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AUGUST 31, 2010
IF WE WERE OBAMA...
A veteran’s perspective makes it clear that two major points must be made in response to President Obama’s announcement regarding combat troops leaving Iraq.
First, there is no such thing as “non combat troops.” It is a contradiction in terms. It is internally inconsistent. It is illogical. It is simply not true.
Ask any of the millions of men and women who went through basic training and they can tell you that every U.S. troop anywhere in the world was indoctrinated and trained in the basics of combat. While in Iraq, the transition from mechanics or communications back to combat-ready soldier takes but an order. “Non-combat troops” is simply the latest in a long line of military euphemisms meant to obscure painful reality.
The second point can best be made by drafting a section of the President’s remarks for him. If Veterans For Peace were to do that it would read something like this.
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“And now, fellow Americans, let us begin a new era of candor and honesty about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Specifically, I’m referring to the true costs of war – something that must be considered if we are to judge if continued war is worth it.
You have seen that the cost to taxpayers of these wars has exceeded one trillion dollars, nearly all of which has been considered ‘off budget,’ appropriated by extraordinary or ‘supplemental’ spending bills. It may be hard to believe that, large though that figure may be, it is but the smaller portion of what we will spend in total.
We are already investing unprecedented amounts in Veterans Administration staff and facilities to try and cope with the millions of men and women who have cycled through a war zone deployment – and of course many have been through multiple deployments.
Our experience thus far tells us to expect literally hundreds of thousands of cases of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries – injuries that are often difficult to diagnose at first and difficult to treat. These are, of course, in addition to the many thousands of visibly wounded who, at great expense, must go through rehabilitation and a lifetime of support in order to function to their fullest. Thousands more will require years, perhaps decades, of long-term care because their injuries have left them so broken they require round-the-clock attention.
But since we are initiating an era of candor, we go farther – and by that I mean the cost to families, communities and society as a whole. Volumes have literally been written on this point, but let me leave you with a brief example you can easily expand for yourself.
We have already heard of the abnormally high rate of suicides among returning veterans. The real number is undoubtedly higher since some will always remain a mystery. We’ve heard also of a growing tide of domestic violence that leaves families broken and terrorized.
Beyond the draining medical, psychological and emotional costs to the individuals directly involved, imagine the cost to the communities where this occurs: whole battalions of police, fire, EMT, courts, probation officers, social workers and sadly, prison guards will be needed to deal with the true costs of war. It is uncomfortable to admit, but this is indeed one area of the economy I can guarantee will grow significantly.
Then there is an exponentially greater cost borne by the people of Iraq and Afghanistan – greater in every way: emotionally, economically, in human suffering, in destroyed opportunities, in shattered lives and minds, in hearts that will remain forever broken. We can do precious little to repair much of that kind of damage. But I can tell you this, my fellow Americans, we must at least pay the bill to rebuild the roads, water and sewer plants, hospitals, schools and residences we have destroyed.
It is not pleasant to describe such things and indeed, these costs will continue to weigh heavily on our nation well into our grandchildren’s generation. But we cannot pretend otherwise.”
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This is the message that should come from the White House tonight if truth were indeed the coin of the realm. We won’t hear it, but that will make it no less true.
We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, mark the August 31st partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq with the following evaluation and recommendations:
- The U.S. occupation of Iraq continues and the reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq can at best be called only a rebranded occupation. While the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will be reduced from a high of 165,000, there will still be 50,000 troops left behind, some 75,000 contractors, five huge “enduring bases” and an Embassy the size of Vatican City.
- The U.S. military’s overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein did not lead to a better life for Iraqis—just the opposite. It resulted in the further destruction of basic infrastructure—electricity, water, sewage—that continues to this day. The U.S. dropped more tons of bombs on Iraq than in all of WWII, destroying Iraq’s electrical, water and sewage systems. Iraq’s health care and higher education systems, once the best in the entire region, have been decimated. The U.S. war on Iraq unleashed a wave of violence that has left over one million Iraqis dead and four million displaced, as well as ethnic rivalries that continue to plague the nation. We have seriously wounded millions of Iraqis, creating a lifetime of suffering and economic hardship for them, their communities and the entire nation as it struggles to rebuild.
- Life expectancy for Iraqis fell from 71 years in 1996 to 67 years in 2007 due to the war and destruction of the healthcare system. The U.S. use of weapons such as depleted uranium and white phosphorous has taken a severe toll, with the cancer rate in Fallujah, for example, now worse than that of Hiroshima.
- The majority of the refugees and internally displaced persons created by the US intervention have been abandoned. Of the nearly 4 million refugees, many are now living in increasingly desperate circumstances in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and around the world. As undocumented refugees, most are not allowed to work and are forced to take extremely low paying, illegal jobs ($3/day) or rely on the UN and charity to survive. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has documented a spike in the sex trafficking of Iraqi women.
