[haw-info] call-in day to members of Congress this Wednesday, Sept. 30, against funds for war in Afghanistan

The following message is sent on behalf of legislative coordinator Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg and other members of the Steering Committee of Historians Against the War.

 

 

National Call-in Day:  No Timeline! No Exit Strategy! Stop the Funding!

Wednesday September 30

 

Congress Should Vote "No" on 2010 Military Budget! To reach the Washington Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121

 

Congress is steps away from passing a $625.8 billion 2010 Military Budget, including $128.2 billion to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through September 2010. 

 

So far the White House has offered no timetable and no "exit strategy" for Afghanistan. Instead General McChrystal and other military leaders are pressing for the addition of tens of thousands of new American troops and a commitment to remain in Afghanistan for years to come. 

 

All too evident is the original meaning of "a quagmire"—when every step taken to escalate a war makes it more difficult to leave. At this critical moment, constituents need to send a powerful message to their members of Congress that this dangerous course must be stopped. Our government should adopt an exit strategy from Afghanistan based on all-party talks, regional diplomacy, unconditional humanitarian aid and timelines for the near-term withdrawal of American and NATO combat troops. Congress must stop writing "blank-checks" for continued warfare! 

 

United for Peace and Justice, CODEPINK, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats for America, Just Foreign Policy, AfterDowningStreet and Voters for Peace (list still in formation) believe that a public outcry is vitally important now, when the Generals are pressuring the President and Congress to escalate a costly, humanly destructive and ultimately un-winnable war.

 

***On September 30 join the National Call-in Day and tell your Senators and Congressional Representatives to vote against the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. When making this call, tell them to stand firmly against escalation and to co-sponsor Congressman James McGovern's H.R. 2404 that would require President Obama to provide an "exit plan" from Afghanistan. For list of co-sponsors:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h2404/show

 

Growing numbers of Senators and Congressional Representatives have expressed concerns over US policy in Afghanistan. It is hypocritical to publicly raise so many questions, while funding the Pentagon for another year of war.

 

Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard: 202-224-3121.

Forward this message widely.

 

Sign "Afghanistan-A Petition to Take Action Against the War http://gopetition.com/online/30533/sign.html

 

For October days of protest:  http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

[haw-info] recent on-line articles of interest

To members and friends of Historians Against the War,

 

This is the second in a biweekly series of mailings of links to recent articles that provide historical background on HAW-relevant topics. Suggestions for inclusion are welcome: they can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.  Members of the working group for this project are listed below.

 

Sincerely,

Matt Bokovoy

Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg

Jim O'Brien

Maia Ramnath

Sarah Shields

 

 

 

"The United States in Afghanistan: Eight Years Later"

http://original.antiwar.com/gabriel-kolko/2009/09/23/the-united-states-in-afghanistan-eight-years-later

By Gabriel Kolko, antiwar.com, posted September 24

 

"No More Troops to Afghanistan"

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/09/22/no_more_troops_to_afghanistan/

By H. D. S. Greenway, Boston Globe, posted September 23

(historically based article by a mainstream foreign policy columnist)

 

"Us or Them in Afghanistan"

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175116/ann_jones_us_or_them_in_afghanistan_

By Ann Jones, TomDispatch.com, posted September 20

(not a historical article, strictly speaking, but an extraordinarily well-informed look at the "training" of Afghan soldiers and policement)

 

"Is Afghanistan Vietnam or Iraq? Arguing with Obama and Rubin"

http://www.juancole.com/2009/09/is-afghanistan-vietnam-or-iraq-arguing.html

By Juan Cole, Informed Comment (juancole.com), posted September 17

 

"A Bad Vietnam Lesson for Afghanistan"

http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2009/091709a.html

By Douglas Valentine, Consortium News, posted September 17

 

"Is America Hooked on War?"

