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Open Letter to Our World Leaders
Dear Mr Obama, Mrs Clinton, Mr Petraeus, Mr Rasmussen, and all our world leaders,
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
Like yourselves, we couldn't live without the love of our family and friends.
We were hurt by your criticism of Mr Karzai for voicing the people's anguished pleas, “Stop your night raids.”
Please, stop your night raids.
If you could listen, you would have heard 29 NGOs in Afghanistan describe how we now have “Nowhere to Turn”.
If you could listen, you would also have heard Mr Karzai and the 29 NGOs express concern over your Afghan Local Police plan; the world will henceforth watch our militia killing the people, your people and our people, with your weapons and your money.
If you could listen, you would have heard the sound of your drones crystallizing the nights of hatred among the Afghan, Pakistani and global masses.
Instead, we hear your determination to “awe, shock and firepower‟ us with Abrams tanks. We hear distant excitement over your new smart XM25 toy, a weapon you proudly proclaim will leave us with “nowhere to hide‟.
Nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide.
Your actions have unfortunately dimmed our hopes that we the people could turn to you. Along with our Afghan war-makers, you are making the people cry.
Yet, we understand. You are in the same trap we're in, in a corrupt, militarized mania. Love is how we're asking for peace, a love that listens, and reconciles.
And so, we invite you to listen to the people of Afghanistan and to world public opinion on the Global Day of Listening to Afghans, to be internet-broadcast from Kabul this December.
It is time to listen broadly and deeply to both local and overseas Afghan civil groups and the numerous alternative solutions they have proposed for building a better socio-political, economic and religious/ideological future for Afghanistan.
We have shared the pain of our American friends who lost loved ones on September 11, by speaking with and listening to them.
Though, if the world could listen like these American friends did, the world would know that few Afghans have even heard about September 11 and that no Afghans were among the 19 hijackers. The world would have heard our yearnings as we were punished over the past 9 years.
If the world could listen, they would know how much we detest the violence of the Taliban, our warlords, any warlord, or any bullet-digging finger-trophy troops.
And now, for at least another four more years, we will grieve over souls who you are unwilling to “count‟ and we are unwilling to lose.
It is extra painful to us and to your troops because clearly, there are non-violent and just alternatives.
We understand the pain of financial hardships but try telling an Afghan mother about to lose her child or a soldier about to take his life that the only way their illiterate and angry voices can ruffle the posh feathers of our world leaders is when it disturbs not their human or truth deficit, but their trillion dollar economic deficits. How do we explain that without denuding ourselves of human love and dignity?
What more can we say?
How else can we and our loved ones survive?
How can we survive with hearts panicking in disappointment while perpetually fleeing and facing a “total‟ global war, a war that wouldn't be questioned even in the crude face of a thousand leaks?
We would survive in poverty, we may survive in hunger, but how can we survive without the hope that Man is capable of something better?
We sincerely wish you the best in your lives.
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
!سالمت باشین
Salamat bAsheen!
Be at peace!
Meekly with respect,
The Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers
22 Comments so far
Show Allhttp://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/2010/10/why-not-listen/
Why not listen?
Thanks for publicizing this, CD.
Are such "open letters" actually mailed to the leaders thay are "addressed" to?
Or is is jsut a rhetorical gimmick?
Either way, what is the point? The "leaders" ignore them, and will continue to ignore them, until there are "leaders" no more.
Revolution!
So how come this 'plea for peace' does not mention anywhere the original legitimate government of Afghanistan BEFORE the U.S invasion? You know, the one we overthrew?
In fact, this article seems to paint the previous government of Afghanistan as "detested", which would seem to imply after the fact consent for the U.S invasion.
I can't be the only one to notice things like this. Once again people, I hate to say this, but it is the height of hypocrisy to decry violence committed in your land while offering suggestions as to how the violence could 'correctly' be carried out.
Violence begets violence. Whoever the "Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers" are they don't seem to be too willing to negotiate with the party overthrown by ILLEGAL force, (the Taliban) which seems to place them in the camp of all those "feminist" Afghan leaders who oh-so-conveniently need foreign protection to be liberated, cause they are soooo loved by the native population.
Which of course justifies everything, eh?
Bull.
Talk to the Taliban. Find out what they want. Otherwise shut up and get out. Nothing else will end this. God how stupid are some people?
