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Below is a letter, signed by peace groups across the country, expressing opposition to the 2009 Supplemental. We wish to express our appreciation to those members of Congress who have voted against this ill-advised measure.
Granting the White House one more year to prove its military strategy may appear to be the moderate course, but it is fraught with danger to our own soldiers and to the people of Afghanistan. It takes little imagination to picture the scene one year from now, when there will be more civilian ‘mistake’ deaths, more U.S. soldiers will have died, and the conflict and chaos in the country will prove even more serious. We think it likely, in this scenario, that U.S. disengagement in Afghanistan will become more rather than less difficult.
We greatly appreciated the efforts of the Progressive Caucus in opposing the Bush military policies in Iraq. We wish to urge, once again, that the Members of this Caucus oppose this 2009 spending bill, which constitutes a clear Congressional endorsement of an escalated war in Afghanistan.
TAKE ACTION BELOW
REGARDING THE 2009 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS
Dear Progressive Caucus Member:
The undersigned organizations and concerned individuals have worked closely with the Progressive Caucus to prevent and to end the Iraq War. We appreciate your leadership on this issue and your continued efforts to ensure the removal of all U.S. troops from the country. We are also grateful for all that the Caucus, collectively and individually, has already done to speak out against the widening war in Afghanistan, which contradicts both our national security and our national values.
At this critical moment, your continued leadership to help reverse the downward spiral of the security situation in Afghanistan is urgently required. We urge you to oppose the expansion of the war in Afghanistan; require the Obama administration to present and implement an exit strategy; and to press for a greater investment in Afghan-led development efforts and regional diplomacy to stabilize the country.
We also urge you to press for an immediate end to U.S. air raids that continue to kill and maim Afghan civilians and destroy Afghan property. What is euphemistically termed 'collateral damage' not only takes civilian lives but also inflames Afghans' hostility to the U.S. and wins new supporters for the Taliban. According to the UN Assistance Mission, U.S. strikes produced 64% of all civilian deaths caused by the U.S., NATO, and Afghan forces in 2008. Just this week, 'collateral damage' from U.S. air strikes took another 100 innocent lives, according to Afghan officials.
Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of State Clinton, National Security Advisor Jones, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mullen, and even President Obama himself, have each acknowledged that the internal conflict in Afghanistan cannot finally be won by military means. They have publicly agreed that it will have to be won--if it can--by dramatic improvements in the economy, the political system, government services, and the courts.
The President's FY 2009 supplemental funding request would clearly widen the war in Afghanistan. We urge Congress to restructure the package to focus funding on the expanded diplomacy, development assistance, and international cooperation that are key to ending these conflicts and promoting a stable peace in the wider region. To defeat the Taliban and stabilize the country, the U.S. must enable the Afghan people to develop public services and an effective justice system essential to create political stability and support for the government; to develop agricultural alternatives to drug crops; and to root out corruption.
Given these objectives, the ratio of military to non-military funding in the Administration's $83.4 billion supplemental budget makes little sense. More than 90% of the funds allocated for Afghanistan in the supplemental is for an escalation of war-fighting by U.S. military units. It would widen--not wind down--the war there. That contradicts the Administration's own admission about how the 'war' will be won or lost.
President Obama has agreed that the U.S. must convince Afghans we have "no interest or aspiration to be there over the long term." Yet our troop escalation, increased operational tempo, and expansion of large bases suggests just the opposite.
In light of these concerns, we believe that the Congress should restructure the supplemental spending in several critical ways:
Now is the time to reverse direction in Afghanistan so that the U.S., as President Obama envisioned, "forge a hard-earned peace" there.
Progressive Democrats of America
United For Peace and Justice
CODEPINK
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Peace Action
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
New Internationalism Project, IPS
MADRE
Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Just Foreign Policy
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Global Exchange
Green Party of the U.S.
Voters For Peace
9th(MA) Coalition for Peace
AfterDowningStreet.org
Arizona Alliance for Peace and Justice
Arlington/Lexington United for Justice with Peace
Baltimore United For Peace and Justice
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian and Universalists' Social Justice Committee
Bloomington Peace Action Coalition (Bloomington, IN)
Brooklyn For Peace
California Congressional District #1 Accountability Project
Cambridge United for Justice with Peace
Cape Codders For Peace & Justice
Central Colorado Coalition on the Iraq War
Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War (NYC)
Colombia Support Network
Columbus Campaign for Arms Control
Community Alliance of Lane County
Connie Hogarth Center For Social Action, Manhattanville College
The Declaration of Peace
De Kalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice
Democrats.Com
Democratic World Federalists
Dorchester People for Peace (Boston, Massachusetts)
DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving
End the War Coalition - Phoenix
Eugene PeaceWorks
Flatbush for Peace
Fort Greene Peace
Fox Valley Peace Coalition
Generations for Peace (Homewood, IL)
Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition/Atlanta
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Gold Star Families for Peace & MFSO
Grandmothers Against the War (SF/Bay Area)
Historians Against the War
H.S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Initiative - Colorado
IUCC Advocates for Peace and Justice
Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War
Kansas Progressive Caucus
Lafayette Area Peace Coalition
LEPOCO Peace Center (Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Lincoln Park Neighbors United for Peace
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
Martha's Vineyard Peace Council
Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County, NJ Chapter
Mid-Missouri Peaceworks
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
North Manhattan Neighbors for Peace and Justice
North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice
North Suburban Peace Initiative
Oak Park Coalition for Truth and justice
Office of the Americas
Oregon WAND
Orlando Peace and Justice
Palisadans for Peace
PDA Arizona
PDA California
PDA Florida
Peace & Justice Center (Arlington, TX)
Peace & Justice Center (Vermont)
Peace Action New York State
Peace Action Wisconsin
Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois
Peace NO War Network
Peace Action Montgomery
PeaceMajority Report
Philipstown for Democracy - Garrison, NY
Plymouth Vigil for Peace of Plymouth, Mass.
