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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:15px">Here is the draft of the text for tomorrow's peace demonstration:</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:15px"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The Wars Continue and the Militarization of our Police Hurts Everyone</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Just a few weeks ago, President Obama signed a secret order
to authorize continuation of the Afghan war for at least another year. The order
authorizes U.S. airstrikes to support Afghan military operations in the country
and authorizes U.S. ground troops to continue normal operations, which is to
say, to occasionally accompany Afghan troops on operations. The secret order
was leaked to the New York Times. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The administration affirmed that there had been “heated
debate” between Pentagon advisers and others in Obama’s cabinet chiefly
concerned not to lose soldiers in combat. The most notable absence was any
concern for Afghan civilians affected by air strikes and ground troop
operations. Also, the lack of the democratic process is obvious. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The wars are not working. According to the Global
Terrorism Database, the number of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and across
the world has increased (not decreased) since the war began in 2001. </span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Only 2% of the drone killings have been confirmed
‘suspected terrorists’</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The wars are a waste of the U.S. taxpayers’ money. The
Pentagon has requested another $58.3 billion for the war in Afghanistan in the
year fiscal year 2015.</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">4,000,000,000 dollars in the “war against terror”</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The wars are taking toll on the U.S. military. Those
who return from war are hurting. 22 U.S. veterans commit suicide every
day.<span style> </span>One veteran who committed
suicide said, “Most of us are poor farmers killing poor farmers while people in
our nations starve.” – Jacob George, U.S. veteran</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">After the 2009 U.S. military surge, the number of
civilian casualties, mainly children, has increased.</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The poverty that already existed in Afghanistan has
worsened. More than 4000 Afghans have set themselves on fire in 2014. 4000 have
tried to poison themselves.</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Afghanistan suffers with the problems of obtaining
the basic human needs of food and water</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-left:1in"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Courier New'"><span style>o<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Chronic malnutrition</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-left:1in"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Courier New'"><span style>o<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Unemployment is officially at 36%; Afghan labor
organizations put it as high as 80%</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-left:1in"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Courier New'"><span style>o<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Amnesty International reports that the war is
displacing 400 people every day</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-left:1in"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Courier New'"><span style>o<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Refugee camps are squalid, facing a very cold winter</span></p>
<p class="" style><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style>·<span style="font:normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">The war also results in militarization of our local
police. The Champaign County Sherriff’s office was given an MRAP – a
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. It weighs 35,000 pounds, is 10 feet
high, and 21 feet long. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial">Attempts to remake Afghanistan by military force have
resulted in warlord-ism, ever more widespread desperate poverty, and
bereavement for hundreds of thousands whose loved ones are among the casualties.
Area hospitals report seeing fewer IED injuries and many more bullet wounds from
battles between rival armed militias whose allegiances are hard to determine.
With 40% of U.S. weapon supplied to Afghan security forces now un-accounted for,
the weapons used by all sides may very well be supplied by the United States.</span></p>
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