Goodbye Health Care. Goodbye Jobs. Goodbye Decent Schools. Hello War.

Nov 30, 2009

Tomorrow night, President Obama will address our country. It is said he will announce a large escalation of the war on Afghanistan. I've written the following letter to the President, a man I worked hard to elect and who I believe had and has the potential to turn our country around and head it in a progressive direction.

But he can't do that while pushing a wider war in Afghanistan. This is the most perilous moment of his young Presidency. Much is at stake. It's up to all of us to loudly and forthrightly protest this decision and point out the fallacy of escalating this war - not to save Barack Obama. But to save our country and save our world. By pursuing war, Obama will be following in the tragic footsteps of Lyndon Johnson who found that his Great Society programs were drowned in the blood of Vietnam. President Obama, by pursuing this war, will be dooming any chance of enacting his progressive agenda. He'll also be guaranteeing a return to the White House of the most extreme right wing forces in our country. And that spells disaster for our people, for our democracy and for all the world's people.

The time to act is now - write the President now: Click here to send your own message to President Obama - a message demanding peace not war in Afghanistan.

Here's the letter I sent -- Matt

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Dear President Obama,

I write with a heavy heart. News reports say you’ve caved in to the Pentagon war hawks and agreed with their demand to send more young people to kill and be killed on a fool's errand - attempting to occupy and subdue Afghanistan.

This policy is bound to fail. Despite your portrayal that this is the beginning of the end of that 8-year war - nothing can hide the fact that this is an escalation. History shows escalation is a slippery slope. This year, 35,000 troops. Next year, the generals will say "if you only give us some more - there's light at the end of the tunnel". And on until the end when thousands upon thousands will have perished and trillions of dollars wasted but with no other accomplishment in hand.

While our economy falls apart; while our citizens lose homes and jobs; while our American dream of a dignified life evaporates - at that very moment when you decide to send more troops to Afghanistan, you will be shutting the door on any solution to those problems. It will take 40 to 50 billion dollars a year of our national treasure already diverted from solving urgent problems during eight years of Bush's wars. Can it be that Barack Obama, elected by millions who believed that he would extricate us from the reckless path of war pursued by Bush and Cheney is now choosing to continue those same destructive policies?

Please, don't betray the millions who voted for you. Bring all our troops home NOW, safe and alive. Use the money being squandered on war, death and destruction to reclaim the American dream that has been stolen from our people. Use the money to help the people of Afghanistan rebuild their war-torn country - it is only that policy which can defeat the terrorists. By waging a war there, you will be doing the opposite! Our country will not be safer as you claim but more endangered. The war will increase hatred of our country throughout the world and drive more innocent victims of drone attacks and of destructive American military action directly into the hands of al Qeyda and other extremists.

We the people need health care - not warfare! We need decent jobs not bombs! We need affordable housing and decent schools, not endless wars. Please do the right thing - Reject the advice of the Pentagon generals who always see war as the answer. Side with the people who voted for you - they yearn for peace and are opposed to sending more of our young people to Afghanistan.

Thank you.

MATTHEW WEINSTEIN
Brooklyn NY