Peace Action

On Wednesday, we watched together as the President announced his plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and another 23,000 troops by September 2012. President Obama's decision leaves nearly double the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan than when he took office.

What did you think of the President's speech? Click here to let the Administration know!

The President's plan is clearly out of step with the majority of the public, who want to see an end to the longest war in U.S. history "as soon as possible," according to a recent Pew poll released yesterday

Moreover, the President's decision to once again support a military solution to the conflict ignores the recommendations of RAND, the Pentagon's own think tank, which stated that terrorism is best defeated by negotiations, police work, and political engagement - a sentiment that matches a recent BBC World Service poll of 24 nations indicating global public support for negotiations with the Taliban..

One can't help but wonder what decision President Obama would have made had it not been for the organizing efforts of citizen activists like you. Thanks to your calls, letters, petitions, public events, and community efforts, we have not only turned public opinion but we have undoubtedly made an impact in Congress and subsequently on the President:

With our new allies in Congress, including many Republicans calling for a speedier withdrawal from Afghanistan, we have a major opportunity to keep Afghanistan at the forefront of the Presidential debates. Our Peace Voter efforts in the 2012 elections will be all the more impactful with a greater cross-section of the public in favor of bringing the troops and war dollars home.

Keep the wars in the elections debate. Click here to contact the Obama Campaign Headquarters and let them know what you thought of the President's decision.

Meanwhile, we must continue to struggle for long-term change. It is clear that elections alone will not end the wars or transform our economy.

This is precisely why Peace Action continues to drive ahead with our Move the Money campaign.

On Monday, successful pressure from citizen activists led the U.S. Conference of Mayors to pass a resolution calling on Congress to redirect military spending to domestic priorities - their first resolution on foreign policy since the Vietnam War. Check out the CNN coverage of the story.

This historic resolution passed thanks to pressure from citizen activists like you.

The resolution would never have been passed had it not been for the work of the Fund Our Communities, Bring the War Dollars Home coalition in partnership with CODEPINK. Peace Action Montgomery founded the coalition as part of our national Move the Money campaign. Members of the coalition did an extraordinary organizing job--leafleting at all different times to the mayors, organizing a teach-in on Friday night, and organizing a rally and march on Saturday. The citizen activists forced a debate and ultimately, the Mayors voted to pass the resolution.

As we continue to journey on the long, hard road ahead, we will have many more success stories to share.

In the meantime, let's keep up the pressure. Click here to contact the Obama Administration and let them know that we will hold the President accountable in 2012 and beyond.

The Congress is debating the federal budget The Senate is writing next year's budget now. It is time to tell Congress what we want. Three proposals have been made: President Obama's, the GOP/Ryan budget and the Congressional Progressive Caucus' "People's Budget."

According to 80 experts who prepared a report on the overloaded and deteriorating transportation infrastructure, the US is falling behind the rest of the world and needs $262 billion a year spent on U.S. highways, rail networks and air transportation systems. But yet some in Congress keep saying that we have to make cuts to move ahead. Do we need cuts or do we need to change national spending priorities?

Polling shows that people want a budget that "moves the money" from military spending, wars, tax cuts for the rich and subsidies to Big Business to fund human needs and rebuild our cities.

That's why we have joined the New Priorities Project to launch a campaign to bring our voices into the debate.

Take thePeace-Action New Priorities Budget Preference Poll. Cast your vote for the GOP/Ryan budget, President Obama’s budget or the “People’s Budget”. We want to know what you think, and we will share it with your Congressional representative.

*pressure Congress to cut military spending by hundreds of billions of dollars a year

*strengthen working relationships between the economic justice and peace movements

If you belong to a group which would like to participate in the poll, contact Peace Action's Field Director at jleblanc@peace-action.org

Washington, DC — May 26, 2011 — The House of Representatives voted today on various amendments to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act that gave the strongest signal yet that Representatives want an end to the Afghanistan war. Peace Action organized over twenty organizations to support amendments that would speed up bringing troops home from Afghanistan, especially the McGovern/Jones amendment.

The amendment offered by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Walter Jones (D-NC), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA-47), John Lewis (D-GA), Justin Amash (R-MI), David Cicilline (D-RI), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Peter Welch (D-VT) would have, among other things, required plan and timeframe on accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities from the Pentagon.

The amendment received the most votes in history pushing for an accelerated transition in Afghanistan. 204 Representatives voted aye, including a record 26 Republicans. In 2009 McGovern offered a similar amendment that garnered 138 votes. Last year, it received 162 votes.

Paul Kawika Martin, the political and policy director of Peace Action said, “Congress is catching up with voters who believe It’s time to transition from extremely expensive and counterproductive Pentagon strategies in Afghanistan to political negotiations and Afghan-led aid and development.”

