In recent months, MediaMouse.org has joined the growing chorus of bloggers opposing the United States continued occupation of Afghanistan. We’ve blogged on the issue and worked to educate people about the realities of the war including its costthe rising death toll, and the opposition of Afghan civilians to the war.
There are numerous reasons to call for an end to the war, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to encourage people to take much as far as specific action to press for an end to the war. Aside from advocating hearings on the war, there have been few calls made. Locally, there hasn’t been much organizing against the Afghanistan War since 2002.
However, we were please to learn today that Congressman Jim McGovern–a Democrat from Massachusetts–has proposed an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan that would call for “an exit” from Afghanistan. According to McGovern’s as of yet unintroduced amendment would require the Obama administration to develop an “exit strategy” for the war and report it to Congress by the end of the year. In the past Obama has said that he supports an “exit strategy,” but has not proposed one–this amendment would do that.
The anti-war group Peace Action West has prepared a letter encouraging Congress members to support co-sponsor the amendment. Please send it immediately, as this is one of the more concrete actions we can take.
There is precedence for this–the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives voted in an amendment to the supplemental spending request that restricts the conduct of the Iraq War. It says that Congress supports Obama’s policy to withdrawal all combat troops by August 2010 and all remaining troops by the end of 2011. It also orders the Pentagon to provide monthly reports on how the troops, contractors, and equipment are being removed from Iraq.
While support for the Afghanistan War is higher than the Iraq War, it’s dropping. Now is a good time to be advocating for this and it offers a simple and effective way to advocate for an end to the war.
Related posts:
- National Call-In Day to Demand an Exit Plan for Afghanistan
- Iraq Watch: Occupation and Reconstruction are an “Economic Catastrophe, US does not have an Exit Strategy, 300,000 Protest against Occupation
- $171 Billion for the Afghanistan War: New Report Looks at the Numbers
- Antiwar Group Raises Questions about Afghanistan War
- New Effort Launched to Oppose Afghanistan War
