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Antiwar Activism Marks 10th Year of War * Antiwar Activism Marks 10th Year of War (United for Peace and Justice) * The Costs of Iraq and Afghanistan (Tom Hayden) ========== Antiwar Activism Marks 10th Year of War Dear Friend of United for Peace and Justice, Antiwar activists across the US marked the war anniversary with protests last week. Mock drone attacks dramatized the human cost of war in Madison, WI and Boston, and in Washington, DC at the Capitol, Union Station, and Dupont Circle (video). There was a die-in in Springfield, Oregon, and check out the great op-ed by Dan Goldrich in the Register Guard. On Long Island, Veterans for Peace and other peace activists demonstrated for an end to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (video). And in San Francisco, Daniel Ellsberg joined a panel on "Anti-War Perspectives from the Left and Right", which brought together antiwar voices from a range of political perspectives. Hold your own protest! Use the resources at endafghanistanwar.com to organize a house party, lobby your Congressional representative, write letters to the editor and op-eds, and stage a mock drone attack! Bird Dog Candidates. This is an election year and many Reps will be campaigning this month. Consider bringing the anti-war message to their rallies and events. For tips on Bird Dogging, check out Peace Action's bird-dogging guide. You can support the work of UFPJ, which convened the Afghanistan Working Group! We appreciate any and all donations and pledge to put them to good use building opposition to the war! Afghanistan Strategy Unraveling As the US war in Afghanistan entered its tenth year last week, signs abounded that the war strategy continues to unravel. The September parliamentary election was even more corrupt than last year's presidential election, as the New York Times reported that at least six relatives of President Karzai are linked to businesses that collect millions of dollars annually from the US. And eight months after the highly-touted Marjah offensive, AP reports that the "Taliban are waging a full-blown guerrilla insurgency" there. The more force the US puts into Afghanistan, the more the insurgency grows. A deadly US attack on Pakistani border troops brought a furious response which closed the border to US supply trucks for a week, during which time dozens of them were torched. Despite its goal to subdue the insurgents militarily, the US may be forced into negotiations with Pakistani-backed insurgents. Yet, incredibly, President Obama has stated that his December strategy review will not bring any major changes in direction. One Nation Mobilization Amplifies Antiwar Message On October 2nd, 175,000 people from all walks of life and from all 50 states gathered at the Lincoln Memorial under the umbrella of One Nation Working Together. UFPJ worked through the Peace Table, a grouping of over 90 peace organizations, to bring peace and antiwar activists to this mobilization and then made sure some of the most pressing issues of the peace movement were visible throughout the day. We distributed over 5,000 posters, 25,000 stickers, and almost 15,000 leaflets making the connections between cutting military spending, ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the urgent need to revitalize our economy and create new green jobs here at home. The Peace Table organized one of the several feeder marches of the day. Following our lead banner - Money for Jobs, Not for War: Bring Our Troops Home Now - upwards of 1,000 people carried posters, handed out leaflets and marched to the main rally site with our peace message. Many of the speakers at the Lincoln Memorial made the connections between unmet domestic needs and out-of-control military spending. The strongest speech was delivered by Harry Belafonte - take a moment to listen to his powerful presentation. Other major speakers delivering antiwar messages included Jesse Jackson (starting at minute 8:45) and by the United Auto Workers' Bob King (at 9:00). Stay connected! Keep agitating! Keep in touch with people from your local area who attended One Nation. Join their campaigns, and involve them in your antiwar work. Also, give your feedback to One Nation on what the coalition should do next (please be constructive and specific). Donate Now to Support the critical work of