An End To The Afghanistan War?

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

An End To The Afghanistan War?
(posted with the author's permission from http://sane-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/03/end-to-afghanistan-war.html)

In the face of the mounting death and destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan and the U.S.'s rapidly sinking finances, in Congress on Wednesday (3/16) Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich offered a resolution to withdraw the U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

The resolution was meant to appeal to the numerous Republican fiscal conservatives whose mandate is to slash spending. But their reaction to slashing war spending was muted and their leadership seemed to oppose it.

The Iraq War is eight years old and the Afghan War is 10 years old, arguably the longest war in U.S. history. The U.S. has paid a heavy price in lives and in dollars and has little to show for it and no sign of progress as Iraq's and Afghanistan's governments are kept in power by the U.S. military and are highly unpopular with the people of those nations.

For the Afghan War, the U.S. has borrowed and spent $454.7 billion per Rep. Kucinich and President Obama has requested $113 billion more. But even among the "deficit hawks," there is little support for Rep. Kucinich's resolution, because I believe, no-one wants to look "soft on terrorism," and because the military and its contractors are big campaign contributors.

Meanwhile, we reduce educational spending, fire teachers and cut medical programs for the poor, including in-home care for the elderly and frail.

These are surely not the priorities of a compassionate nation nor reflective of a great nation that cares for the well-being of all humanity.

[msongs]

1. hey let's put all our schools on aircraft carriers, we have lots of those nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. But..but..saving face in a lost war is more important than all that sissy stuff.

http://costofwar.com/en/

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

4. When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?

<snip>
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
<snip>

Pete Seeger

[here_is_to_hope]

5. Homophobic slur detected....lolz...n/t

[DCKit]

3. They're terrified of how a withdrawl will reflect on the legacy of W*...

and all the remaining (or still active in politics) (R)s who voted for two illegal wars and broke the country.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

6. That's a great point.

Thank you.
:hi:

[chill_wind]

7. And it doesn't effing MATTER that nearly two/thirds of Americans

have had enough.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/poll-nearly-two-thirds-of-americans-say-afghan-war-isnt-worth-fighting/2011/03/14/ABRbeEW_story.html

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

8. Another excellent point...And thanks for that costofwar link...

very enlightening.

[Kennah]

9. We've proven we could beat the Soviets!

We've been in Afghanistan longer, killed fewer people, and lost fewer troops!

Neener, neener, neener!

Time to declare victory and go home.

[slipslidingaway]

10. knr nt

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

11. This war business is killing us.

Both morally and financially.