In case you've forgotten your history, given the ability of MSM to erase historical contexts:
The previous government (the Taliban) was NOT really legitimate as it took power by force although it was largely with the support of a population that was tired of various ethnic factions and warlords' private armies running roughshod over them, raping and kidnapping women and girls and boys and pillaging. The Taliban filled a horrendous vacuum created by the same warlords who now hold all too many seats in the Afghan parliament and throughout the country -- corrupt killers and rapists with blood on their hands. And warlords who brought back opium production to levels previously unknown in that region. The west says the Taliban is profiting from poppy crops, but when the Taliban were in power they stopped the opium trade and now Afghanistan is the world's leading supplier of the raw material for heroin.
But don't make the mistake of calling the Taliban the legitimate government just because the US and its lapdogs overthrew them. The Taliban brought draconian laws and order to a country writhing in chaos long,long after the departure of the last Soviet batallion. So go back in history, to the secular parliamentary government that replaced the last king, and then to the Communist government that followed and faced an insurrection by the medieval tribesmen and landlords who rejected land reform and women's rights and secularism. That's when Zbigniew Brzezinski crafted the brilliant trap to bleed the Soviet Union by arming the mujaheddin with rocket launchers and other advanced weapons. Those so-called freedom fighters were managed by CIA agents and possibly Pakistani assets. The Communist government asked for Soviet help in crushing the rebels who were being armed by the west. The only freedom the mujaheddin were fighting for was the freedom to continue oppressing peasants and denying women the rights they enjoyed under the previous modern governments. Then it became a "war of liberation" from the Soviet invaders. Under Presidents Carter and Reagan the warlords flourished along with the influx of foreign islamists who came to fight the Communist "Satan".
Well, it's been blowback time ever since that war ended and radical islamists started plotting against the U.S., so Clinton bombed suspected al-Qaeda compounds in the mid-1990s killing hundreds of family members of the fighters, and Osama swore revenge.
Why are we still there, burning more and more oil and contaminating the whole region with depleted uranium and toxic chemicals and destroying the fabric of what's left of the society in order to murder suspected "taliban" (read: men and boys fighting against a foreign occupation force)? Why is the US dropping millions of $$ a day down that rabbit hole instead of bailing out the homeless and the unemployed and supporting public health systems and public schools and keeping bridges and roads and dams from collapsing stateside? Why should Canada and other NATO patsies continue to burden their population with the cost of that occupation, assassinating civilians or building schools that will be destroyed in a week because they represent foreign interference?
(Better still: Why the hell do we still have to be asking these questions nine years into this crazy war?)
Right On!
Exactly! The only ligitimate government I ever saw in Afghanistan was the progressive parliamentary one that was was attacked by the US-sponsored Islamicist extremists and defended by the Soviets.
I understand that, in a recent interview by a British Journalist, that the "new" Taliban, while still quite conservative-Islamicist, is somewhat more moderate than the old Taliban.
What predictable blather. Oh yes you are the judge of all legitimacy. What arrogance.
"Bull. Talk to the Taliban"
Are you familiar with talking to the Taliban? I suggest you go over to Afghanistan, bring some gifts, and try getting to know them, and talk to them yourself. You might learn a thing or two.
"the original legitimate government of Afghanistan"
"In fact, this article seems to paint the previous government of Afghanistan as "detested""
Let us know what you find out after your research. I have a feeling you won't be living long enough to be able to correct the record of your previous statements.
These are not legit, or 'nice' guys. They are notoriously violent, religiously fundamentalist and exceedingly cruel to women. They are the product of the years and years of devastating warfare that has plagued that land, and reflect it. And they are an improvement over the Afghan warlords who oppose them, many of whom the US allied themselves during the beginning of this war.
Sadly, many Afghans see no other option than to either join with them, or else the foreign invaders, and so many join with the Taliban out of fear or desperation, though the Taliban are indeed detested by most reasonable-minded Afghans (as mentioned clearly in the above letter - its not a news article).
I hear you. We are not your enemies. Wars are being fought over control of diminishing resources and to further concentrate money and power. We are all victims of population pressures and of the rise of conservatism that feeds on us, spreads bestial greed and contaminates the rest with religion and money.
We need to create a protest event to eclipse all others. We need to join hands all across this sad country of ours in opposition to war mongering and war mongers everywhere.
To do this we need the leadership of those who are influential in the peace movement, progressives, writers, caring people everywhere. Why can't we finally do something to at least TRY and stop this madness?
