parts of Afghanistan are falling into the hands of the Taliban, and a mix of terrorism, drugs and corruption threatens to overwhelm the country. As president, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to reinforce our counterterrorism operations and support NATO's efforts against the Taliban."

In his Feb. 17 action, Obama said he would deploy a Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the spring of 2009 and an Army Stryker Brigade with support troops by the summer. That's two, just as he said he would. Promise Kept.

Finally, we want to note that our ruling here only covers Obama's pledge to send two brigades. We'll use Promise No. 148 to rate whether he equips them properly .

Sources:

White House Web site, Statement by the President on Afghanistan , Feb. 17, 2009

PolitiFact.com, Obama ballyhoos Afghan stance , July 22, 2008

[Better Believe It]

18. Well, this is good news and it's time to protest again

[Echo In Light]

19. K&R

[LWolf]

20. K & R nt