November, 30 2009, 09:06am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace 419-360-3621
Michael McPhearson, Exec. Dir., Veterans for Peace 314-303-8874
United Anti-War Movement Tells Obama: No Escalation!
Letter ties economic pain at home to suffering in Afghanistan Urges widespread, massive protests day after announcement
WASHINGTON
On November 30th, representatives of 34 antiwar groups delivered an
open letter to President Obama strongly opposing his anticipated decision to
escalate the war in Afghanistan with the commitment of tens of
thousands of additional U.S. troops.
The
document called increased war spending, in light of the ongoing U.S. economic
crisis, an "utter folly" and named the war "a war against ordinary
people, both here in the United States and in Afghanistan," which "if
continued, will result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of U.S. troops
and untold thousands of Afghans"and "cause other people in other lands
to despise the U.S." as "the world's richest nation making war on one of
the world's very poorest."
The
signatories pledged "to keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way
possible. We will urge elected representatives to cut all funding for war.
Some of us will be led to withhold our taxes, practice civil resistance, and
promote slowdowns and strikes at schools and workplaces."
Signed
by veterans and peace activists and religious leaders the document represents
one of the most widespread antiwar coalitions in decades, including many of the
organizations which, in 2003, brought millions onto the streets to oppose the
U.S.-Iraq war.
Signers to the letter
are urging their colleagues to participate in local demonstrations the day after
an announcement of troop escalations is made.
The letter ends by warning
President Obama, "we will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace
activists, to build the kind of massive movement -- which today represents the
sentiments of a majority of the American people - that will play a key role in
ending U.S. war in
Afghanistan. Such is the folly
of your decision and such is the depth of our opposition to the death and
suffering it will cause."
###
President
Barack Obama
The White
House
Washington, D.C.
November
30, 2009
Dear
President Obama,
With
millions of U.S. people feeling the fear and desperation of no longer having a
home; with millions feeling the terror and loss of dignity that comes with
unemployment; with millions of our children slipping further into poverty and
hunger, your decision to deploy thousands more troops and throw hundreds of
billions more dollars into prolonging the profoundly tragic war in Afghanistan
strikes us as utter folly. We believe this decision represents a war against
ordinary people, both here in the United
States and in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan, if continued, will result in the
deaths of hundreds if not thousands of U.S. troops, and untold thousands of
Afghans.
Polls
indicate that a majority of those who labored with so much hope to elect you as
president now fear that you will make a wrong decision -- a tragic decision that
will destroy their dreams for America. More tragic is the price of
your decision. It will be paid with the blood, suffering and broken hearts of
our young troops, their loved ones and an even greater number of Afghan men,
women and children.
The
U.S. military claims that
this war must be fought to protect U.S. national security, but we believe it is
being waged to expand U.S. empire in the interests of oil
and pipeline companies.
Your
decision to escalate U.S.
troops and continue the occupation will cause other people in other lands to
despise the U.S. as a menacing military power
that violates international law. Keep in mind that to most of the peoples of the
world, widening the war in Afghanistan will look exactly like
what it is: the world's richest nation making war on one of the world's very
poorest.
The war
must be ended now. Humanitarian aid programs should address the deep poverty
that has always been a part of the life of Afghan people.
We will
keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way possible. We will urge elected
representatives to cut all funding for war. Some of us will be led to withhold
our taxes, practice civil resistance, and promote slowdowns and strikes at
schools and workplaces.
In short,
President Obama, we will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace
activists, to build the kind of massive movement --which today represents the
sentiments of a majority of the American people--that will play a key role in
ending U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Such would
be the folly of a decision to escalate troop deployment and such is the depth of
our opposition to the death and suffering it would cause.
Sincerely,
(Signers names listed in alphabetical order)
Jack
Amoureux, Executive Committee
Military
Families Speak Out
Michael
Baxter
Catholic
Peace Fellowship
Medea
Benjamin, Co-founder
Global
Exchange
Frida
Berrigan
Witness
Against Torture
Elaine
Brower
World
Can't Wait
Leslie
Cagan, Co-Founder
United for
Peace and Justice
Tom
Cornell
Catholic
Peace Fellowship
Matt
Daloisio
War
Resisters League
Marie
Dennis, Director
Maryknoll
Office for Global Concerns
Robby
Diesu
Our
Spring Break
Pat
Elder, Co-coordinator
National
Network Opposing Militarization of Youth
Mike
Ferner, President
Veterans
For Peace
Joy
First, Convener
National
Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Sara
Flounders, Co-Director
International
Action Center
Sunil
Freeman
ANSWER
Coalition, Washington,
D.C.
Diana
Gibson, Coordinator
Multifaith
Voices for Peace and Justice
Jerry
Gordon, Co-Coordinator
National
Assembly To End Iraq and
Afghanistan Wars and
Occupation
Rabbi
Lynn Gottlieb
Shomer
Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence
David
Hartsough
Peaceworkers
San
Francisco
Mike
Hearington, Steering Committee
Georgia
Peace and Justice Coalition, Atlanta
Larry
Holmes, Coordinator
Troops
Out Now Coalition
Mark
C. Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Fellowship
of Reconciliation
Hany
Khalil
War
Times
Kathy
Kelly, Co-Coordinator
Voices
for Creative Nonviolence
Leslie
Kielson , Co-Chair
United
for Peace and Justice
Malachy
Kilbride
National
Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Adele
Kubein, Executive Committee
Military
Families Speak Out
Jeff
Mackler, Co-Coordinator
National
Assembly to End Iraq and
Afghanistan Wars and
Occupations
Imam
Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair-Elect
World
Parliament of Religion
Michael
T. McPhearson, Executive Director
Veterans
For Peace
Gael
Murphy, Co-founder
Code
Pink
Michael
Nagler, Founder
Metta
Center
for Nonviolence
Max
Obuszewski, Director
Baltimore
Nonviolence Center
Pete
Perry
Peace
of the Action
Dave
Robinson, Executive
Director
Pax Christi USA
Terry
Rockefeller
September
11th
Families
For Peaceful Tomorrows
Samina
Sundas, Founding Executive Director
American
Muslim Voice
David
Swanson
AfterDowningStreet.org
Carmen
Trotta
Catholic
Worker
Nancy
Tsou, Coordinator
Rockland
Coalition for Peace and Justice
Kevin
Zeese
Voters
for Peace
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