Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bacasper]

So much for your "anti-war" president.

Obama Issues Orders to Escalate War in Afghanistan

President Obama has issued orders to escalate the war in Afghanistan by sending between thirty and thirty-five thousand additional troops. Obama will outline his war plans tonight in a prime-time address but he has already notified military leaders of his decision. On top of previous reinforcements sent earlier this year, the troop buildup will nearly triple the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan that President Obama inherited when he took office. Despite Obama�s plan to escalate the war, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs claimed the president has a plan to wind down the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

[Olivencia]

More troops = More body bags

[Ya-ta Boy]

You're going to have to do better than that.

From July 2008: As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there. I would not hold our military, our resources and our foreign policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq.

From August 2008: "For years, I have called for more resources and more troops to finish the fight in Afghanistan."

While it's perfectly OK to disagree with what Obama is doing, it is hypocritical not to acknowledge that he is doing what he said he would do.

It isn't clear from your post what policy in Afghanistan you prefer. What is clear is that you just want to slam the President. Why?

[VanIslander]

but he didn't QUADRUPLE the forces, will be argued on FOX News

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Fox]

Afghanistan is and always was a total waste of American time, money, and lives. I don't hate Obama for who he is: as a Left-leaning individual I don't have any bias against this President. But, I think he's making the wrong choice. America has paid sufficiently for this mistake, and it's time to stop paying -- both in money and lives -- and move on.

An immediate and total withdrawl from Afghanistan is the policy I support, and I don't consider such a withdrawl a "loss" or "failure" because we have no clearly stated, achievable military objectives there anyway. The only failure taking place is the failure to stop wasting American money and lives on a totally useless and incredibly obscure endeavor.

[Reggie]

The least Obama could to do for us is to bring the troops home and send over penal battalions instead.

[ddeubel]

Well, I've been waiting, listening and quietly trying to understand Obama.

However, time's up and I'm officially labelling him "lame duck".

Why? Well, he wants to please everyone but will please nobody. This decision (and others he's been making) are all about pleasing everyone and really no one.

Obama KNOWS that in 18 months, it won't be anything different. He KNOWS. However, the "pleaser" decided to give into pressure and wait 18 mo. for no reason but to get more American men/woman killed. J'accuse. That in my mind is politics (and in this instance premeditated murder).

If he were anyone who went with what he knows - he'd pull out now. Lame Duck.

DD
http://eflclassroom.com

[mises]

Obomba.

[oldtactics]

Someone, give this man a Nobel Peace Prize! Oh, wait...

[mises]

[darkjedidave]

One of my best friends just went to Afghanistan two days ago and sent me his last FB message for the next 7 months. Good luck to all service man, whether you agree with their cause or not.

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

United Antiwar Movement Tells Obama: No Escalation!

With millions of U.S. people feeling the fear and desperation of no longer having a home; feeling the terror and loss of dignity that comes with unemployment; and our children slipping further into poverty and hunger, your decision to deploy thousands more troops and throw hundreds of billions more dollars into prolonging the profoundly tragic war in Afghanistan strikes us as utter folly. We believe this decision represents a war against ordinary people, both and in Afghanistan. The war, if continued, will result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of U.S. troops, and untold thousands of Afghans.

Polls indicate that a majority of those who labored with so much hope to elect you as president now fear that you will make a wrong decision -- a tragic decision that will destroy their dreams for America. More tragic is the price of your decision. It will be paid with the blood, suffering and broken hearts of our young troops, their loved ones and an even greater number of Afghan men, women and children.

The U.S. military claims that this war must be fought to protect national security, but we believe it is being waged to expand U.S. empire in the interests of oil and pipeline companies.

Your decision to escalate troops and continue the occupation will cause other people in other lands to despise the U.S. as a menacing military power that violates international law. Keep in mind that to most of the peoples of the world, widening the war in Afghanistan will look exactly like what it is: the world's richest nation making war on one of the world's very poorest.

The war must be ended now. Humanitarian aid programs should address the deep poverty that has always been a part of the life of Afghan people.
We will keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way possible. We will urge elected representatives to cut all funding for war. Some of us will be led to withhold our taxes, practice civil resistance, and promote slowdowns and strikes at schools and workplaces.

We will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace activists, to build the kind of massive movement -- representing a majority of the American people -- that will play a key role in ending war in Afghanistan.

Such would be the folly of a decision to escalate troop deployment and such is the depth of our opposition to the death and suffering it would cause.

[bacasper]

Signatories:

Jack Amoureux, Executive Committee
Military Families Speak Out

Michael Baxter
Catholic Peace Fellowship

Medea Benjamin, Co-founder
Global Exchange

Frida Berrigan
Witness Against Torture

Imam Mahdi Bray, Executive Director
Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

Elaine Brower
World Can't Wait

Leslie Cagan, Co-Founder
United for Peace and Justice

Tom Cornell
Catholic Peace Fellowship

Matt Daloisio
War Resisters League

Marie Dennis, Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Robby Diesu
Our Spring Break

Pat Elder, Co-coordinator
National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth

Mike Ferner, President
Veterans For Peace

Joy First, Convener
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Sara Flounders, Co-Director
International Action Center

Sunil Freeman
ANSWER Coalition, Washington, D.C.

Diana Gibson, Coordinator
Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice

Jerry Gordon, Co-Coordinator
National Assembly To End Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupation

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence

David Hartsough
Peaceworkers San Francisco

Mike Hearington, Steering Committee
Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Atlanta

Larry Holmes, Coordinator
Troops Out Now Coalition

Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Hany Khalil
War Times

Kathy Kelly, Co-Coordinator
Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Leslie Kielson , Co-Chair
United for Peace and Justice

Malachy Kilbride
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Adele Kubein, Executive Committee
Military Families Speak Out

Jeff Mackler, Co-Coordinator
National Assembly to End Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations

Kevin Martin, Exec. Director
Peace Action

Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair-Elect
World Parliament of Religion

Michael T. McPhearson, Executive Director
Veterans For Peace

Gael Murphy, Co-founder
Code Pink

Michael Nagler, Founder
Metta Center for Nonviolence

Max Obuszewski, Director
Baltimore Nonviolence Center

Pete Perry
Peace of the Action

Dave Robinson, Executive Director
Pax Christi USA

Terry Rockefeller
September 11th Families For Peaceful Tomorrows

Samina Sundas, Founding Executive Director
American Muslim Voice

David Swanson
AfterDowningStreet.org

Carmen Trotta
Catholic Worker

Nancy Tsou, Coordinator
Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice

Jose Vasquez, Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War

Kevin Zeese
Voters for Peace