Polls continue to show that Americans have long turned against the war in Afghanistan with as much as 60% of Americans opposing. Peace Action supports all troops and contractors out of Afghanistan within one year with resources focused on political reconciliation and Afghan-led aid and development.

“If the President wants to get reelected in 2012, it’s clear he needs to convince his base and independent voters that he is ending the war in Afghanistan by bringing troops home in significant numbers no later than July,” concluded Martin.

Peace Action and its affiliates used an online strategy to maximize the number of calls to Congress and therefore send a message to the White House. Using Twitter and Face Book to spread the message: Time 2 Exit Afghanistan. We urge that you continue to use the hashtage #time2Exit and "Like" Peace Action's Face Book page. http://www.facebook.com/peaceaction

The Obama Administration has entered into direct, secret talks with senior Afghan Taliban leaders, according to Steve Coll in an article, "US-Taliban Talks" in this week's The New Yorker Magazine. As further proof, he also quotes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last Friday from a speech at the Asia Society, "And diplomacy would be easy if we only had to talk to our friends. But that is not how one makes peace."

If it is true that behind the scenes talks have begun, then it could be the first steps toward negotiations between all the political forces in Afghanistan. Diplomacy, not more war, will bring the troops home and end the war in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan.

Send a strong message now to President Obama: Take bolder steps on negotiations and set a timetable for troop withdrawal.

Candidate Obama has begun preparations for the 2012 elections. And so should we, especially those who were active in the 2008 campaign. President Obama told Bob Woodward during an interview for the book, Obama's Wars, that he was not willing to lose his base over the Afghanistan war.

Eighty percent of Democrats and sixty percent overall do not believe the war is worth fighting. Those who helped elect the President must let him know, "Without a shift in your policy, it is hard to imagine the same kind of movement will develop to support your re-election campaign. Send that message to President Obama.

Peace Action and a number of other peace groups are launching a petition campaign to send a clear message that we and a super majority of Democrats and most voters want an end to the war that is draining scarce resources from the national budget. The $1 million annual cost for each soldier in Afghanistan is a striking example of misguided priorities.

We want Candidate Obama to know, "Just as the Iraq war became a dividing line between you and your opponents, so will Afghanistan."

Join Peace Action for a weekend of actions, training, and lobbying in Washington, DC on the 8th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Join Peace Action members from across the country for the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's 24th annual DC Days!

The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) will be bringing anti-nuclear activists from around the country to DC April 3rd-6th to deliver some "Nuclear Reality Check$" to Congress and the Obama Administration. This is the perfect opportunity for new or seasoned disarmament and environmental activists to reject Obama's nuclear give-away, encourage fiscal responsibility, and have fun with other activists from across the country.

For years, Peace Action members have attended DC Days and brought truth to power in the halls of Congress. Join us!

Early bird registration is only $125, but ends March 1. After March 1st, registration will be $150. Student registration is $50.

Registration covers the costs of a comprehensive training on Sunday, April 3rd; entry to our awards reception on Tuesday, April 5th; and snacks and expert support during the week. ANA will also host a pizza party on Monday, April 4th. DC Days 2011 will be during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the most popular time to visit DC, so book your travel and lodging in advance!

Visit www.ANAnuclear.org or email Katherine at kfuchs@ananuclear.org for more information or to register.

Your support has helped the peace movement throughout the Bush era; and over the past several years has made our advocacy for peace on your behalf vital and effective in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Recent examples of our fine work have included:

And, of course, the ratification of New START provided one final ‘win’ as 2010 came to a close. While all the horse trading and back room deals are seen by some as necessary to garner the votes needed, without the hard work of our network in key states like Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio and elsewhere, the votes of key Republican Senators might have fallen in with the obstructionists, and the treaty defeated. We earned our share of the credit.

Looking ahead, this year’s budget battles, the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, threat of wars with Iran and North Korea and prospects for moving forward on our nuclear abolition agenda challenge the peace movement to sustain our momentum and build on our accomplishments.

December 24, 2010 | Apparently nothing can happen in the U.S. war in Afghanistan that doesn’t mean good news. If violence rises, it’s because “we’re taking the fight to the enemy.” The Pentagon must be taking a lot of fighting to whoever they’re calling the enemy – this year alone the war has killed over 2500 Afghan civilians, and almost 500 U.S. troops and more than 200 other NATO forces have died too. Of course in those isolated areas where violence may have dropped, it’s because “our strategy is winning.”

