We woke yesterday morning to discover that the U.S. and Afghanistan had agreed to a new "strategic partnership agreement" to keep the U.S. military in that country until at least 2024. 2024!
While no details are yet available, we fear that the agreement paves the way for the longest war in US history to be continued indefinitely through a mixture of tens of thousands of US troops and billions more dollars of taxpayer money in support of a totally corrupt Afghan government. The American public overwhelmingly wants our troops to come home now and wants to stop the hemorrhaging of dollars for this war. The agreement does neither. Rather, it doubles down on a failed strategy.
Please call Congress (1-877-429-0678) and say you want our troops home now, that you oppose twelve more years of war and occupation.
Ask your representative to co-sponsor HR 780 in the House and your senator to introduce parallel legislation in the Senate. HR 780, the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, would end combat operations in Afghanistan and limit funding to the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops and military contractors.
Call the Congressional switchboard now at 1-877-429-0678 to ask for your representative and senators.
The only MD legislators who have so far cosponsored this bill are Donna Edwards and Elijah Cummings. This is pathetic--we can do better than that! Let Congress know that it is outrageous to continue to waste lives and money for twelve more years of a failed war.
Very Important Item for Your Calendar! We want you to come to our annual peace luncheon! It will be Sat., May 19, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, and our keynote speaker is the fabulous David Swanson.
You don't want to miss this! But we need you to RSVP so we can order enough food. Just reply to this e-mail telling us that you plan to come, and we'll save a place for you. And be sure to invite your friends!
In peace and solidarity,
Adrienne, Alex, Fran, Jean, Larry, Mel, Melinda, Mike, Pam, Rick, Shelley, Steve, Sue, Tim
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I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. So, I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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 Calendar | 
Thurs., April 26: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Forum on the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act. 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park. Sponsored by the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition, cosponsored by Peace Action Montgomery. More here.
Sat., April 28, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.: CODEPINK and the legal advocacy organizations Reprieve and the Center for Constitutional Rights are hosting the first international drone summit. bringing together human rights advocates, robotics technology experts, lawyers, journalists and activists for a summit to inform the American public about the widespread and rapidly expanding deployment of both lethal and surveillance drones, including drone use in the United States. 900 Mass. Avenue NW, D.C. Register here.
Mon., April 30: 7:30 p.m. Attend Takoma Park City Council in support of a resolution to cut military spending. 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park. More information here.
Thurs., May 3: 7:30 p.m. Panel discussion "A Season of Jubilee for Low Income Countries?" addressing the severe impact of international debt on low income countries. Panelists include Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA; Marie Dennis, Co-President of Pax Christi International; and Hopewell Gumbo and Kevin Hazangwi, Zimbabwean representatives of a Jubilee USA partner organization. St. Francis of Assisi church, 6701 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood, MD 20855. Sponsored by Pax Christi.
Sat., May 5: 2 p.m., Lafayette Park. Meet 86-year-old WW II veteran Sam Winstead as he completes a ride for peace, from his home in Raleigh, NC to DC. Jean will speak and welcome him to Washington at a rally across from the White House. More here.
Mon., May 7: 7:30 p.m. Attend Takoma Park City Council in support of a resolution to cut military spending. 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park.
Thurs., May 17: 7 -9 p.m., Peace Action Montgomery steering committee meeting, at the home of a member. All welcome! For directions, contact us here.
Sat., May 19: Peace Action Montgomery's annual luncheon, at Rockville Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Welsh Park Dr., Rockville. 11:30-1:30. Keynote speaker, David Swanson. Suggested donation $25, but any amount welcome. Luncheon catered by Lebanese Taverna, with vegetarian options. RSVP by replying to this e-mail. We need your RSVP so we can order the right amount of food! This will be inspirational, fun, and intellectually stimulating, and you'll eat delicious food. Proceeds will be donated to the national office of Peace Action and to the Afghan Women's Fund.
Every Saturday: Join the Olney Peace Witness, corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave., 10:30-11:30 a.m.