- Iraq still does not have a functioning government. Many months after the March 7 elections, there is still a political vacuum and violence that is killing roughly 300 civilians a month. There is no functioning democracy in place and little sign there will be one in the near future.
- The Iraq War has left a terrible toll on the U.S. troops. More than one million American service members have deployed in the Iraq War effort. Over 4,400 U.S. troops have been killed and tens of thousands severely injured. More than one in four U.S. troops have come home from the Iraq war with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment. PTSD rates in the military have skyrocketed. In 2009, a record number of 245 soldiers committed suicide.
- The war has drained our treasury. As of August 2010, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $750 billion on the Iraq War effort. Counting the cost of lifetime care of wounded vets and the interest payments on the money we borrowed to pay for this war, the real cost will be in the trillions. This misappropriation of funds has contributed to the economic crises we are experiencing, including the lack of funds for our schools, healthcare, infrastructure and investments in clean, green jobs.
- The U.S. officials who got us into this disastrous war on the basis of lies have not been held accountable. Not George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld. No one. Neither have the Bush administration lawyers who authorized torture, including Jay Bybee and John Yoo. The “think tanks,” journalists and pundits who perpetuated the lies have not been fired—most are today cheerleading for the war in Afghanistan.
- The war has led to the pillaging of Iraqi resources. The U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to account for $8.7 billion of Iraqi oil and gas money meant for humanitarian needs and reconstruction after the 2003 invasion. The invasion has also led to the dismantling of Iraqi government control over the nation’s oil. In 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force, which included executives of America’s largest energy companies, recommended opening up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment. The resulting Iraq Oil Law has led to the global grab for Iraq’s resources.
- The war has not made us more secure. The US policy of torture, extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention, violent and deadly raids on civilian homes, gunning down innocent civilians in the streets and absence of habeas corpus has fueled the fires of hatred and extremism toward Americans. The very presence of our troops in Iraq and other Muslim nations has become a recruiting tool.
Given the above, we, the undersigned individuals and organizations,
mark the occasion of this partial troop withdrawal by calling on the
Administration and Congress to take the following actions:
* Withdrawal of all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq
and the closing of all U.S. bases;
* Reparations to help the Iraqis repair their basic infrastructure
and increased funds for the millions of internally and externally
displaced Iraqis;
* Full support for the U.S. troops who suffer from the internal and
external wounds of war;
* Prosecution of those officials responsible for dragging our
country into this disaster;
* Transfer of funds from war into resources to rebuild America, with
a focus on green jobs.
* The lessons of this disastrous intervention should also be an
impetus for Congress and the administration to end the war in
Afghanistan. It’s time to focus on creating real security here at home
and rebuilding America.
* Veterans For Peace
* Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace & Justice
* CODEPINK: Women for Peace
* Community Organizing Center
* Courage to Resist
* Fellowship of Reconciliation
* Global Exchange
* Institute for Policy Studies' New Internationalism Project
* Iraq Veterans Against the War
* Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
* Just Foreign Policy
* Mid-Missouri Peaceworks
* Military Families Speak Out
* Pax Christi - USA
* Under the Hood
* US Labor Against the War
* Voices for Creative Nonviolence
* Voters for Peace
* War Is a Crime
AUGUST 9, 2010
SEE THE RECORDING OF SATURDAY'S LIVE WEBCAST
Having trouble viewing the recording, click here.
This was a live presentation in St. Louis, MO featuring the following panelists.
- Justine Sharrock: Justine is author of "Tortured: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things," will be live streamed from San Francisco, CA
- Andy Duffy: Andrew Duffy enlisted as a medic in the Iowa National Guard two days after he turned 17. He testifies to incidents in which Iraqi detainees in Abu Graib Prison desperately in need of medical treatment were denied it.
- Woody Powell: Served in the USAF, 1950-54, in Korea 1952-53. Air Police, K-9 Corps. Air Base Defense. Was Executive Director of Veterans For Peace from 2001 to 2005.
- Moderated by John Chappell: Dr. Chappell is an Associate Professor of History at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is author of the book, Before the Bomb: How America Approached the End of the Pacific War. In May 2010, he was panelist in the workshop, “The Atomic Bombings and Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilians,” at the International Conference for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World held at Riverside Church in New York City.
august 3, 2010
VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES SAY PENTAGON STATEMENTS ON WIKILEAKS AIM TO CLOUD REAL ISSUES
Obama administration officials are trying to spin events in their favor. Their words must be carefully examined. On the one hand, in an effort to downplay the significance of the release, we are told the documents contain no new information.
On the other hand, some high ranking members of the U.S. military are trying to: 1) intimidate anyone else from doing the same thing and 2) turn public opinion against whoever leaked the current documents. Towards those goals, we are told that grievous harm will surely come to many Afghans and U.S. military personnel - if not now then certainly later.
