Spring is here, but the endless, pointless wars grind on. U.S. troops are preparing for an offensive in Afghanistan ‘s Helmand province. As people lose their homes, their jobs, and struggle to make ends meet; as teachers are laid off and libraries are closed across America ; money gushes into the war and military budgets.
Defund the Afghanistan Escalation!
National Call-in to Congress Days April 13-15
Some of us call members of Congress more often than we call our closest friends. And this week national peace organizations are asking you to call your Representatives and Senators yet again. We cannot be passive as President Obama breaks his promise that he would seek “No More Emergency War Funding.”
Message to Congress:
We urge you to vote against the $33 billion Supplementary spending bill to pay for the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and to require that the White House present a rapid, real and complete “exit plan” for ending the war.
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Make the Cost of War Clear
On April 15, it will be Tax Day once again. 28 cents out of every tax dollar goes to war, plus another 23 cents for past wars. Tax Day is a great opportunity for peace groups to reach out to our neighbors and remind them that our economy and public services are being starved to feed the Pentagon and military contractors.
Get a few friends and set up a table outside your Post Office after work on April 15, while people are rushing in to file their tax returns.
Hand antiwar passersby a cell phone and ask them to call their Congressperson (202-224-3121) then and there (see below).
Message to Congress: We urge you to vote against the $33 billion Supplementary spending bill to pay for the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and to require that the White House present a rapid, real and complete “exit plan” for ending the war.
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
5 Reasons why this is worth doing:
1) There are no signs that left to its own devices the Obama Administration is ending the war in Afghanistan any time soon.
2) The McChrystal counter-insurgency strategy is already not working, but Afghan civilians and US soldiers are paying the price.
3) As of now, any brake on the war must come from Congress.
4) Our calls make a difference. Before we did call-ins last month for the Kucinich resolution, only a handful of Representatives were prepared to vote in favor. Pressure from the grassroots brought that number to 65.
5) Even if we lose, a substantial “No” vote on the Supplemental and future budget requests will serve notice to the White House that they need to wind down the war, not escalate.
We need our voices to be louder, not weaker. Please make the call this week, and forward this message to your lists. And take this as an opportunity to contact good friends and urge them to call the Congress as well.
Peace,
United for Peace and Justice
Focus Attention on Congress – Jobs Not War!
On April 21, Brown Bag Lunch Vigils at congressional offices will continue, cosponsored with United for Peace and Freedom, Progressive Democrats of America, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, After Downing Street, and others. This month, our focus will be on stopping the Afghanistan supplemental appropriation. We’ll point out the Miller jobs bill, HR.4812, as a practical plan to create or save 1 million public sector and nonprofit jobs for $100 billion. Find a vigil near you or organize one.
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All good ideas but a total waste of time. No way will the fake war on terror end until the American people wake up and get mad enough to demand a honest investigation of 9/11/01. Civilized countries do not invade other countries to capture one man or to remove a leader. Until Americans understand they been had and force congress to begin war crime trials of Cheney/Rummy and the rest of the New Pearl Harbor gang, the fake war on terror will never end. Try looking at it with a open mind. Is this a real war or a never ending source of profit for private contractors? Is anything going on in Afghanistan that has anything to do with 9/11/01? Do you actually believe America is now or ever was in danger of being destroyed by a group of Muslim men? Oh and what kind of a dreamer thinks calling a politician would be of any benefit to anyone. This is going to take a Vietnam style protest, only far bigger.
i just called and left that message for Susan Davis. So now, at least one person has followed through and made a splash in the pool of outrageous and unfathomable spending going toward this non-public-supported war.