There is nothing more powerful than hearing someone speak from their heart.
That is why I was so moved by Barbara Lee's passionate speech on the floor of Congress September 14, 2001, eight years ago this week. She was the only member of Congress, in both the House and Senate, to have the courage to vote no against authorizing war in Afghanistan. Her voice shakes with emotion, but she stands her ground with strength and grace and the knowledge that she is speaking the truth that desperately needed to be heard. Hers was the only voice of compassion, of reason, during such a charged and painful time. When she said "Let us not become the evil that we deplore," she knew the quagmire that would result from such military engagement.
This week, many of us took inspiration from Barbara Lee and used our own voices to speak out against our woefully misguided war in Afghanistan. As one woman, she spoke for many of us eight years ago. This week, we each have the opportunity to follow her lead and channel the outrage and hope of everyone who wants us out of Afghanistan; each day, we flooded the blogosphere and phone lines and opinion sections of newspapers with the words that need to be heard about why we need to end our involvement in Afghanistan. If you haven't already, you can still use these tools from CODEPINK to make your voice loud and clear.
One of the best bumper stickers I've ever seen says "Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes." If you haven't ever blogged or called your Congressperson before, now is the time to do so, even if your voice shakes. It is up to us to remember Barbara Lee's brave example, her voice trembling with deeply felt conviction. We need more Barbara Lees to speak out against war. We can be those Barbara Lees, ourselves. We are the ones we've been waiting for. When we speak together from the heart, we truly can change the world.
The result of that of course was abandoning the mission in Afghanistan while losing the moral high ground and the support of the world. Not to mention the trillions of dollars, and thousands of American lives, that where WASTED on a completely unnecessary war. Then there is of course the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that are also dead as a result, and the thousands of new terrorists that now want to destroy America...
What really chaps my hide is that the Bush administration WAR CRIMINALS that LIED us into a war a still walking free.
I am not so sure what the answer is. I was very much against invading Iraq, and made my opinion known by all those around me and in blogs and the media (letters to editor, etc.). However, I was for helping rid Afghanistan of the Taliban - and then helping them by providing economic support (hopefully via NGO's so as to avoid the local corrupt officials stealing all the money).
Again, I don't have the answer. Of course I am sick about how the last eight years have gone - but surely there is some way of trying to help clean up this mess we helped create - ever since we armed the mujahideen and then ignored Afghanistan until 2001.
For that matter, why don't we go ahead and get out of Iraq, Germany, Japan, Korea, and all the other places we have troops and spend money unnecessarily?
Neocons are dems who embrace some conservative values.
Are we there to train Afghans to fight AlQaeda? Will it take as long as it took us to train Iraqis to fight AlQaeda (who followed us into Iraq)? ...
Are we still training Iraqis to fight AlQaeda (or have they followed us back into Afghanistan)?
Does it take AlQaeda this long to train their recruits at their training camps in PAKISTAN?
Shouldn't we be training Pakistanis to fight AlQaeda (or do the Pakistanis look up to them with HOSPITALITY, while looking down on us with HOSTILITY)?
HEALTHCARE costs less and makes more sense than WARFARE!
The diversion into Iraq, which arguably cost us the one legitimate outcome we could have sought, Bin Laden's capture and trial, has been an utter debacle and fraud from day one.
If we have not found Bin Laden in eight years, or established a democracy in Afghanistan, it seems unlikely to happen now. And while a true democracy would have been nice, for the region and for Afghanistan's women especially, it was not our right or our job to try to forcefully create one out of thin air.
In the end, we have to say it was begun badly, prosecuted badly, and focused on impossible (though not entirely unlaudable) goals. Now, our best bet is to get the heck out.
Staying, spending billions, losing American lives, and taking Afghanistani lives, all for the proven-hopeless pretexts of hunting Bin Laden and building freedom, is delusional.
NOTHING that happened before, or achieved since, by OUR country - has been worth destroying MILLIONS of lives without conscience, particularly in a country that had ~NOTHING~ to do with the 9/11 attack (Iraq). It's also TRUE in Afghanistan though, where the U.S. Government under Reagan had funded the Mujahedeen, and thus created Al Qaida. Years later it became THE very reason used to destroy that country. What 'war on terra' goal was achieved there?
Many voices were shaky after 9/11, Susan, and FEAR perpetrated upon us by OUR country's own government since then was NOT about national security, and had EVRYTHING to do with cementing the wealth and power - of a few.
War AND Health Care profiteering is ILLEGAL in almost the entire rest of OUR world.
The Persian people WILL reject the religious extremism of their government, unless OUTSIDERS provide them with cause - to seek refuge there.
US dead in Afghanistan: 841
Coalition dead in Afghanistan: 1,407
We are further behind in Afghanistan than we were in 2003. How many dead will be enough to get your attention?
PS I worked for Dave Dillinger durring the May Day Parades in Washington DC. so I have some experience with the anti-war movement.
As I have stated many times, if BL would have sent Bush a checklist of what he wanted done after 9/11, it couldn't have worked out more perfectly for his cause. I am not a conspiracy theorist but I can see how the conclusions could be reached by many that Bush was somehow involved. Those of us against the wars from the beginning never had a chance. If you would have read a novel with this scenario, war of choice, etc., ten years ago, you would have said this is totally implausible but here we are.
I sure hope we can make a difference now, Susan, but I have serious doubts. The war machine is in serial mode now and the money being spent could cover healthcare without any problems at all. It is truly disgusting to think of all the blood, treasure and esteem we have flushed away for the greed of a few.
You do know Iraq was directly involved in the first world trade center bombing, don't you?
Excellent piece, Susan. Thanks.
I have done and will continue to do my part by blogging, marching, writing and talking against this insane "Middle East Quagmire".
However, if there is anything else you can suggest we can do to stop this, please let us know. We could consider a march on Washington like in the old Vietnam days. Peaceful, intelligent and powerful. You can count on me.
That "kook" was Congressman Dr. Ron Paul. What a wacky dude, man!
Love your work, Susan! I'm proud to have you speak for me.