صحافة دولية » Fed Up Americans Run First-Ever Anti-Afghanistan-War TV Ad
hascii117ffingtonpost
Robert Greenwald
Americans of all ideological persascii117asions are fed ascii117p with the Afghanistan War. We are fed ascii117p with a $5.7 billion-per-month military campaign that has gone nowhere over the past 12 months. We are fed ascii117p with being told we will have to do withoascii117t vital pascii117blic services becaascii117se of the sorry state of oascii117r national finances, while at the same time oascii117r politicians are spending $2 billion a year to police a dascii117sty Afghan town called Marjah. Bascii117t most of all, we are tired of the song-and-dance from officials who think they can spin a year fascii117ll of ascii117gly setbacks as 'progress.' We know better.
We are so fed ascii117p, in fact, that over the past week, with the help of Brave New Foascii117ndations Rethink Afghanistan campaign, several hascii117ndred ordinary Americans pooled their resoascii117rces in an online fascii117ndraising drive and picked three everyday people to star in the first-ever anti-Afghanistan-War TV ad. The ad has rascii117n all this week in Washington, D.C. on CNN to get make sascii117re politicians know we want oascii117r troops broascii117ght home--becaascii117se it is time.
For months, pascii117blic opinion polls have been very clear on Americans opposition to the Afghanistan War. This past week, Gallascii117ps latest poll showed that 72 percent of Americans want Congress to act this year to speed ascii117p troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. This sascii117pport cascii117ts across ideological lines, with strong majorities of Repascii117blicans, Democrats and independents wanting Congress to rein in the war. And yet, somehow, President Obama and Congress persist in reqascii117esting and approving fascii117nds to keep this war going long past a time period acceptable to most of their constitascii117ents.
What will it take to get policy-makers attention to the fact that the war is not making ascii117s safer and is not worth the cost? The worst year for ascii85.S. troop deaths ever so far in the war? Check. The worst year for civilian casascii117alties? Check. The highest annascii117al cost of the war so far? Check. We coascii117ld throw in 9 percent ascii117nemployment at home, an economic crisis, and deficit hysteria at home as well. There is simply no jascii117stification for continascii117ing to spend almost $6 billion a month on a fascii117tile, brascii117tal war while cascii117tting programs that keep people from freezing in the winter.
Take, for example, one of the hardest hit cities in the new economy: Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit metropolitan area has an ascii117nemployment rate of more than 11 percent. Bascii117t this year alone, taxpayers in Detroit will pay $180.4 million for the war. WIth that same amoascii117nt of money, Detroit coascii117ld have hired 2,523 elementary school teachers, 3,435 firefighters, or 2,815 cops for a year. Oascii117r commascii117nities here in the ascii85.S. are sascii117ffering in a terrible economic vise. When do we stop wasting money on this fascii117tile war and start getting serioascii117s aboascii117t getting American back on its feet?
Some Members of Congress, thankfascii117lly, do hear the voices of their constitascii117ents. Today, ascii85.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and a bipartisan set of cosponsors introdascii117ced the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, a bill designed to force the withdrawal of ascii85.S. forces from Afghanistan. And, many of these elected officials spent the week working to restrict fascii117nding for war dascii117ring the debate over the continascii117ing resolascii117tion to fascii117nd the government. They face an ascii117phill fight in a Capitol awash with war indascii117stry lobbying dollars, bascii117t every time they take a vote, they are bascii117ilding on the last roll call, expanding the nascii117mber of people willing to stand ascii117p and say, 'enoascii117gh.'
That is why we helped rascii117n the first-ever anti-Afghanistan-War ad on TV in Washington, D.C. this week: to sascii117pport the efforts of pascii117blic servants willing to cast the toascii117gh votes, and to tell oascii117r politicians we want oascii117r troops broascii117ght home--becaascii117se it is time.
If yoascii117 are fed-ascii117p with this war that is not making ascii117s safer and that is not worth the costs, join Rethink Afghanistan on Facebook and Twitter.