A more damning statement could hardly be imagined than this one from Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "The truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family."
While we certainly do not wish to see one additional person put at risk in this tragic, wrongheaded war, we must state the following as clearly as we can.
As veterans and families with members in the military, we consider statements like Admiral Mullen's to be nothing more than calculated attempts to turn public attention away from the real problem - the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan that has already caused the deaths and injuries of many thousands of innocent people all the while millions of Americans are jobless and face foreclosure or eviction.
This suffering in Afghanistan and this bleeding at home will continue as long as our troops remain in that country. Congress must stop funding this war. We must bring our troops home now, take care of them properly when they return and pay to rebuild the damage we have caused to Afghanistan.
# # #
Founded in 1985, Veterans For Peace is a national organization of men and women veterans of all eras and duty stations spanning the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf and current Iraq wars as well as other conflicts cold or hot. It has chapters in nearly every state in the union and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Our collective experience tells us wars are easy to start and hard to stop and that those hurt are often the innocent. Thus, other means of problem solving are necessary. Veterans For Peace: Exposing the true costs of war and militarism since 1985.
Military Families Speak Out is an organization of people opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have relatives or loved ones who are currently in the military or who have served in the military since the fall of 2002.
Iraq Veterans Against the War is a national organization comprised of active duty, guard, and reserve troops and veterans who have served since 9/11. We call for immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, reparations to the people of those countries, and full benefits for returning service members.
july 27, 2010
WIKILEAKS REVELATIONS WILL SPARK MASSIVE RESISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN WAR
Today the war in Afghanistan begins to crumble under the weight of government lies at home and criminal behavior on the battlefield.
Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan nine years ago, Veterans For Peace has been waiting for the day when internal documents would reveal what we have known all along -- this war is illegal, immoral and we must add, it is bankrupting our nation at a time when millions of Americans have been thrown out of work and thrown out of their homes.
Neither Wikileaks nor the soldier or soldiers who divulged the documents should be prosecuted for revealing this information. We should give them a medal.
Now that the rotten truth of the war has been dug out of government vaults and brought to light - the murder of civilians, the inexcusable deaths and injuries of our troops, the knife to the heart of every soldier's family member, the fact that "winning" in Afghanistan is meaningless, the outrage of our jobless and homeless as trillions are spent on war and bank bailouts - the most important question is, "what will we do about it?"
We can be sidetracked by watching the 24-hour news cycle regurgitate Obama administration denials and "expert" opinions. Or every single one of us can look in the mirror tomorrow morning and see the person responsible for bringing this war to an end. It really is as simple as that. We know this war is wrong. Now we have official proof. When will we do something?
If we have complained, we must write a letter. If we've written a letter, we must get into the streets. If we've marched in the streets we must sit down in them. If we've been to our representatives' district offices, we must return and not leave until they stop funding the war. If we've talked to our co-workers we must call in sick, slow down production, urge our union to call a strike.
Government can only function with the consent of the governed. We must withdraw our consent at every opportunity until this war is ended, the troops are brought home and we start to rebuild our nation. That is our responsibility and our mission.
As of today, no American can say, "I didn't know what was happening." Now each and every citizen knows. Now we must act like citizens and stop this war.
june 30, 2010
VETERANS OF THE KOREAN WAR CALL FOR A REAL PEACE TREATY
JUNE 30, 2010
VETERANS’ BANNER TAGS ABANDONED DETROIT BUILDING: "HOW’S THE WAR ECONOMY WORKING FOR YOU"
Members of Veterans For Peace (VFP), attending the U.S. Social Forum, a gathering of over 8,000 activists from across the U.S., created and erected the 10 x 15-foot sign that reads, “HOW IS THE WAR ECONOMY WORKING FOR YOU?” in this city with an unemployment rate of 15 percent and 10,000 abandoned homes on the mayor’s demolition list.
Taxpayers in Detroit have sent a total of nearly two billion dollars to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The city’s 2011 general fund budget of 1.3 billion dollars contains an estimated deficit of 300 million dollars, even after years of cutbacks in services once assumed to be part of urban life. The budget for Detroit schools has a deficit in the same range.
“Detroit, like so many of our cities, is most certainly in distress,” said Mike Ferner, National President of VFP. This crisis is no different than a five-alarm fire and we should respond the same way. Instead, we watch America’s cities literally crumble while we pour thousands of lives and trillions of dollars into wars abroad.”
John Amidon, President of VFP Chapter 10, added, “It’s absolutely criminal that the people who built the U.S. auto industry have to watch their city collapse around them while they send $2,000,000,000 to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is indeed the purest form of madness and it’s coming to a city near you.”
