Sisters & Brothers:
Seven years after shock and awe in Iraq, and 14 months into the “change you can believe in,” things are going in a terrible direction.
One outrage after another:
Obama’s expansion of the war in Afghanistan to 100,000 troops is not saving Afghan civilians, but killing them.
His use of secret operations and unmanned drones in 5 countries is not only illegal, unjust, and immoral, but against all of humanity. Revelations that the president claims the right to assassinate US citizens, and that private contractors are running black ops outside the chain of command.
His defense of the Bush era torture lawyers and war crimes in the name of “executive privilege” is unconscionable.
His refusal to allow more than 600 detainees in Bagram, Afghanistan to be identified, and to be denied habeas corpus rights or lawyers to challenge their detention put the lie to the claim he made a year ago that “we do not torture.”
Yes, the right wing IS breathing down Obama’s neck, questioning the legitimacy of his presidency because he’s Black. The racist Tea baggers get more press for one convention of 600 than we’ve ever gotten for anti-war marches. The neo-cons have all the intitiative, and the only promise Obama has kept is the one to spread the illegitmate occupation of Afghanistan.
But we have no skin in the game to save Obama, war president.
And there is no solution to this in Congress so don’t look there. Changing the face in the White House only made the poison go down easier.
What we need — what only we can do — is make a change in what people in this country will accept being done in our names. If people have gotten confused about whether the Iraq war is over, tell them, no — it’s becoming a permanent occupation!
If people are listening to the “Dick” Cheneys and John Yoos that torture is necessary to keep us safe, and thinking, maybe they agree, tell them, no — torture and aggressive war are never acceptable.
If kids you know are joining up with the military now because fighting for Obama sounds better than fighting for a president that hated, or because Don’t Ask Don’t Tell might finally be ended, tell them no! Don’t join up for a military occupation where you will be trained and ordered to commit war crimes!
Want to stop the war? Stop the recruiters! Bring the We Are Not Your Soldiers! Tour bringing veterans to tell students the reality of the occupations, and help them resist the recruiters. If you want to stop the wars, start at your school. Wearenotyoursoldiers.org! March with the contingent and sign up to bring the tour to your school.
Only we can reverse this dynamic. The future is unwritten. Which one we get is up to us. The world STILL can’t wait!