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175115

By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted September 17

(steps back and looks at the militarized present as a distinct period in US history)

 

"How the Soviet Menace Was Hyped"

http://consortiumnews.com/2009/091509b.html

By Melvin A. Goodman, Consortium News, posted September 15

 

"A Hundred Holocausts: An Insider's Window Into U.S. Nuclear Policy

http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/20090910_a_hundred_holocausts_an_insiders_window_into_us_nuclear_policy

by Daniel Ellsberg, in Truthdig.com, posted September 10

 

"9/11's Living Monuments"

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175112/rebecca_solnit_9_11_s_living_monuments

By Rebecca Solnit, TomDispatch.com, posted September 10

 

"Entangled Giant"

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/23110

By Garry Wills, New York Review of Books, posted September 10

 

 

[haw-info] HAW Notes

To members and friends of Historians Against the War:

1.  The Peace History Society (PHS) has arranged with HAW to offer special on-line access to its journal, Peace and Change (including the current special issue on the Iraq War edited by Robert Shaffer).  For a 60-day period after registering, you will have free access to any Peace and Change articles.  (1) To register, go to http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/trial/pcsoc and create a username and password; (2) to access issues of Peace and Change after having registered, go to www.interscience.wiley.com and log in with username and password.  (Then click on "Publication Titles" in the Search area and specify Peace and Change.)  Information on joining PHS, which includes a subscription to Peace and Change, is at http://www.peacehistorysociety.org/membership.php.  Dues are $40/year (or $25/year for students, retirees, or unemployed).

 

2.  The HAW Steering Committee has adopted the following statement regarding the boycott of the January 2010 AHA convention in San Diego:

 

"In view of the boycott called by some GLBT organizations and UNITE HERE against the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego, the main convention hotel of the January 2010 AHA convention, the HAW Steering Committee resolves to hold any HAW events in other locations. The Steering Committee also urges individual HAW members and supporters who plan to attend the convention to book rooms in other hotels rather than at the Hyatt and, in general, avoid spending money at the Hyatt."

 

3.  Filmmaker Robert Greenwald's remarkable Rethink Afghanistan project (http://rethinkafghanistan.com) now includes six separate videos of 11 to 14 minutes each, which can be viewed on-line for free.  A DVD with all the videos included will be available as of October 5; ordering information, as well as links to the individual videos, is on the web site.

 

 

[haw-info] petition for ending the war in Afghanistan

The following statement, initiated by Tom Hayden, is being circulated for additional signatures at http://gopetition.com/online/30533/sign.html.  A list of the approximately fifty initial signers can be found on that web page.

 

 

 

Afghanistan - A Petition to Take Action Against the War

 

We, the undersigned peace and justice leaders, believe that the American military interventions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are deepening quagmires that threaten a Long War without end.

 

At the current rate of American deaths in Afghanistan, over 1,000 additional American soldiers will be killed in the next two years of "hard fighting" predicted by the Pentagon as the next phase of a ten year occupation. Another $130 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq now is being rushed through a sleeping Congress. An escalation of even more troops is pending.

 

Now is the time for an exit strategy to end these wars. The government of warlords, drug lords, and landlords we prop up in Kabul is losing more legitimacy by the day. A majority of Americans - including 70 percent from the majority party - now consider Afghanistan a mistake. Leading national security experts even deny that it's a necessary war.

 

If we do not decide to disengage at once, our dreams of domestic reform will be squandered by years of war budgets. Our dreams of clean energy will be buried in wars over oil and pipelines. The global good will extended to our new President will be jeopardized.

 

We understand how difficult it is to reverse a mistaken course. But that is the leadership we need, not one that continually escalates in order not to lose. We have been there.

 

- Our government should adopt an exit strategy from Afghanistan based on all-party talks, regional diplomacy, unconditional humanitarian aid, and timelines for the near-term withdrawal of American and NATO combat troops.

 

- The aerial bombardments of Afghan and Pakistan villages, like burning down haystacks to find terrorist needles, should end.

 

- Military spending should be reversed in Afghanistan to focus on food, medicine, shelter, the socio-economic needs of the poor, and the dignity of women and children.

 

- President Obama should keep his pledge to withdraw all troops from Iraq by 2011, and prevent American interference in the forthcoming Iraqi elections.

 

- The President should oppose any Israeli attack on Iran, which will only inflame the regional and global conflict.

 

Much as we were inspired by Barack Obama's election, we will not be taken for granted by the President and the Congressional majority. The historic victories in 2006 and 2008 were fueled by popular enthusiasm and unprecedented voter turnouts that cannot be reignited by e-mail solicitations. A growing disenchantment with a costly quagmire will threaten all the hopes of 2008. Everything is related now: we cannot afford national health care, housing, and clean energy while spending billions on quagmires across several continents.

