[Peace-discuss] Recruit a Republican Against the War in Afghanistan

[C. G. Estabrook]

This seems to me eminent sense.  I did think we were opposing the 
administration's criminal war, not "negativity"...


E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
> Why are some on this list seem to be so dead set against debate and 
> discussion?
> 
> It's as pointless for Democrats to keep pretending that Barack Obama or the
> Democrat party has Any intent of ending American Imperialism and
> Interventionism as it is for the Republicans to pretend that the "United
> States has a divine mandate to Police the World" or that "they hate us
> because we're Free" or that "We're making the World safe for Democracy" or 
> "We're defending human rights" or any other such lies and subterfuge that
> form the pretext for War.
> 
> Why not follow Cindy Sheehan's lead? * *"...after the Dems did regain the
> Congress, Nancy and Crew proceeded to hand George many blank war checks. /In
> complete disgust, I resigned my membership in a party that was too craven to
> deserve my valuable support./
> 
> Are you tired of being used and betrayed by Democrats, yet? Like Matt 
> Gonzalez (a good SF politico) who ran a principled anti-corporate campaign as
> Ralph Nader’s running mate in 2008, asked: “What can the Democrats do to lose
> your support?” There’s always the health care “reform” that is not universal
> and keeps the insurance companies and HMO’s in the mix in something that
> should guarantee health for all and not wealth for a few. Or how about that
> torture thing? Turns out that Democrats may not have ordered it, but they are
> sure good about covering it up and protecting those who did order it. I am
> pretty sure that the rank and file Democrat does support single-payer health
> care and does not support torture.
> 
> If you care about the fact that the illegal and immoral wars in Iraq, 
> Afghanistan and now Pakistan are being fully prosecuted under a Democratic
> Legislative and Executive Branch tyranny, then there are just about 32
> Democrats who are worthy of supporting and 203 that must be sent packing in
> 2010. <http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/43479>
> 
> Although 30 out of an original 52 Democrats (joined by two more) stuck to
> their guns and voted twice against the war funding, and I honor their 
> commitment to this, I would like to single out two for this memo: Dennis 
> Kucinich (D-Oh) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Ca).
> 
> I think 32 Democrats should leave the party now and form a Peace Caucus, but
> why am I singling out Dennis and Lynn? Well, I have spent considerable time
> with both of them in their home districts and in/* the*/ District. I have
> marched beside them in peace marches and shared stages with them at rallies
> and teach-ins. Dennis and Lynn seem to have been leading the gutsy charge
> against the bill and Lynn especially showed remarkable back bone i 
> <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/06/16/MNQD187GAH.DTL>n
>  opposing her Congressional next door neighbor and by all accounts in San 
> Francisco and DC, one of the most vindictive woman in the country: Nancy 
> Pelosi."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 9/3/2009 11:16 AM, Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
>> Wayne, Do you seriously not get what folks are talking about re negativity
>> on this list?? What is the point of yr post? Does it have any positive 
>> effect re ending the war in Afghanistan?? This is the kind of stuff --
>> pointless and relentless criticism -- that's been driving folks away from
>> AWARE. --Jenifer
>> 
>> --- On *Thu, 9/3/09, E. Wayne Johnson /<ewj at pigs.ag>/* wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> From: E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Recruit a
>> Republican Against the War in Afghanistan To: Cc: "Peace-discuss List"
>> <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> Date: Thursday, September 3, 2009, 11:02
>> AM
>> 
>> What people tend to forget is that the Democrat Party is the War Party.
>> Maybe you should point out the cognitive dissonance of being Anti-War and a
>> Democrat.
>> 
>> "Democrats claim lead as War Party" http://tiny.cc/warparty
>> 
>> "Historically, the Democratic Party has been the party of war in the United
>> States, having actively maneuvered to involve the U.S. in the First World
>> War, Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam in spite of considerable popular
>> support for isolationism or nonintervention, particularly among
>> Republicans. That continues to be the case in spite of the White House's
>> unfortunate adoption of the neoconservative formula for world domination,
>> which is derived from the neocons' Trotskyite and Straussian roots rather
>> than from any genuine, conservative Republican tradition. " 
>> http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=10760
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 9/3/2009 10:32 AM, Robert Naiman wrote:
>>> [I should point out here that Rep. Tim Johnson is spectacularly good on
>>> this issue. He was one of the seven House Republicans to vote for the
>>> McGovern amendment, and he also voted against the war supplemental - both
>>> when other Republicans were voting against it, and when they were voting
>>> in favor of it.]
>>> 
>>> In an op-ed Tuesday in the Washington Post, conservative columnist George
>>> Will called for the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Send
>>> George Will's op-ed to your representatives in Congress, and to every
>>> Republican you know. There's no plausible way to end support for this war
>>> in Congress without turning some more Republicans against it. And there's
>>> no law of the universe that says Republicans have to support endless war
>>> and occupation in Afghanistan. Many Republicans opposed the U.S. bombing
>>> of Yugoslavia in the Clinton adminstration. Come out, come out, anti-war
>>> Republicans. We need you now.
>>> 
>>> http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/03-3
>>> 
>>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/recruit-a-republican-agai_b_276183.html
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org 
>>> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
>>> 
>>> Senator Feingold Calls for Timetable for U.S. Troop Withdrawal from
>>> Afghanistan http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/exit-afghanistan