VFP, with over 100 chapters, is beginning a campaign to work with local government officials to place “war counters” on city halls stating the amount of money each community has sent to the wars.
june 15, 2010
JOIN "THE PEOPLE'S JOURNEY"
Voices from war-torn lands join their call for peace
Two Iraq War vets and an Iraqi refugee began "The People’s Journey" on
June 2, 2010 from San Francisco. They are speaking to groups about
their experiences each day as they travel across the US and will be
joined by three women from Palestine two weeks later in Washington DC.
The group of six then travel to all speak in New York City, then in
Detroit at the US Social Forum, reaching the Pacific Northwest by the
fourth of July. Their messages is positive about the possibility of
peace, and does not point a finger at a set of “wrong-doers.”
Josh Stieber and Conor Curran (Iraq War veterans and VFP Members), and
Salam Talib (Iraqi refugee friend) have joined forces to spread a
message of peace. For them "The People’s Journey," forms a continuation
of a trek Stieber completed last year which he called the "Contagious
Love Experiment." Stieber and Curran, who joined Josh in the middle of
that first cross-country trip, met Talib during their final stop, in the
San Francisco Bay area where they became friends.
"The People’s Journey" was conceived by an inspiring group of youth from
Afghanistan as a result of their conversations with Josh and other
young people in Afghanistan, the US, Israel/Palestine and Iraq. It
became very clear that when people truly listen to one another that they
want to hear more and soon get to know each other. This direct
communication – hearing each others voices, their stories of life during
war, and everyone’s yearning for peace – led to a level of caring, or
love, that will no longer allow for harm. "The People’s Journey" to a
Peace Beyond Dismissal is posted here and is available to all who attend
the tour presentations.
> Tour
route and dates
Alerted by local veteran Susan W. that the Sacramento Library was planning a video war game tournament, the Sacramento chapter of Veterans For Peace researched the proposed video game, Modern Warfare 2, found it to be one of the worst video war games out there, and then got an appointment with the library director. While hoping for a good outcome from our meeting with the Librarian, we also made plans for a demonstration outside the library at the time of the tournament - regardless of the outcome of the meeting.
The Library's flyer for the tournament did require gamers to be over 17, but it encouraged gamers to "participate in pure domination," and "go head to head with Library Staff," in a "Hardcore Team Deathmatch."
It was our feeling that a public library was not the place to encourage war gaming.
Our goal was to find out why they were doing this, was their any connection to the military itself, and did they realize just what this game consisted of?
The meeting with the library director was cordial and informative. She assured s there was no actual military involvement. The idea had come from junior staffers as a way of getting young people into the library. A goal we could appreciate even if we faulted the method. The library director was unfamiliar with the game and shared our concerns about it, but was unable or unwilling to cancel the tournament. We informed her that we were going ahead with our protest demonstration. She understood and did not try to deter us.
During all this time leading up to the video war game tournament we were alerting anti-war activists and VFP friends about this terrible use of a public library. Many said they had voiced their opposition directly to the library; some calls came from far away.
Our media release showed up on a number of alternative news sites, and on the day of the tournament we had about eight protestors holding signs and passing out protest flyers to library patrons and passers-by.
The library director magnanimously let me (as VFP Chapter President) talk to the gamers for a few minutes after the tournament was over. I took the opportunity to urge the players not to join the military at this time, and to point out the terrible toll - both physical and mental - that these illegal occupations were causing our soldiers and the civilians in those countries. The response was polite, although one player who was a vet was very supportive of my words.
Although the library has not promised to never have war games again they are looking for non-military competitive games, and it is my belief they will be very reluctant to anything like Modern Warfare 2 again. We will be watching.
* Update - It appears that VFP Chapter 87's comments were taken to heart. The June library game schedule features Skate 2, Rock Band and Street Fighter IV.
From: A Former Admirer
Subject: Ducking the Challenge
“We can sit, frozen in our own indifference, as President Roosevelt once said…” That’s what you said yesterday in connection with saving teachers’ jobs. Sadly, it also applies—in spades—to saving lives in an unnecessary war.
It is amazing how you’ve changed, Dave, in the 25 years since you told then-Secretary George Shultz from your subcommittee chairman seat, “I did not take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States until I got tired.” (As you’ll recall, Shultz had made the mistake of saying, in effect, screw the law; the American people are tired of hearing about Iran-Contra.)
Now we are supposed to feel sorry for you because you say you are too “bone tired” to do your duty to defend the Constitution as it continues to be undermined by an illegal and futile war in Afghanistan in which over 1,000 American soldiers have already died.
JUNE 7, 2010
"COST OF WAR" SIGN GOES UP IN BINGHAMTON CITY HALL
They even started a petition online, and the local media is referencing that as some "objective barometer" of "public opinion."
So let's not remain the silent majority.
Take a moment to sign the petition in support of the Broome County Cost of War Awareness Project and Mayor Ryan's courageous actions.
> Sign the Petition Online
- Military Families Speak Out
- Iraq Veterans Against the War
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