Sunday, October 06, 2013

Can We Go Home? Protest on Monday


Joan Wile, the author of Grandmothers Against the War: Getting Off Our Fannies and Standing Up for Peace and one of the Raging Grannies, will be among those taking part in the following action on October 7th:




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Lionelle Hamanaka, 212-662-5011; Vicki McFadyen,646-8245506; Joan Wile, 917-441-0651 



CAN WE GO HOME NOW?

PROTESTERS TO ASK ON 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF AFGHANISTAN WAR



On Oct. 7, 2013, a number of NYC peace groups will mark the 12th year of our invasion of Afghanistan by rallying at Union Square to demand an end to the war, to ask the question, "Can We Go Home Now?"




Names of the 2,272 fallen U.S, military killed in Afghanistan will be read.



The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to capture Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda. 



Mission accomplished!



·     Osama bin Laden is dead



·   There are fewer than 100 Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan.  




The protesters believe there is nothing more to be gained by remaining in Afghanistan.  

  • The government we installed after overthrowing the Taliban is  hopelessly corrupt;
  •  It is clear that some in the current Afghanistan government are in cahoots with the Taliban and are undermining NATO efforts ;
  • Prolonged occupation inevitably creates anti-U.S. resentment, just as we would resent a foreign occupation force within our borders;  Our attempts to "nation-build" a country we don't understand has cost U.S. thousands of casualties and tens of thousands of Afghan civilian deaths, which has only served to radicalize more of the population;
  • The cost of the war is now $120 billion per year, money that should fund new priorities reflecting urgent human needs.
 
 
"We are holding this important action so that people will realize the terrible human cost of war," said Vicki McFadyen, Treasurer of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO).




DATE:     Monday, Oct. 7

TIME:       4:30  - 7 p.m.

LOCATION:  60 E. 14th St., opposite Union Square




SPONSORED BY (partial list):  Military Families Speak Out (Metro), War Resisters League NY, Code Pink NY, Granny Peace Brigade, Brooklyn For Peace, Grandmothers Against the War, Manhattan Peace Action, Peace Action NYS