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Calling All Takoma Park Residents:
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If you live in Takoma Park, you can be a real help in our campaign to get a city resolution asking to bring the war dollars home! Constituents are very important to these elected council members.
Here's what you can do:
Come to a Council meeting on any Monday in April or May at 7:30. Hold a sign or speak in favor of the resolution. Please let us know if you plan to attend, and which evenings! Just reply to this e-mail. And be sure to tell us which ward you live in or who your council member is.
Send an e-mail to Mayor Bruce Williams, telling him that you support the resolution: BruceW@takomagov.org Send an email to all Council members saying that you support the resolution and want the Council to vote on it. You can find email addresses here. Click on a photo to find an individual's email address.
About the resolution: We are asking the Council to tell our Congressional delegation that we want less money spent for military purposes and more on human needs. You can refer to the resolution as "bring our war dollars home." They will know what you are talking about!
If you want to read the resolution, click here.
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| | TO DO THIS WEEK |
Call congress and tell your senators and representative that you want our troops home from Afghanistan now: 1-877-429-0678.
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Help us persuade the Takoma Park City Council to pass a resolution against military spending. More info here.
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Check our calendar for other ways to be involved.
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Commentary
| We admit it: the MoCo Peace Players are not yet ready for prime time! But we'll get better!
In the meantime, if you want to see our first production, a short guerilla theatre piece on Tax Day, click here.
It's not too late to download and distribute our new tax-day flier!
WaPost Supports Corporate Welfare for Lockheed Martin Last week we told you about our County Council testimony in opposition to an outrageous grant for $900,000 proposed by Ike Leggett for Lockheed Martin.
On Friday, the Washington Post published an astonishing editorial bashing the County Council for just listening to us! The editorial is hardly fair to Council members, since the Council had no choice but to listen--it was a public hearing!
This editorial is beyond belief in its naked support for corporate welfare--and in this case, corporate welfare for a key member of the military industrial complex.
We're working on an article to respond in detail to this editorial, and we'll link to it next time.
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Attend A Forum in Takoma Park this Thursday!
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The Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition is working to repeal those provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that allow for indefinite detention.
The Coalition also wants to sunset the law that provides legal cover for the "War on Terror," the AUMF of 2001.
On Thurs., April 26, MCCRC (with the cosponsorship of Peace Action Montgomery) will hold a citizens' hearing, and we hope to see you there.
Since Congress couldn't be bothered to hold hearings on ratifying the indefinite military detention provisions of the NDAA, Takoma Park will.
Join us in the Azalea Room of the Takoma Park Community Center to learn about the dangers posed by the NDAA and about the steps people are taking around the country to reverse what the ACLU is calling "an historic threat."
Speakers:
Heather Hurlburt, Executive Director, National Security Network and
Shahid Buttar, Executive Director, Bill of Rights Defense Committee.
More information here.
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| Those Who Died in Afghanistan March 25 - April 7 | |
Sgt William Wilson III 26 Getzville NY
Sgt Luke Taylor 33 England
Cpl Michael Foley 25 England
Sgt Joseph D'Augustine 29 Waldick NJ
Cap Francis Imlay 31 Vacaville CA
Spc David Taylor 20 Dixon KY
Cpl Michael Palacio 23 Lake Elsinore CA
Cpl Roberto Cazarez 24 Harbor City CA
Spc James Dutton 25 Checotah OK
Cpl Christopher Bordoni 21 Ithaca NY
Sgt Christopher Brown 26 Columbus OH
Sgt Tyler Smith 24 Licking MO
Cpl Douglas Hughes 26 New Zealand
Sgt Jeffrey Rieck 45 Columbus OH
Cap Nicholas Roganski 36 Dublin OH
Sgt Shawn Hanson 44 Grove City OH
Spc Antonio Burnside 31 Great Falls MT
Trevor Stanley 22 Virginia Beach VA
Unknown number of Afghans and Pakistanis
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