UFPJ! UFPJ convened the Peace Table bringing a strong peace message to One Nation! We appreciate any and all donations and pledge to put them to good use building opposition to the war and a movement for justice! Peace, Cole Harrison for the Afghanistan Working Group and Michael McPhearson for the Coordinating Committee UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE www.unitedforpeace.org PO Box 607; Times Square Station; New York, NY 10108 phone: 212-868-5545 ========== The Costs of Iraq and Afghanistan by Tom Hayden The Peace Exchange Bulletin October 13, 2010 http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Urgent-Update--The-Costs-of-Iraq-and-Afghanistan.html?soid=1102686599266&aid=8oe64uVRZrs The White House and Pentagon worry about the political costs if the American people learn the true costs of Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of casualties and taxpayer dollars. These costs are the main factors driving 58 percent of the American public, including over 70 percent of Democrats and a majority of independent voters, to question whether these wars are justified. It seems unbelievable, and certainly unconscionable, to keep these facts smothered in fog, when they need to be communicated in every blog, every leaflet, every speech given by anti-war activists. Download and distribute the pdf. http://tomhayden.com/downloads/The%20Costs%20of%20Iraq%20and%20Afghanistan.pdf Here are the best estimates that have been hidden from the public: AMERICAN CASUALTIES * US soldiers' deaths under Bush [2001-2008] in Afghanistan: 630[i] * US soldiers' deaths under Obama [2009-Oct. 2010] in Afghanistan: 693[ii] * Total US soldiers' deaths in Afghanistan: 1,323[iii] * Total US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan: 5,748[iv] * Total US contractor deaths from 09.01.01 through 09.30.10 30: 2,400[v] * Total US soldiers wounded in Afghanistan: 8,530[vi] * Total US soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan: 40,464[vii] * Total US contractors wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan:44,152[viii] * Total US military suicides during 2001-2009: 1,985[ix] AMERICAN CASUALTIES TAX DOLLARS SPENT * Direct costs/month in Iraq: $12.5 billion[x] * Direct costs/month in Afghanistan $16 billion[xi] * Total direct cost, Iraq: $737.5 billion[xii] * Total direct cost, Afghanistan: $354.4 billion[xiii] * Total projected direct and indirect costs, Iraq: $3 trillion+[xiv] * Total projected direct and indirect costs, Afghanistan: $1 trillion+[xv] [i] A. iCasualties. 12 Oct. 2010. B. DoD Personnel & Procurement Statistics. Statistical Information Analysis Division. 12. Oct. 2010. [ii] Ibid. [iii] Ibid. [iv] United States of America. Department of Defense. OIF/OND/OEF U.S. Casualty Status. 10 Oct. 2010. [v] United States of America. Department of Labor. Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP). "Defense Base Act Summary By Employer." 12 Oct. 2010. [vi] United States of America. Department of Defense. OIF/OND/OEF U.S. Casualty Status. [vii] Ibid. [viii] Schooner, Steven L., and Collin D. Swan. "Contractors and the Ultimate Sacrifice." Service Contractor September 2010: 16-8. 10 Oct. 2010. [ix] Christenson, Sig. "Military is Battling Alarming Suicide Rate." The Houston Chronicle 10 Oct. 2010. [x] Stiglitz, Joseph, and Linda Bilmes. United States of America. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The True Cost of War. 3 Oct. 2010. [xi] Ibid. [xii] The Cost of War. National Priorities Project. 10 Oct. 2010. [xiii] Ibid. [xiv] "The Three Trillion Dollar War." Stiglitz, Joseph and Linda Bilmes. The Times 23 Feb. 2008: Times Online. 10 Oct. 2010. [xv] Obama estimates $113 billion in direct costs/per year at current U.S. troop levels of 100,000. If those troop levels are halved by 2013, then the direct costs will remain over $50 billion/per year. An additional three years would therefore cost at least $200 billion more. Using the Stiglitz/Bilmes methodology for measuring indirect-- accrual--costs, such as veterans' health care and benefits, interest payments, etc--would add hundreds of billions in long-term costs, making Afghanistan another $1 trillion dollar war. *All data accurate as of October 12, 2010. ========== _____________________________________________ Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. 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