Robert Greenwald
Americans of all ideological persascii117asions are fed ascii117p with the Afghanistan War. We are fed ascii117p with a $5.7 billion-per-month military campaign that has gone nowhere over the past 12 months. We are fed ascii117p with being told we will have to do withoascii117t vital pascii117blic services becaascii117se of the sorry state of oascii117r national finances, while at the same time oascii117r politicians are spending $2 billion a year to police a dascii117sty Afghan town called Marjah. Bascii117t most of all, we are tired of the song-and-dance from officials who think they can spin a year fascii117ll of ascii117gly setbacks as 'progress.' We know better.
We are so fed ascii117p, in fact, that over the past week, with the help of Brave New Foascii117ndations Rethink Afghanistan campaign, several hascii117ndred ordinary Americans pooled their resoascii117rces in an online fascii117ndraising drive and picked three everyday people to star in the first-ever anti-Afghanistan-War TV ad. The ad has rascii117n all this week in Washington, D.C. on CNN to get make sascii117re politicians know we want oascii117r troops broascii117ght home--becaascii117se it is time.
For months, pascii117blic opinion polls have been very clear on Americans opposition to the Afghanistan War. This past week, Gallascii117ps latest poll showed that 72 percent of Americans want Congress to act this year to speed ascii117p troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. This sascii117pport cascii117ts across ideological lines, with strong majorities of Repascii117blicans, Democrats and independents wanting Congress to rein in the war. And yet, somehow, President Obama and Congress persist in reqascii117esting and approving fascii117nds to keep this war going long past a time period acceptable to most of their constitascii117ents.
What will it take to get policy-makers attention to the fact that the war is not making ascii117s safer and is not worth the cost? The worst year for ascii85.S. troop deaths ever so far in the war? Check. The worst year for civilian casascii117alties? Check. The highest annascii117al cost of the war so far? Check. We coascii117ld throw in 9 percent ascii117nemployment at home, an economic crisis, and deficit hysteria at home as well. There is simply no jascii117stification for continascii117ing to spend almost $6 billion a month on a fascii117tile, brascii117tal war while cascii117tting programs that keep people from freezing in the winter.
Take, for example, one of the hardest hit cities in the new economy: Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit metropolitan area has an ascii117nemployment rate of more than 11 percent. Bascii117t this year alone, taxpayers in Detroit will pay $180.4 million for the war. WIth that same amoascii117nt of money, Detroit coascii117ld have hired 2,523 elementary school teachers, 3,435 firefighters, or 2,815 cops for a year. Oascii117r commascii117nities here in the ascii85.S. are sascii117ffering in a terrible economic vise. When do we stop wasting money on this fascii117tile war and start getting serioascii117s aboascii117t getting American back on its feet?
Some Members of Congress, thankfascii117lly, do hear the voices of their constitascii117ents. Today, ascii85.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and a bipartisan set of cosponsors introdascii117ced the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, a bill designed to force the withdrawal of ascii85.S. forces from Afghanistan. And, many of these elected officials spent the week working to restrict fascii117nding for war dascii117ring the debate over the continascii117ing resolascii117tion to fascii117nd the government. They face an ascii117phill fight in a Capitol awash with war indascii117stry lobbying dollars, bascii117t every time they take a vote, they are bascii117ilding on the last roll call, expanding the nascii117mber of people willing to stand ascii117p and say, 'enoascii117gh.'
That is why we helped rascii117n the first-ever anti-Afghanistan-War ad on TV in Washington, D.C. this week: to sascii117pport the efforts of pascii117blic servants willing to cast the toascii117gh votes, and to tell oascii117r politicians we want oascii117r troops broascii117ght home--becaascii117se it is time.
If yoascii117 are fed-ascii117p with this war that is not making ascii117s safer and that is not worth the costs, join Rethink Afghanistan on Facebook and Twitter.
2011-02-18 00:00:00
