If you're feeling skeptical after hearing President Obama's latest speech on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, you're not alone. It's hard to know what to make of a President and an administration that brings over 90,000 troops homewhile ordering 50,000 soldiers along with 75,000 military contractors to remain. There are still some 150,000 personnel in Iraq and the US is supposed to be completely out of the country by 2011. That's next year. Bringing home thousands by the end of this August is a good step, but we really need to step on it. Unfortunately, the State Department is dragging its heels as much as the Pentagon and wants to hire 6,000 - 7,000 more staff and train them like soldiers. While working under the auspices of the State Department, these new personnel would have the status of “diplomats.” But who ever heard of a diplomat trained like a soldier and armed with a gun?
On Memorial Day 2010, I remember Abeer Hamza, the 14-year-old stalked, raped and murdered by predatory US soldiers who also murdered her family. I remember Nadja Al-Ali, Iraqi-German author of What Kind of Liberation?, talking about Iraqi women dying from cancer after exposure to Depleted Uranium. I remember being spell-bound by charismatic Afghan parliamentarian in exile, Malalai Joya, as she told a crowd in Berkeley about “democracy-loving leaders” in her country: “We have a LOT!” she declared with eyes blazing.
I remember clearly when Speaker Pelosi made statements last year about not intending to push her colleagues to approve more funding for Afghanistan the next time President Obama came asking. I remember because it was one of my few “yay Nancy” moments. They don’t happen often honestly. So when I read today’s piece on Fox’s [...]
Dear President Barack Obama,
When you spoke in North Dakota last April, I was the one boo-ing as you called the Afghanistan war “the good war.” Writing today, I feel some compunction to apologize. The trouble is, I don't know how else to be heard by my leaders.
Here lie the dashed hopes, concerns, crushed dreams and disappointments of nearly 2,000 Americans. They made it to the inbox of White House officials through our handy dandy tool. 30 minutes after sending the alert we received a call from the White House. Read Jodie Evans’ report of it here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My daughter (15) and [...]
This article was originally posted on the Women’s Media Center. October 7, 2009 With the eighth anniversary of our invasion of Afghanistan nearing and a leaked letter from our general in Afghanistan that he wants another 40,000 troops before the funding for the last request of 21,000 has really been fully voted on, we felt [...]
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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