Rep. Eric Massa calls for the end of war in Afghanistan!
By John Amato Thursday Nov 05, 2009 1:00pm
Blue America's Rep. Eric Massa went on the House floor and made an impassioned call to end the Afghanistan war.
Massa: Enough is enough. It is time to bring our troops home. More than any other issue that I have studied, sought counsel on and drawn from my own life's experience for my own guidance since becoming a member of the United State's Congress, the expansion of the war in Afghanistan has drawn my late night focus. There in the quiet of the office, I have arrived at the inevitable conclusion that the deployment of additional troops in Afghanistan and the continuation of this conflict is not in the best interests of our nation and is in fact in on a par with the potential error of the size of our initial invasion in Iraq.
Last night, November 4th, I spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives to mark the 2,950th day of the war in Afghanistan and formalized my call to draw this conflict to a conclusion. As a freshman member of Congress that served in the United States Navy for 24 years, it has been my honor to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee, and because of my background and experience, I think it's my duty to speak out on this issue.
To date, according to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, the American taxpayer has spent or committed $300,000,000,000 to fund this war. That breaks down to:
• $101,694,915.25 per day for 2,950 days;
• $986.84 per person since our population is roughly 304 million;
• $3,947.36 for each American family of four.And the greatest cost of this war is of course the 912 American troops killed, and 4,198 wounded. This of course does not include the thousands of internal wounds that our troops must bear for the rest of their lives.
My fellow Americans, the time to bring this war to a conclusion is now and we must stand with a clear voice and demand it. The war in Afghanistan has lasted five times longer than World War I and twice as long as World War II. When 1/3 of Hamid Karzai's ballots were thrown out for voting fraud and Abdullah Abdullah declined the runoff election due to the rampant corruption in the system, the world saw what we already knew - it is simply impossible to impose a democracy on a nation that does not want it.
If you can---please donate a few bucks to Blue America's "No Means No!" act blue page where you will find Eric Massa's name added to the list of those that are standing up to end the occupation in Afghanistan.
We're proposing that netroots donors consider rewarding this good behavior by donating to the re-election campaigns of these members who have already done something very politically difficult by breaking with their own president on a national security issue.
If terrorist threats to our Nation reemerge from Afghanistan, we will strike, but we are not an occupying force
.
If America wasn't bogged down in the two misguided George Bush wars, all the money that we've spent there could easily pay for health insurance reform for all Americans each year. Afghanistan is a country that has never had a central government, and to try and force one down their throats is never going to work.








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a little late
changes ever?
actually had the best interests of this Country at the top of it's agenda.
Otherwise it's your turn to go out and get mauled, bloodied, and beat up for what you believe in.
LOL.
The war ends when we run out of money or soldiers. Ask Russia.
why are we still there?
People don't want foreigners with guns and bombs stomping around in their back yard. Imagine if the Afghan Army was holding down Texas from the ravages of the local rednecks there. Imagine the Afghan government had come and imposed their ideology upon the rednecks in America, using a propped up, corrupt Government.
And screw the pipeline - it's not worth it except to the oil barons and profiteers.
Nobody and no country has ever "won" an occupation.
Bring the troops home.
That is AT Fort Hood, not FROM Fort Hood.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.h...
More misery has been heaped on this country by itself after 9-11 than the terrorists could have imagined.
true
Fu*king A we are, as well as the keepers of the world, the feeders of the world, and purveyors of the best health care on earth!
example of the American brainwash job.
And Obama owns it.
. . in addition to
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facili...
Good job, Rep. Eric Massa, on C Span this morning.
Everyone should go view the segment at the C Span website - under Washington Journal 11/05/09
Absolutely right about Afghanistan.
President Obama, are you listening? Mr Massa is exactly right.
End the wars and bring our precious soldiers home.
Enough IS enough.
Seems like part of the deal of his Presidency was he "kept certain things going".
Depressing, ain't it?
.
I don't know what it's going to take to stop this murderous racket.
Collapse of the system. A failed economy, a worthless currency, unemployment at 20+%, riots, cities on fire, chaos, starvation, civil war...
Oh yes, it CAN happen here.
same as the old boss
Yes, we're still fighting the Taliban but that is more of a part of the 'war on terror' concept that is a relic from the Bush Administration which we are slowly phasing out. What we should be doing with our time and energy there is humanitarian work establishing a strong and competent enough central government that truly free and democratic elections might one day actually take place there.
We can't settle for the typical Republican-style failure in Afghanistan, there is too much at stake.
our form of government on other countries and cultures? Look how well our system is working for us. We need to mind our own business, literally and figuratively. Get out of Iraq AND Afghanistan today.
right?
There has never been a "a strong and competent enough central government" in Afghanistan. Most of those people are "living" the bronze age, have you been smoking the local flowers or are you just terribly misinformed? Afghanistan is also guerilla heaven (see history), we need to make a deal with the Taliban and get the fuck out. How many more have to die with this insane idea that we can implant some Western style central government in a place that doesn't understand the 19th century, much less the West? The typical Republican-style failure is to not realize this and continue sending soldiers into a meat grinder indefinitely.. Sorry, but that's the truth.
for finally saying what needed to be said.
GTFO, asap.
Only one problem.
It made sense. You know what they do to words that make sense?
They spin them!
bring them home.
If he doesn't announce immediate and unconditional withdrawal of ALL troops from Iraq and Afghanistan then he is no better than the fool he replaced in the White House.
People think that Obama would ever have been allowed to run for president without promising the continuation of certain policies? He's not in charge of things like that. He gets his orders from very wealthy and/or powerful men who often control more than just America. The war in Afghanistan will go on no matter how many Americans have to die. Those NG pipelines will be completed and will be operational. Many $Billions depend on them.
Being more of a progressive figure than say Bush, we just may get better table scraps. If that's enough for you to vote Democrat..great good for you.
But don't be naive enough to think he's going to radically change our new expansionist policy.
He'll pull the troops out of Afghanistan..
... for avoiding the headline "Massa Tells Obama to End the War"
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