President Obama’s most recent Afghanistan review process resulted – surprise! – in the announcement that the U.S./NATO occupation will continue at least until 2014. Another four years of war, death, and devastation for the people of Afghanistan, as well as for the young U.S. soldiers drafted by poverty and lack of opportunity and sent to kill and die there in escalating numbers. More

Thank you for voting and supporting Peace Action’s unique Peace Voter work!

We, along with our affiliates, helped thousands of voters get to the polls and educated them about how candidates stood on peace issues. 16 out of 25 candidates that Peace Action endorsed or supported won their elections. Our network raised, donated or spent over $100,000 to get peace candidates elected. Peace champions like Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA 3rd), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA 3rd) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) stood strong against the wave election.

Paid for by Peace Action PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

On October 2, Peace Action’s table on The Mall was a center of lively discussion and handing out thousands of stickers, pieces of literature and posters.

The call for ending the wars and moving the money from weapons and wars to fund human needs was carried on homemade signs as well as by rally speakers.

The October 2 One Nation Working Together (ONWT) rally set the stage for the elections and opened new organizing opportunities to cut the bloated military budget and end the wars to meet the needs in our communities.

Peace Action (PA) mobilized peace activists and joined in new alliances with community and labor to bring hundreds of thousands to Washington, DC.

In North Carolina, New York, NJ and Maryland, we joined the state wide ONWT committees. We filled buses from Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Staten Island, Manhattan, Bronx, Albany, Buffalo. PA activists came from many states including Hawaii.

On October 2, PA’s table was a lively center of discussion, greeting old friends and handing out thousands of pieces of literature and posters.

The Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives (a chapter of Peace Action New York State) worked with Long Island Jobs with Justice to fill a bus with peace activists, students and union members. What a potent combination!

Charlene Obernauer of LI Jobs with Justice said, “ We are working with LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives in hopes of doing more strategic peace work with rank and file workers to make the connections between the money spent on militarism and the need for jobs creation.”

Jean Athey, PA national board member from Montgomery County MD, says, "Our new campaign in Montgomery County, Fund Our Communities, Bring the War Dollars Home, can only be successful if we engage with unions and social justice groups-- the October 2 mobilization helped jump-start this campaign by enabling us to forge the relationships necessary for a strong, powerful coalition."

Cleveland PA’s Nina McLellan says, “We're developing relationships with labor unions, the NAACP, Urban league, the LGBT community and others. Already, Cleveland Jobs with Justice and the NAACP are partnering with Cleveland PA in planning a "bring the war dollars home" action and conference on tax day in 2011.”

Watch for new ideas for building on the tremendous success of the ONWT rally. PA along with allies in the economic and racial justice movements are mapping out plans for a national campaign to change Federal government spending priorities to fund our communities instead of more money for the Pentagon.

Raed Jarrar speaks to RT today about the Iraq pullout American troops are continuing to pull out of Iraq but what will happen once the troops are out of the country? Sources have told the Guardian that Al-Qaeda is offering former allies more money than the government, if they rejoin Al-Qaeda's rank. Raed Jarrar says that the same people who the United States has bought off politicians in Iraq are the same people that would be willing to be bought off by Al-Qaeda.

Watch the Countdown to Zero Trailer below. COUNTDOWN TO ZERO traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. Countdown to Zero makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today. Stay tuned for more information on how you can see this video with a Peace Action chapter near you.

Take Action to Stop the Afghanistan War Supplemental As President Obama commits more and more troops and resources to this war, the tide of public support for the war is starting to turn. That's why Peace Action members have been ringing the phones in Congress like mad. Now that the war supplemental vote is expected to happen this week, it's critical that we press even harder. Take action now.

Preventing Both an Iranian Nuclear Weapon and War The risk of war with Iran has increased. The US rejection of the nuclear swap arranged by Brazil and Turkey, the recent arrival of Israeli and American nuclear armed submarines in the Persian Gulf, Obama's exclusion of Iran from previous agreements that nuclear states would not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, the impending doubling of US carrier task forces in the Gulf, and the upgrading of an U.S. airbase in Afghanistan 30 km from the Iranian border -- all signal or increase the likelihood of an intentional or unintentional clash. Read more at Common Dreams here.

Cut the Nuclear Pork Action Week Tell Congress to "Cut the Nuclear Pork." You have a crucial role to play because your Senators and Representative will be voting on the nuclear weapons budget. Please call your Members of Congress through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Take action here.

"Groundbreaking Speech by Ban Ki-moon on Eve of NPT Review" In a Huffington Post exclusive, Peace Action organizers of the "Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World" Conference at Riverside Church -- on the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- gave access to the ground breaking, hand-corrected speech of the United Nations Secretary General, the Hon. Ban Ki-moon, minutes after his speech was concluded on the eve of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. Read more about it at the Huffington Post.

