38 Antiwar Groups to Obama: No Escalation! Troops Home Now!

[Joanne98]

Cover letter to President Obama from Veterans For Peace, followed by the letter signed by representatives of 38 antiwar groups.



November 30, 2009



President Barack Obama

The White House

Washington, D.C.


Dear President Obama,


We are forwarding to you the accompanying letter from the leaders of 38 antiwar organizations, insisting that you turn from the path of war in Afghanistan before it is too late. The signatories write to express how strongly they and their constituents oppose any escalation in Afghanistan and how thoroughly any such action will alienate the American electorate, which takes this issue extremely seriously.


This is an historic document. Not in decades has the antiwar movement coalesced so completely around one demand, nor committed itself with such unanimity in determined resistance to the policy of a Presidential Administration. You will note that these same groups brought millions onto the streets before the U.S. war in Iraq , although at the time they lacked majority public support.


Now, with the U.S. population already majority-opposed to your intended actions, this coalition, uniting veterans, peace activists and religious leaders, urges you not to repeat President Johnson's mistake of committing the nation to a war he knew full well it could not win, persuaded by advisers that withdrawal was not, for him, an option. Withdrawal was the right option then, and it is the only option now.


Most Sincerely,


(signed)


Michael McPhearson, Executive Director

Veterans For Peace



Mike Ferner, President

Veterans For Peace




*******************



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 Austin, Antiwar.com


Michael Baxter, Catholic Peace Fellowship


Medea Benjamin, Co-founder, Global Exchange


Frida Berrigan, Witness Against Torture


Imam Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation


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


Kevin Martin, Exec. Director, Peace Action


Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair-Elect, World Parliament of Religion


Sheila Musaji, Editor, The American Muslim


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


Jose Vasquez, Executive Director, Iraq Veterans Against the War


Kevin Zeese, Voters for Peace




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http://www.opednews.com/articles/38-Antiwar-Groups-to-Obama-by-mike-ferner-091201-861.html

[Christa]

1. Pity he won't listen. nt

[madrchsod]

2. well it`s his war now...we`ll see what he does with it.