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CALL
Reps to co-sponsor H.ConRes.248. Info below. CD1 Tim Bishop: 631-696-6500 CD2 Steve Israel: 631-951-2210
CD3
Peter King: 516-541-4225 CD4 Carolyn McCarthy: 516-739-3008 CD5: Gary Ackerman: 718-423-2154
Please forward to others.
Published on Friday, March 5, 2010 by CommonDreams.org Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistanby Robert Naiman On Thursday, Ohio Representative
Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Con Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to
continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week. Original cosponsors of the
Kucinich resolution include John Conyers, Ron Paul, José Serrano, Bob Filner, Lynn Woolsey, Walter Jones, Danny Davis,
Barbara Lee, Michael Capuano, Raúl Grijalva, Tammy Baldwin, Tim Johnson, Yvette Clarke, Eric Massa, Alan Grayson, and
Chellie Pingree. The Pentagon doesn't want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon wants Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current military escalation, no questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a withdrawal timetable or an
exit strategy. Ideally, from the point of view of the Pentagon, Congress would fork over that money right away,
before the coming Kandahar offensive that the $33 billion is supposed to pay for, because you can expect a lot of bad news
out of Afghanistan in the form of deaths of American soldiers and Afghan civilians once the Kandahar offensive starts, and it would sure be awkward if all that bad news reached Washington while the $33 billion
was hanging fire. So it's a great thing that Rep. Kucinich and his 16 allies are forcing Congress to debate the
issue, and it would be even better if more Members of Congress would be urged by their constituents to support Kucinich's resolution. That would be a signal to the House leadership that continuation of the open-ended war
and occupation is controversial in the House, and the House leadership should not try to ram through $33 billion more for
the war on a fast-track without ample opportunity for debate and amendment. Every day the Afghanistan war continues
is another day on which the United States Government plays Russian Roulette with the lives of American soldiers and Afghan civilians. The British Government has more urgency than the U.S. government about ending the war - and is more supportive than the U.S. of a political solution to end the conflict
- because in Britain there is greater public outcry. If there were greater public and Congressional outcry in the U.S., we could be more like Britain, and get our
government on board the train to a political solution, instead of prolonging the war indefinitely.
Margaret Melkonian Co-Director LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives 38 Old Country Road Garden City, NY 11530 516-741-4360 Celebrating 25 Years of
Peacemaking on Long Island, 1985-2010
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All the best,
Mary Beth Moore, S.C. Co-Director
L. I. Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
www.longislandpeace.org
38 Old Country Rd.
Garden City, NY 11530
516-741-4360
Celebrating 25 years of peacemaking on
Long Island 1985-2010
A CALL TO SWIFTLY END THE U.S. WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Whereas, some strands of the great religious
and ethical traditions of our planet teach that war is never acceptable, and practically all our traditions, as well as the
modern international law that binds all nations, command that war must be used - if at all - only when absolutely necessary
in self -defense, and then with extreme care to use only the degree of violence necessary to halt an attacker; and
Whereas, the people and nation of Afghanistan, the abysmally poorest country in the world, pose no danger to the
United States; and
Whereas Al Qaeda, once headquartered in Afghanistan, is now dispersed in a many-centered
network in a number of countries, with very few operatives still in Afghanistan; and
Whereas, the US government's
policy and military strategy in Afghanistan is to impose a corrupt and illegitimate central government on a society for centuries
rooted in local and tribal governance, with a passionate opposition to foreign armies; and
Whereas, the
head of the Afghani "national government" has himself said it will be 15 to 20 years before that government and
its military are capable of achieving on their own the degree of control desired by the US military over a deeply decentralized
tribal society; and
Whereas, the announcement by President Obama that the withdrawal of American troops
from Afghanistan would "begin" in August 2011 not only had no date for the completion of withdrawal but has been
deeply undercut by subsequent assertions by key US officials and generals that even this "beginning" will depend
on conditions as they then exist; and
Whereas, the result of this US military intervention has been many deaths,
imprisonments, and tortures of Afghani civilians and therewith increasing rage and hatred toward the United States; and
Whereas, the US war in Afghanistan has brought about the deaths and maimings in body, mind, and soul of thousands
of Americans, and the recent decision of the US government to escalate the war will now multiply those deaths and maimings;
and
Whereas, the US war in Afghanistan has paralyzed and distorted US foreign policy in other, far more
crucial areas of the world; and
Whereas, the commitment of hundreds of billions of dollars to carry on this
war will prevent vital investments in efficient railroads, replacement of rotting sewers and water systems, renewal of education,
installation of a network of advanced renewable energy sources, green jobs, and other crucial needs of American society -
Therefore, be it resolved that The Interfaith Alliance – LI Chapter, Islamic Center of LI, Pax Christi
LI and The LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives call on the President and Congress of the United States · to bring swiftly and safely home all US troops and military, CIA, and associated contract personnel from Afghanistan; ·
to explore the possibility of working
with local and tribal leaders and with women's organizations for bringing grass-roots help to economic development; and · to redirect money now planned to support the war to meeting vital domestic American needs. Call to Swiftly End the U.S. War in Afghanistan, drafted by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center. Adopted The Interfaith
Alliance, Long Island Chapter, Islamic Center of Long Island, Pax Christi LI and Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives.
January 2010. _____________________________________________________________________________To sign on to Call to Swiftly End the U.S. War in Afghanistan, please reply to LI Alliance: longislandpeace@gmail.com or send to 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530Please make copies and distribute widely. Thank
you. Signatures will be delivered to Long
Island Congressional
Representatives on March 19, 2010. Name: Affiliation: Address: Email:
Phone: ******************************************************************************
War Is Not the Answer in Afghanistan!We'll deliver these petitions
to Congress in late March. To help us reach our goal of collecting 5,000 names or more, please send this
petition on to your friends and family. Your InformationEmail* First Name* Last
Name* Address
City State
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho
Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed
Forces Pacific ZIP Code* * Required
information The PetitionDear
Member of Congress, We, the undersigned, oppose U.S. escalation of the war in Afghanistan. Escalating war fighting risks
the lives of U.S. troops and Afghans. Moreover, this strategy will bring neither peace nor stability to Afghanistan. Peace
is possible through peaceful means in Afghanistan. We urge you to introduce a resolution to be attached to the $33
billion war “supplemental” funding bill which calls for an exit strategy to: - Begin withdrawal of U.S.
troops
- Halt offensive operations against the Taliban and focus on political reconciliation among all Afghan groups
- Engage
Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Iran and Pakistan; to promote reconciliation and regional security
- Channel
U.S. development aid through Afghan and multilateral organizations.
President Obama inherited the U.S. war in
Afghanistan, but he has chosen to expand it. We strongly disagree with the president’s decision to expand the war and
do not accept it. We want you, the members of Congress, to be the voice of your constituents on this issue.
PAX CHRISTI
…..REFLECTING PEACE & JUSTICE Strike against war, for without you no battles can be fought! Strike against manufacturing shrapnel and gas bombs and
all other tools of murder! Strike against preparedness that means death and misery to millions of human beings! Be not dumb,
obedient slaves in an army of destruction! Be heroes in an army of construction!—Helen Keller.
Untitled Document
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