Who isn't fed up with begging Obama and the Democrats, the Republicans, war mongers all (with rare exceptions)? Who isn't sick at heart at hearing on a daily basis about innocents killed - mostly children! We cannot go on like this without further degrading our shared humanity. It is our right and our responsibility as human beings to stop this insane, brutal quest for power and privilege.
Who isn't fed up with Obama and the Democrats? Plenty of people, if the latest polls are at all accurate.
For example, according to a Pew Research poll taken in October, 2010, 47% of the public would like to see Barack Obama run for reelection in 2012.
Democrats are apparently still in love with the guy: 83% would like to see Obama run for reelection.
The same poll indicates that 68% of Democrats disapprove of conducting major investigations of the Obama administration.
(The poll can be found online at http://people-press.org/report/668)
Aren't these Polling Companys owned by the same people who own the media?
The Pew Research Center is funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, which has a humongous endowment. I don't know if their polls are biased, but I don't know of any reason to believe that they are. And as I said, the results of the poll I mentioned are consistent with my impressions based on conversations with friends and acquaintances.
Just to be clear, my point is that I believe that Obama still has a great deal of support among Democratic voters, not that I think he deserves support. In fact, I would like to see him tried for war crimes, right alongside Bush, Cheney, and their cohorts.
Those are very troubling stats, John Mitchell. Even worse is that Common Dem readers with a little sense that things aren't as they should be will still likely capitulate out of abject fear and vote for Obama and the Dems come next election.
How do you tell the fearful that there are alternatives to the status quo? The winner-take-all aspect of U.S. elections is part of this racket, but if people continue to vote as they do, then we'll never be rid of these perpetual wars, which are supported solidly by the Dem/Repug duopoly. Without systemic change, more people in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan will die, not to mention U.S. soldiers. And all for nothing but profits.
-TIA
Thoughts_Into_Action, you asked "How do you tell the fearful that there are alternatives to the status quo?" I don't know the answer. Fear, whether overt or subliminal, seems to dominate the thought processes of most Americans these days.
If The American war crimes in Vietnam are any indication of Americans morals, it appears all they understand is body bags.
Americans in body bags.
"One dead American begets another dead American."
--David Halberstam
Dear Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, i am so with you. When i tell most people that there were no Afghans in the 9/11 attacks, they are surprised. They assume the attacks were perpetuated in Afghanistan, otherwise, why would we be blowing you and your country to bits? Duh. I don't care that you don't mention the previous government which we helped overthrow. Like we've done in so many other countries. Afterall, we know better how to run your country. You've always been ruled by tyrants and dictators that were never chosen by "the people."
This is what you and i have in common, Afghan brothers - we are both oppressed by governments whose strings are pulled by mafia-like, way too big corporations who supply toys and luxuries to the spoiled rich and who have always called the shots. Real democracy is still only in the imagination.
What we all must do now is own how those of us, mainly in the west, have helped get these folks where they/we are today. One would almost think the CEOs and their loved ones have an escape plan for when Earth burns up due to global warming. Oh, sorry, i forgot, it's called rapture. The savior will scoop them up out of their putrid bodies and whisk them to paradise. Boy is it ever time to abandon the idea of saviors. Saviors are popular with powerless, spoiled people. It is only we who can save us.
randolfski,
FYI: An Afghani is a money unit. An Afghan is a person. If no one has clicked on the reply button and created a thread from your post, you can go in and edit that.
Very nice effort. Unfortunately, our "leaders" will not even hear about this letter. No one in their circle will know about it. No MSM "journalist" will mention this letter to them.
History is incredibly good at predicting the future. One can only conclude that if Afghan youth want the occupation to end, they're going to have to scare the occupiers shitless, until the last one of them escapes into the helicopter on the roof of the American "embassy" in Kabul.
A letter from the "good" children of God will never be read by the children from the "evil" children of Satan.
I find it interesting how the trolls amongst us jump on people begging to be let alone.
The average citizen will never see this plea for moderation.
Why?.....
I'm glad you asked. The invasion of Afghanistan was never to do with 9/11. The Taliban had rejected Unocal(Karzai was their rep) overtures to build a pipeline from Central Asia (google 'pipelanistan') as well as steal the gold and minerals of the country.
Our invasion and ongoing occupation is to steal the resources and build the pipeline. The U.S. Empire requires them to survive.