Portland (Oregon) Chapter - War Resister's League
Progressive Librarians Guild
Rock River Peace & Justice Group, Wisconsin
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
School of the Americas Watch
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Silicon Valley Accountability Coalition
Somerville/Medford (MA) United for Justice with Peace
Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War
St. Louis Instead of War Coalition
Students for Peace and Justice
Teaneck Peace and Justice Coalition
The Flames of Discontent
TN PeaceRoots Alliance
Topanga Peace Alliance
Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Focus on Iraq
UFPJ Bay Area
United for Justice with Peace
United for Peace of Pierce County (Tacoma, WA)
US Peace Council
U.S. Citizens Against War - Florence
U.S. Citizens for Peace and Justice - Rome
Veterans For Peace Chapter 021 New Jersey
Veterans For Peace Chapter 31 Philadelphia Area
War Times
Washington Peace Center
Watertown (MA) Citizens for Environmental Safety
West Michigan Climate Action Network
Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation
WILPF - Santa Cruz
WI Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition
Winona Area Peacemakers
Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice
Wisconsin Resources Protection Council
Women in Black Phoenix
Published by After Downing Street.org.
The House is about to vote on another supplemental spending bill for continued and escalated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (without any exit strategy for Afghanistan whatsoever--having refused to include that amendment). We're not accustomed to winning in our efforts to block war money, but the Democratic leadership has delayed the vote out of concern that we will--and is resorting to accusing Republicans of "not supporting the troops". Here are three reasons to join with the peace movement in asking your representative to vote No: This bill funds illegal and immoral wars; it funds the IMF; and it bans the release of torture photos and videos from the Bush-Cheney years. Republicans may vote No because of reason #2 (good for them!) and 41 Democrats have signed a letter from Rep. Maxine Waters asking for good changes to #2 (good for them! but why monkey around with a war bill?). Democrats may try to get reason #3 removed (good for them! but why monkey around with a war bill?). The "leadership" may stick in a cash-for-clunkers measure or other bribe to get "progressives" to vote for the war money (measures that could be passed on their own). (Apparently 27 Dems want to be bribed with mass transit funding.) But what we need are No votes on the war funding, no matter which other outrages or good measures are attached to it.
Call your Representative and urge them to vote no: 202-224-3121.
Whip list here with contact info and updates.
Another list here (FireDogLake).
Email your Rep here (Voters for Peace).
Robert Naiman has been blogging about this at Just Foreign Policy, and so has Digby at Hullabaloo, and Glenn Greenwald at Salon, and Nick Baumann at Mother Jones, and Jason Rosenbaum at the Seminal, and Dday at D-Day, and Howie at Down With Tyranny.
Taylor Marsh loves wars but opposes the protect-the-torturers measure.
United for Peace and Justice is fully on board opposing war funding.
Declaration of Peace has sent out alerts.
CODE PINK has sent two alerts already.
Progressive Democrats of America is about to blog on this - maybe, and has been opposing it in recent months. Here's PDA's Action Page on McGovern's bill for an exit strategy.
World Can't Wait says they will oppose it.
Peace Action opposes the supplemental, and says they've sent several alerts, but is predicting failure.
MIA but expected to join in any moment: The Out of Iraq Caucus, True Majority, Win Without War, Moveon.org, Open Left, David Sirota, TPM, Campaign for America's Future, and the Center for American Progress.
Military Families Speak Out just asked the president to end the wars and so, presumably, will ask Congress as well.
Declaration of Peace was on board with this a month ago and should be still.
Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War have always opposed war funding and should do so now.
These Democrats voted No last time:
Baldwin
Capuano
Clarke
Cohen
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Doggett
Edwards (MD)
Ellison
Farr
Filner
Frank (MA) -- has told reporters he'll switch and vote yes now, and also said he'll vote No if photos ban included
Grayson
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Honda
Inslee
Kagen
Kaptur
Kucinich
Lee (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren, Zoe
Markey (MA)
Massa
Matsui
McDermott
McGovern
Michaud
Miller, George -- has told reporters he'll switch and vote yes now
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Payne
Pingree (ME)
Polis (CO)
Schakowsky
Serrano
Shea-Porter
Speier
Thompson (CA)
Tierney
Towns
Tsongas
Velázquez
Waters
Watson
Weiner
Welch
Woolsey
These Democrats did not vote last time:
Delahunt
Sánchez, Linda T.
Stark
Tanner
These Democrats have newly told us they'll vote No this time:
Jim Moran
Louise Slaughter--No if photos ban included
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