Minneapolis, MN - Responding to President Obama’s June 22 national televised speech on Afghanistan, Meredith Aby of the Twin Cites based Anti War Committee stated, “The U.S. needs to get out of Afghanistan now.” Aby was one of the main organizers of the massive anti-war march on the opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention and she is one of the 23 peace and international solidarity activists who have been subpoenaed to appear in front of the Chicago grand jury investigating ‘material support for terrorism.’ The grand jury, headed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, is attempting to criminalize anti-war activism.
Commenting on the president’s speech, Aby stated, “The president has been forced to announce a small withdrawal because the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. However, just like Obama did with Iraq last year, he is trying to muddle the debate by announcing a ‘withdrawal’ when in fact he is continuing the occupation. The American public does not want to fund death and destruction and instead is concerned about the cost to important social programs at home. We need to continue to protest for all the troops to be brought home.”
Tracy Molm, a member of Students for Democratic Society, said this about the president’s speech, “What the U.S. is doing in Afghanistan is wrong and the people of Afghanistan are suffering because of it. The U.S. and its allies are backing a corrupt puppet government that the Afghan people do not support. On top of that, the U.S. government is responsible for a massive number of civilians being killed and injured.”
Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization states, “No one, including the people of Afghanistan, wants to live under occupation of a foreign power, so they have created a massive resistance to that occupation. The announcement that 10,000 out of the 100,000-plus troops in Afghanistan will leave does not cut it. All the troops need to come home now.”
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Hello Anonymous, I agree
Hello Anonymous,
I agree with your last sentence, but only as it applies to us here at home: "i think we have to focus on a nonpolitical reconstruction program-just building (Afghan) industries who can rebuild the country-roads, hospitals, schools, clean water, agriculture, mining, etc"
Otherwise you are merely arguing for a continuing U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. This is short sighted and offensive to the clever people of Afghanistan. When the U.S. is forced out, I bet the Afghans will overthrow Karzai's U.S.puppet government in a weekend. It is also true that the religious forces in Afghanistan will forge a new government out of struggle--they did it before. It will be more peaceful for the people of Afghanistan though and the dynamics of their society will lead to new struggles and new groups that will not put up with religious repression for long. It is likely that U.S. corporations will not be allowed to rip off the mineral and natural resources. That will be good for the region. I bet a new Afghan government will eradicate the huge poppy and drug production too. The U.S. pretends to care about drugs, but it is really just a way to militarize and dominate other countries. The U.S. should get out now and leave the people of Afghanistan to determine their own future.
afghanistan withdrawal
isnt anybody worried that if we withdraw all troops from afghanistan, the country will self-destruct just like after the russians left? after all the death and destruction, can we just walk out and leave the place to chaos? the pak tali will fight the afghan tali will fight haqqani, will fight al qaeda, will fight the northern alliance, will fight the myriad warlords and tribal leaders, will fight the karzai gov. other govs with interests will be supporting this or that faction. i sure dont want the war to continue. it has done nothing but shatter the place into so many pieces and turn it into a pile of rubble splattered with blood. but we cant just pull out and leave the ppl to the coming hell. their army has no allegiance to any particular group and will scatter with all their weapons. same with the police and security forces. we cant leave it like that.
i think we have to focus on a nonpolitical reconstruction program-just building afghan industries who can rebuild the country-roads, hospitals, schools, clean water, agriculture, mining, etc
need an anti-war movement
So Obama's words claimed victory, while his body language and face spelled defeat. Somehow Obama reminds me of Nixon? Maybe because Afghanistan reminds me of Vietnam, a war I grew up with. I have to say that what we need now, what the whole world needs, is an American anti-war movement that goes back onto the local street corners and marches in front of the White House, no matter who the President is. The cynical bombing of Libya by the U.S. and the Nobel Peace Prize imperial powers of Europe is outrageous. Good thing the Libyan people are rallying around their right to self-determination and independence. Who will the U.S. go to war with next? If Obama can draw down troops from the Middle East, will the U.S. step up its counterinsurgency wars in Colombia and the Philippines? Is no country safe from the U.S. Empire?
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