 

We are prepared to create a storm of protest in Congressional districts and close Senate races. We will form alliances with all those whose hope for health, energy and economic reform are diminished by these wars. We will defend dissent in the armed forces and protect our children from the snares of military recruiters. We will reach out to strengthen a global peace movement, especially in NATO countries.

 

History shows that terrorist threats can come from German cities, African villages, and even homegrown American cells, not simply the caves of Pakistan.

 

Our security needs cannot be served by provoking the growing hatred of America caused by repeated invasions of foreign lands. We are human beings who refuse to be defined in the world as mindless military drones and Predators.

 

 

[haw-info] recent on-line articles of interest

To members and friends of Historians Against the War,

 

On behalf of the HAW Steering Committee, we plan to send a message every two weeks with links to on-line articles that provide historical background on HAW-relevant topics.  Suggestions for inclusion are welcome: they can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.  Members of the working group for this project are listed below.

 

Sincerely,

Matt Bokovoy

Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg

Jim O'Brien

Maia Ramnath

Sarah Shields

 

 

"Our Laws Condone Torture"

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/25/cole/index.html

By Juan Cole in Salon.com, posted September 8

 

"The Phoenix Program Was a Disaster in Vietnam and Would Be in Afghanistan--And the NYT Should Know That"

http://hnn.us/articles/116462.html

By Jeremy Kuzmarov, History News Network, posted September 7

 

"These Colors Run Red!: The U.S. Follows the Soviet Union into Afghanistan"

http://amconmag.com/article/2009/oct/01/00018//

By Andrew J. Bacevic, The American Conservative, October 1, 2009 issue

 

"Battle for Honduras—and the Region"
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090831/grandin

By Greg Grandin, The Nation, August 31 issue

 

"From My Lai to Lockerbie"

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175108/nick_turse_from_my_lai_to_lockerbie

By Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com, posted August 30

 

"Saigon 2009: Afghanistan Is Today's Vietnam. No Question Mark Needed." 

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/08/20/saigon_2009

By Thomas H. Johnson and M. Chris Mason, foreignpolicy.com, posted August 20

 

"Lesson of Vietnam Lost in Afghanistan"

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090820_vietnams_lesson_lost_in_afghanistan

By Stanley Kutler, Truthdig, posted August 20

 

"Is Obama Aware of the History of Failure that Marks Our Drug War in Latin America?"

http://hnn.us/articles/114765.html

By Jeremy Kuzmarov, History News Network, posted August 17  

In addition, this week's "Life during Wartime" cartoon by Josh Brown, posted on the HAW home page (http://www.historiansagainstwar.org), offers a chilling parallel between Afghanistan and Vietnam.

 

Afghanistan - A Petition to Take Action Against the War

We, the undersigned peace and justice leaders, believe
that the American military interventions in
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are deepening quagmires
that threaten a Long War without end.

Sign the Petition --
<http://gopetition.com/online/30533/sign.html>

At the current rate of American deaths in Afghanistan,
over 1,000 additional American soldiers will be killed
in the next two years of "hard fighting" predicted by
the Pentagon as the next phase of a ten year
occupation. Another $130 billion for Afghanistan and
Iraq now is being rushed through a sleeping Congress.
An escalation of even more troops is pending.

Now is the time for an exit strategy to end these wars.
The government of warlords, drug lords, and landlords
we prop up in Kabul is losing more legitimacy by the
day. A majority of Americans - including 70 percent
from the majority party - now consider Afghanistan a
mistake. Leading national security experts even deny
that it's a necessary war.

If we do not decide to disengage at once, our dreams of
domestic reform will be squandered by years of war
budgets. Our dreams of clean energy will be buried in
wars over oil and pipelines. The global good will
extended to our new President will be jeopardized.

We understand how difficult it is to reverse a mistaken
course. But that is the leadership we need, not one
that continually escalates in order not to lose. We
have been there.

- Our government should adopt an exit strategy from
Afghanistan based on all-party talks, regional
diplomacy, unconditional humanitarian aid, and
timelines for the near-term withdrawal of American and
NATO combat troops.

- The aerial bombardments of Afghan and Pakistan
villages, like burning down haystacks to find terrorist
needles, should end.

- Military spending should be reversed in Afghanistan
to focus on food, medicine, shelter, the socio-economic
needs of the poor, and the dignity of women and
children.

