Voters for Peace – 2009-03-12 09:22:10
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/6850/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26851
The United States continues to find itself embroiled in two wars that are draining the strength of the country, already weakened by economic collapse and years of war. Iraq and Afghanistan present different challenges for the peace movement but both need our immediate attention.
We’ve taken action and we urge you to join us.
Afghanistan: Write your Member of Congress and urge they join the eight Democrats and Republicans asking President Obama to reconsider adding 17,000 troops to Afghanistan. Send a letter to your congressperson @ http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/6850/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26851.
The letter to Obama states “the goals of our seven year military involvement remain troublingly unclear, we urge you to reconsider such a military escalation.” The letter highlights that the Authorization for Use of Force in Afghanistan was “to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States.”
Congress did not authorize a counterinsurgency and a broader war that includes Pakistan. You can see the letter at http://votersforpeace.us/press/index.php?itemid=1188 .
Iraq: Join us in urging President Obama to more rapidly remove all troops, contractors and corporate interests in Iraq.
Voters for Peace has sent a letter to President Obama which expresses appreciation at the words “end the war in Iraq” coming from a US president. But the letter goes on to indicate that the U.S. troop “departure from Iraq in the Obama plan, the end of 2011, is exactly the same as the deadline set in the Status of Forces agreement negotiated by the Bush Administration.”
And, while a slow, gradual troop withdrawal will begin, there will continue to be 35,000 to 50,000 troops and 140,000 civilian mercenary contractors conducting counterinsurgency military operations for the next three years – longer than all of World War I. We urge withdrawal of all US military forces and all U.S. contractors from Iraq by the end of 2009 or sooner.
• You can see our letter at
http://votersforpeace.us/press/index.php?itemid=1189.
Iraq and Afghanistan are bleeding the human and financial resources of the United States to no positive ends. The wars, began by Bush, are controlling the direction of U.S. foreign policy. It is time for the new administration to take control of these wars by rapidly ending them.
Please join us in urging the president and Congress to end the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Thank you for taking action.
