10th Year of War in Afghanistan

Stop the Machine; Create a New World
Press Conference on 10th Year of War in Afghanistan  

Next week will mark the start of the 11th year of the invasion of Afghanistan and the onset of the 2012 U.S. federal budget, which provides unlimited funds for war and corporate welfare, yet withholds essential funds for services that meet human needs.

On October 3 at 10:00 a.m., ten years before the eve of the Afghanistan invasion, people advocating peace, justice, compassion an end to a meaningless war will hold a press conference at the Dallas Peace Center, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd., in the Cathedral of Hope.

Speakers will include Gene Lantz, president of Texas Alliance of Retired

Americans; Aftab Siddiqui, vice president of Muslim Democratic Caucus of Texas; Rev. Ryan Koch, president of the Dallas Peace Center; Leslie Harris of CODEPink; Hadi Jawad of the Dallas Peace Center; and Adrian Sierra, a student at UTA.

"In the frenzied days of aftermath of the tragedy of 9/11, the Administration played on the fears and baser instincts of blind revenge of the American public and launched a war in Afghanistan," said Siddiqui. "Their objectives as stated were to dismantle the training camps and bases of Al-Qaida and to overthrow the government of Talibans. These objectives were achieved in a matter of weeks. Ten years later US forces are still there."

Rev. Bill McElvaney, professor emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, SMU, asked, "When will the majority of American people grow weary of politicians sending troops to die or be maimed by the thousands in far away lands in the crucible of violence? Just because a president and his military advisors insist that we need to start or enlarge killing fields doesn't make it true or right."  

People of conscience will gather to implore President Obama to proceed quickly with troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and redirect human and monetary capital toward education, social services and infrastructure improvements — America's real security.
 

What: Press Conference on 10 years of war in Afghanistan

When: Monday, October 3, at 10:00 a.m.

Where: Dallas Peace Center, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd., in the Cathedral of Hope.