AFGHANISTAN
Week of Action
May 23-27, 2011
Veterans For Peace is joining groups around the country in mobilizing
our members to demand that Congress end the war in Afghanistan. The
National Defense Authorization Act is scheduled to be on the floor in
the House the week of May 23; we expect that several key amendments that
could help end the U.S. war in Afghanistan will come up. We believe
that two of these amendments are extremely critical: Rep.
McGovern/Jones’ Exit Strategy Bill, H.R. 1735 and Rep. Garamendi’s troop withdrawal amendment.
While it is not yet clear if both will be brought to the floor, we must
ensure our members of Congress know that this war is unacceptable.
Take Action: Tell your member of Congress to vote “yes” on amendments that will help end the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
The U.S. war in Afghanistan was launched only weeks after 9/11,
presumably to get the perpetrators of that terrible attack. Now, almost
ten years later, it is the longest war in U.S. history, has cost half a
trillion dollars, killed 1,580 Americans and tens of thousands of
Afghans. Although Osama bin Laden is dead and there are less than 100
members of al Qaeda left in Afghanistan—not enough to make up a decent
marching band—the war goes on. Administration officials openly talk
about continuing military operations through 2014 and beyond. President
Obama has said that the upcoming July withdrawal will not be a “token
gesture,” but the Pentagon is pushing back hard, advocating withdrawing
as few as 10,000, mostly “non-combat”, troops. We will not be fooled by a symbolic withdrawal.
Veterans For Peace has known from the beginning that Afghanistan was not
“the good war,” and has been opposed to this illegal, immoral, and
unwinnable war from the outset. The majority of Americans now
understand what we have known all along and are demanding that Congress
end this horrible waste of lives and treasure. Our push for withdrawal
is gaining momentum.
TAKE ACTION: This week we need you to add your
personal voice to that call; Tell your member of Congress a token
withdraw is unacceptable.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Call your representative today at 1-800-427-8619. Ask your
Representative to support the legislation that will help end the war.
The more members of Congress that go on the record to end the war in
Afghanistan, the more pressure there will be on the administration to
end the war.
2. Write a Letter to the Editor. The Letters to the Editor
section is one of the most widely read sections of the newspaper, and
can help shape the opinions of both the public and policy makers.
Congressional staffers search newspapers looking for their boss’ name so
it is a good idea to include your representative’s name in the body of
the letter.
3. Use Social Media. Use Facebook and twitter to help us to
send this message to the White House: Facebook: “President Obama: It's
time to exit Afghanistan. Time is money ($10 billion/month) and it's
time to stop wasting it. It's time to bring the troops home.”
1. Post the above message and these instructions as your Facebook status
2. Change your profile picture to this: http://tinyurl.com/3zhvp26
Twitter: @BarackObama: This is the year. #Time2exit #Afghanistan. $10 billion a month for an endless war?
Thank you for taking action!