[Afsckc-peacealert] Peace Alert - Call re $108 Billion War Supplemental Today!

Tue Jun 16 18:22:40 EDT 2009

Dear Peacemakers,

The House is scheduled to vote on the FY 2009 war supplemental bill later (today) Tuesday or Wednesday. The Supplemental  would provide $80 billion to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and another additional $26 billion for: "stabilization" efforts in the region, the International Monetary Fund, rebates for people who trade in gas-guzzling cars and flu control efforts.

The almost $80 billion for war funding would continue paying for waging the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan through September 30.

Tragically not enough U.S. citizens recognize that continued presence of U.S. and other foreign troops in Afghanistan:

*      strengthens and unites anti-U.S. elements within the Iraq, Afghanistan and the region;

*      makes diplomacy and cooperation by key regional players less likely Afghan people

*      And  - the longer we stay in Afghanistan the more Afghanis have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. presence - more Afghans now see the United States unfavorably than favorably (according to a series of ABC NEWS/BBC/ARD polls) favorability ratings of the U.S. presence have dropped 18-point this year alone.

See below for background and an Alert to contact your Congressperson Today! -Congressional Switchboard is 202-224-3121

Thanks for your commitment to peace!

Sincerely,

Ira Harritt

KC AFSC Program Coordinator

KC Iraq Task Force Co-chair

816 931-5256

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UPDATE on the Supplemental: CALL NOW!

<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6g3u76%2F%2FSJ3Y7HNq9q5zWfDmx1oLrxL0>Voting on the FY2009 Supplemental could come as early as tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16. But the House leadership still does not have the votes to pass it. Republicans are refusing to vote for the bill because it includes funds for the IMF. Therefore, in order to pass the bill, the House leadership needs to hold all those Democrats who voted YES the first time around and to convince at least 38 antiwar Democrats to change their votes.

Because of the great work of all of you around the country, many of these Representatives are standing firm, despite immense pressure from the White House. All members of Congress, however, need to hear from their constituents again today! The message is simple: to those who voted NO the first time, stay firm. And for those who voted YES, urge them to change their vote.

The number for the Congressional Switchboard is 202-224-3121. Be sure to pass this Action Alert on to others in your organization.

Please email us here<mailto:rustiandgael at unitedforpeace.org> if you get any information on your Representative's position.

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RESOURCES FOR USE:

Click here for the Supplemental text<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kOmvSNa1KzMPZXn0NDvtG%2FDmx1oLrxL0> on the House Appropriations Committee's website.

Click here for Robert Naiman's analysis<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hFlpP6h3rNg24u1PXEKvP%2FDmx1oLrxL0> -- and here for John Nichols' analysis<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hFlpP6h3rNjU8qmmM3avt%2FDmx1oLrxL0> -- of the Supplemental bill.

Clips from Robert Greenwald's Rethink Afghanistan:

EXCLUSIVE: Air Raid Victim Tells Obama to Leave Afghanistan at Once (Clip 1)
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1TO108GrNI<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BQ1Dec96TrPIQVgHBMWGSfDmx1oLrxL0>
RTA: http://rethinkafghanistan.com/cc1.php<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rernQkWtvjpxv0T2QxoiAvDmx1oLrxL0>

EXCLUSIVE: Starving Afghan Family Displaced by US Airstrike (Clip 2)
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duTqOf7u6yI<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wROprvjsUaqYbmuyEVrWCvDmx1oLrxL0>
RTA: http://rethinkafghanistan.com/cc2.php<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=N5OTD8VRigzAXbG4V6W5V%2FDmx1oLrxL0>

EXCLUSIVE: Afghan Children Left to Die After US Bombings (Clip 3)
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2pNQJ8x7k<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=frm25kVGeGAd8ZAk1JLLeK2fPIldYKzh>
RTA: http://rethinkafghanistan.com/cc3.php<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XQt%2FXhBqshNHl%2FCx2YplDfDmx1oLrxL0>

EXCLUSIVE: Afghan Refugee Describes Horror of US Bombings  (Clip 4)
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxFRhCkjWDg<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=l9v3eHgDOzWqX78Ojtfr4vDmx1oLrxL0>
RTA: http://rethinkafghanistan.com/cc4.php<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7oXCDich7DlzqeEKAtdHnvDmx1oLrxL0>
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Published on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by Huffington Post<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-andrews/congress-should-vote-no-o_b_216240.html>
Congress Should Vote No On War Funding Bill

by Tom Andrews

Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on yet another supplemental funding bill , this time providing nearly $80 billion to continue waging the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (the total bill is now at $106 billion). And, just like they have done repeatedly in years past, progressive Members of Congress should vote against this funding and end our nation's descent into a disastrous quagmire in Afghanistan.

As I've noted before<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-andrews/welcome-to-obamas-war_b_180165.html>, the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan unites our opponents<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/asia/27taliban.html?_r=1> within the country and region and makes cooperation by key regional players like Iran, Russia and China<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/opinion/13Gelb.html?_r=2&ref=opinion> far less likely with the prospect of tens of thousands of US troops on their border. As for those with the most at stake - Afghan people - over 80% oppose an escalation of American troops<http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/story?id=6787686&page=1> in their country.

This is why 51 Members of Congress voted against the supplemental war funding when it first appeared before the House in May. They recognized that ending the war in Afghanistan is an essential part of improving our national security and stabilizing central Asia, and acted out of that conviction. More> http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/16-10
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Published on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by Brave New Films<http://bravenewfilms.org/>
Take Action: Defeat the War Supplemental

We're on the verge of a huge victory for the antiwar movement. We have 36 of the 39 votes needed to defeat the war supplemental bill in the House tomorrow--only three votes to go!

Brave New Films has created a series of messages targeting specific states where pressure is needed most: Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Vermont, Virginia, Texas, California, and Arizona. If you live in one of those states or know someone who does, forward them the appropriate video and ask them to make a call.

Continue reading<http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=71220> →

 *   Watch the Videos: Three Votes Needed to Defeat the Supplemental<http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=71220>
 *   Take Action: Call Congress Using the Whip Tool<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/Supplemental>
 *   Havey: Why the War Supplemental Should Be Defeated<http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=71196>
 *   Hamsher: Updated Whip Count--We Have 36 of the 39 Needed<http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/06/15/updated-supplemental-whip-count-we-have-36-of-the-39-votes-we-need/>

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New AFSC Resource on Afghanistan

The Cost of War in Afghanistan
THE WAR IN CONTEXT
Seven years ago, the “global war on terror” began in Afghanistan as a military response to the
September 11 attacks. In March 2003, the United States also invaded Iraq. Today, US forces are
deeply mired in both countries with some 200,000 US troops in the region, of which 137,000
are in Iraq and about 40,000 in Afghanistan, with the Obama Administration requesting an
additional 21,000 troops.

Until now, the war in Iraq has attracted far more money, resources, and troops as well as public
attention and criticism. As the Obama Administration turns to Afghanistan, we need to ask ourselves:
Is this a “good” “war”?

More> http://www.afsc.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/79168

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