Then, three days after he took office, President Obama authorized unmanned Predator drones to fly into two Pakistani villages where 18 civilians were killed. (Last year 30 strikes killed more than 200 people.) In February, he decided to send 17,000 troops to Afghanistan. So we're off to a good start with our new president with regard to war, a man in whom we placed so much hope that things would be different after the past eight years.
Well, there is a kernel of hope. Unlike his predecessor, Obama listens to the people. A recent ABC/Post poll (http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/story?id=6957836) shows that Americans divide by 50-47 percent on whether the conflict in Afghanistan is worth fighting even though nearly two-thirds support the president's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. Perhaps, if we put enough pressure on him we might make a difference.
One way you can make a difference is by going to New York City on April 4 to march for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. In your local communities you can also call attention to these two wars, which we didn't want....and which we as a nation cannot support financially, militarily, or morally. The power of change rests in your hands.
Peace Now! Peace Now! Peace Now!
This article appeared in Common Dreams on March 19, 2009.
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