Are you celebrating with champagne or with tears?  

We are, of course, talking about the supposed end of the Iraq war. Because Iraq refused to provide blanket immunity for any crimes that might be committed by U.S. military personnel, Pres. Obama decided to bring the troops home. However, we will keep about 5,500 mercenaries in Baghdad at the world's largest embassy, along with who knows how many CIA and Special Ops troops, and the U.S. plans to post additional combat troops in the immediate vicinity of Iraq. Still, getting 40,000 troops out of Iraq is good news!  

But we just feel deeply, profoundly sad.  After nine years, maybe a million deaths, tens of thousands of injured, four million refugees, a country destabilized and left in ruins--it's a bit hard to feel celebratory. Especially when the hawks immediately begin new campaigns to wage war on Iran, Clinton talks about a "pivot" to ramp up the intimidation level against China, and the U.S. continues attacks in Yemen and Pakistan, not to mention Afghanistan.   

The only way we can possibly stop this insane war machine is to cut off the money. That's why we are working so hard to slash the Pentagon budget. 

Here are some of the things we've accomplished this month:

• Through our coalition, Fund Our Communities, Bring the War Dollars Home, we held Town Halls in Silver Spring and Baltimore, focused on cutting military spending and funding our communities--over 500 people attended these, showing the strong support in our community for a reallocation of federal spending.  

Silver Spring Town Hall to Take Back the Budget Debate

• Dressed as Halloween witches, we delivered petitions to the office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, encouraging him to advocate for cutting military spending in the super committee. It's not too late for you to sign the on-line petition. Do it now!  We'll make sure that Rep. Van Hollen receives it! 

Rep. Van Hollen--- Witch will you choose: Military Spending or Community Needs?

• We worked with the Montgomery County Council to introduce a resolution to cut military spending. When lobbying by Lockheed Martin derailed this resolution, we organized a protest at the Council offices. The amazing, outrageous--and successful--effort by a war profiteer to prevent the people of our County from expressing their views on national policy showed very clearly to the entire Washington area the extraordinary power of the military industrial complex. If you missed these letters in the Washington Post, be sure to read them now. 

• We arranged a meeting with representatives of 13 different community organizations and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, at which we urged Mr. Van Hollen to use his position on the super committee to cut military spending. 


• We organized a Montgomery County Day at October 2011 (DC's Occupation site at Freedom Plaza). We've spent additional time there and are thrilled at this national uprising.  

In the midst of all this, our Web site was hacked! We're back on-line now, but with a somewhat different look, and not all our content has been recovered. Maybe this means that somebody is paying attention to what we are doing! 

Prince George's County Town Hall Nov. 7! 

The final Maryland Town Hall this fall to shift the budget debate takes place on Monday, Nov. 7-- details below.  If you missed the Silver Spring or Baltimore Town Halls, don't miss this one!  And please encourage all your friends in Prince George's to attend!   

Be sure to check out the calendar below and our to-do list, top right, for ways you can help--we need you! 

In peace and solidarity,