FCNL and 29 Organizations Call on House to Support Afghanistan Policy Shift

FCNL and 28 organizations call on members of the House of Representatives to support an effort led by Reps. Jim McGovern (MA) and Walter Jones (NC) to affirm the February 1st announcement to end U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by mid-2013 as a step in the right direction. The policy announcement is not perfect. As the letter says, questions remain about the continuing nature of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. However, ending combat operations is the first step to achieving a better U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

See the official letter here.
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February 13, 2012

Dear Member of Congress,

We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to sign on to the initiative led by Reps. Jim McGovern and Walter Jones supporting the announcement by the Secretary of Defense on February 1st that the United States will end combat operations in Afghanistan in 2013.

We believe the announcement is an important step towards ending a decade of war in Afghanistan. Although a number of questions remain, ending combat operations is an essential step toward creating a better U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

The still-classified 2011 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Afghanistan reportedly delivers a grim assessment of the war. Additionally, as reported in the Armed Forces Journal and New York Times, Lt. Col. Danny Davis, who traveled over 9,000 miles throughout Afghanistan during a yearlong deployment with the Rapid Equipping Force, “witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.”

The American public overwhelmingly supports brining our troops home. A recent ABC News/Washington Post survey found that the public supports the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by a 78%-19% margin, with even Republicans in favor 64%-33%. The human and financial costs of the last ten years are immense and ever growing. Bringing this decade of war to a close is the first step in reducing costs that will already stretch beyond the next decade.

We urge you to join Reps. McGovern and Jones in this effort to affirm the receding tide of war.

The deadline to sign on to the letter is NOON, Friday, February 17th.

To sign on, please contact Cindy Buhl (McGovern) at 202-225-6101 or Ray Celeste (Jones) at 202-225-3415.

Sincerely,

Friends Committee on National Legislation
Council for a Livable World
Win Without War
Just Foreign Policy
Peace Action West
Peace and Justice Resource Center
CREDO Action
DC Statehood Green Party
Women’s Action for New Directions
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Peace Action
3-P Human Security
Global Green USA
Pax Christi USA
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Church of the Brethren-National Council of Churches of Christ, USA
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Sojourners
Physicians for Social Responsibility
United for Peace and Justice
USAction
American Friends Service Committee
U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)
Afghanistan Study Group
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Institute Justice Team
Military Families Speak Out
Tikkun/Network of Spiritual Progressives
Center for International Policy