Senior Fellow Raed Jarrar on RT: "US Withdrawal is not linked to conditions on the ground." Raed Jarrar: "So far the Obama administration and the Iraqi leadership have been against linking the withdrawal to conditions on the ground, but if the Obama administration actually delayed the withdrawal that would be rewarding these acts of terror and it will embolden them further. I think the best way to pull the rug out from under their feet is by continuing with the withdrawal." Watch the whole video below.

Read the ad Peace Action and others put in Politico last week pressuring President Obama to come to the table. Peace Action and our coalition partners the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Just Foreign Policy and ten other groups also sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to say "yes" to negotiations. The ad and letter both coincided with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's four-day trip to Washington, DC last week.

Take part in the final push before the NPT! For months, Peace Action supporters have been working hard towards our goal of submitting 100,000 petition signatures to the NPT. Now the NPT Review Conference is here and it is time for one final push. Ask your friends and family to sign and if you haven't signed the petition yet, sign now. For more information about the Conference, or to stream the opening ceremonies live, please visit www.peaceandjusticenow.org.

Raed Jarrar talks with Dr. James Zogby of Viewpoint Raed Jarrar, Iraq consultant to the American Friends Service Committee and Senior fellow at Peace Action in Washington, DC, spoke about the recent Iraqi elections. Jarrar, a native of Iraq, was present for the elections. Overall, Jarrar explained the election process was free of “massive fraud”, and went fairly well. Jarrar was asked to comment about the implications the elections will have on the country going forward and whether or not the elections indicate a reconciliation of factional differences.

Peace Action Montgomery County Intern Josh Stieber on RT about the "Collateral Damage" WikiLeaks video Josh Stieber talks to RT about the leaked video taken by members of his former unit while serving in Iraq. "We should be slow to judge the people involved, and instead take a step back, and if we do have a problem with this video, that it's an indication of problems with the larger system. If we are uncomfortable or shocked by the nature of this video, we need to be asking bigger questions about the nature of this war because I think this video reflects what it's like.""

Laura Flanders sits down with Raed Jarrar to talk about the recent WikiLeaks video Senior Fellow Raed Jarrar talks to Laura Flanders’ GRITtv below. Watch the whole video also featuring an interview with David Corn about the Nuclear Posture Review or skip ahead to 8:00 minutes and listen to Raed Jarrar and Rick Rowley talk about the controversial video.

Signing New START Treaty is Good; More Needed to Finish “The New START treaty is a modest, but good step toward reducing the threat from nuclear weapons. The Senate should quickly and deliberately advise and consent to its ratification. Fewer nuclear weapons makes Americans safer and sends the right message to the rest of the world." Read the full press release on our blog.

Seven Years Too Many Please take part in Peace Action's week of action to demand the end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Pick up the phone and help us keep President Obama to his word. Take action now.

Raed Jarrar on Democracy Now! Watch Peace Action Senior Fellow Raed Jarrar talk about recent developments in Iraq on Democracy Now! Watch the video below from the beginning or skip ahead to 31:28. After you watch the video, do your part to improve the situation in Iraq by taking part in our latest week of action here.

Executive Director Kevin Martin guest blogs for Tavis Smiley PBS television and PRI radio host Tavis Smiley has a special on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?s anti-war work toward the end of his life airing on PBS stations next Wednesday, March 31, in advance of the April 4, 1967 anniversary of King?s ?Beyond Vietnam? speech at Riverside Church in New York City Read his whole blog post here.

Peace Action's Raed Jarrar on Iraq's 7th Year Seven years under the US-led occupation, Iraqis have been paying a huge price for this war. Five million Iraqis remain displaced from their homes, half of them inside the country and the other half as refugees in other nations; more than a million Iraqis have been killed, and millions more injured, maimed and traumatized; the country?s infrastructure and services, once among the most developed in the region, remain in shambles; the Iraqi civil society is torn and in conflict; and the Iraqi governmental institutions, including the armed services, are still infiltrated and controlled by political parties and militias. Read more about Iraq's 7th Year from Senior Fellow Raed Jarrar.

The work of Peace Action and the Peace Action Education Fund is made possible thanks to the generous support of our members and the following foundations:

The Paul & Edith Babson Foundation * The Bydale Foundation * Colombe Foundation * Janelia Foundation * The HKH Foundation * The New World Foundation * Peace Development Fund * Ploughshares Fund * Iraq Peace Fund, Underdog Fund, Tides Foundation * The Scherman Foundation, Inc. * Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis * Unitarian Universalist Funding Program * Courtney Knight Gaines Foundation * Sisters of Loretto * Dominican Sisters of Springfield Illinois * Working Assets Long Distance

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