- President Obama should keep his pledge to withdraw
all troops from Iraq by 2011, and prevent American
interference in the forthcoming Iraqi elections.

- The President should oppose any Israeli attack on
Iran, which will only inflame the regional and global
conflict.

Much as we were inspired by Barack Obama's election, we
will not be taken for granted by the President and the
Congressional majority. The historic victories in 2006
and 2008 were fueled by popular enthusiasm and
unprecedented voter turnouts that cannot be reignited
by e-mail solicitations. A growing disenchantment with
a costly quagmire will threaten all the hopes of 2008.
Everything is related now: we cannot afford national
health care, housing, and clean energy while spending
billions on quagmires across several continents.

We are prepared to create a storm of protest in
Congressional districts and close Senate races. We will
form alliances with all those whose hope for health,
energy and economic reform are diminished by these
wars. We will defend dissent in the armed forces and
protect our children from the snares of military
recruiters. We will reach out to strengthen a global
peace movement, especially in NATO countries.

History shows that terrorist threats can come from
German cities, African villages, and even homegrown
American cells, not simply the caves of Pakistan.

Our security needs cannot be served by provoking the
growing hatred of America caused by repeated invasions
of foreign lands. We are human beings who refuse to be
defined in the world as mindless military drones and
Predators.

TOM HAYDEN
ARIEL DORFMAN, Author, Duke University

RABBI STEVEN B. JACOBS, Progressive Faith Foundation
REV. GEORGE REGAS, pastor emeritus, All-Saints
Episcopal Church
REV. ED BACON, Pastor, All-Saints Episcopal Church
REV. PETER LAARMAN, Progressive Christians United
DR. NAZIR KHAJA, President, Islamic Information Service
REV. JOHN B. COBB, Claremont Theology School
REV. GEORGE HUNSINGER, Princeton Theology Seminary
REV. JAMES CONN, Director, New Ministries, United
Methodist Church
RABBI HAIM DOV BELIAK, Hamifgash
REV. JANET EOLLERY MCKEITHEN, Westside Interfaith
Coalition
STEPHEN ROHDE, president, Inter-faith Communities for
Peace and Justice, Los Angeles

SENATOR JOHN BURTON, chairman, California Democratic
Party
KAREN BERNAL, chair, Progressive Caucus, California
Democratic Party
DANIEL ELLSBERG
SUSIE SHANNON, Executive Board Member, California
Democratic Party
RAY MCGOVERN, CIA [ret.]
PAUL HAGGIS, film director
SONALI KOHATKAR, Co-director, Afghan Women's Mission
MICHAEL RATNER, President, Center for Constitutional
Rights
JODIE EVANS, co-founder, CODE PINK
CODE PINK
LESLIE CAGAN, co-founder, United for Peace and Justice
RUSTI EISENBERG, United for Peace and Justice
UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE [UFPJ]
KEVIN MARTIN, PEACE ACTION, Washington
MICHAEL MCPHEARSON, Veterans for Peace
ROBERT NAIMAN, policy director, JUST FOREIGN POLICY

STAUGHTON LYND, historian
VAN GOSSE, co-founder, Historians Against the War
MARC BECKER, co-chair, Historians Against the War
MICHAEL ALBERT, Znet
BILL FLETCHER, Jr., executive director, Black
Commentator, co-founder Progressives for Obama
CARL DAVIDSON, webmaster, PROGRESSIVES FOR OBAMA
RICHARD FALK, professor, Princeton University, United
Nations rapporteur
LEONARD WEINGLASS, human rights attorney
MATTHEW EVANGELISTA, chair, Department of Government,
Cornell University
STANLEY ARONOWITZ, graduate center, City University of
New York
JOE FEAGAN, professor, Texas A&M University

ROBERT GREENWALD, Brave New Films
GAEL MURPHY, Code Pink, Washington
TIM CARPENTER, Progressive Democrats of America [PDA]
NORMAN BIRNBAUM
DAVID FENTON

Sign the Petition --
<http://gopetition.com/online/30533/sign.html>

Rethink Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan is increasing the likelihood that American civilians will be killed in a future terrorist attack. Part 6 of Rethink Afghanistan, Security, brings you three former high-ranking CIA agents to explain why. There is no "victory" to be won in Afghanistan. It is the most important video about U.S. Security today.

See http://rethinkafghanistan.com/.