Thanks to Fred Miller, President of Peace Action of Washington, for sending along the following the information:
Peace Action of Washington and Greater Seattle Veterans for Peace will sponsor a vigil Sunday [February 21, 2010] evening, 6-8 pm, to mark the 1000th death of a member of the Americn military in Afghanistan. As of noon Saturday, the death toll stands at 999, as reported on www.icasualties.org.
“Americans dying in combat no longer get headlines.” said Fred Miller, President of Peace Actiojn of WA. “Afghan civilians rarely even get counted. We don’t want any lives to be forgotten. We don’t want any more to be wasted. The fact that the most expensive, most advanced military on earth hasn’t defeated a small and poorly equipped force shows that this problem can’t be solved by military means. Instead of focussing on Taliban “strongholds”, we should be concerned about Afghan illiteracy, infant mortality, and unemployment. Addressing these problems will cost less and do more to stop the Taliban and Al Qaida.”
“We are not in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people,” said Gerry Condon, president of Greater Seattle Veterans For Peace. “We are killing innocent civilians in order to establish permanent U.S. military bases and control over sources of oil and natural gas.”
Veterans For Peace and Peace Action call for an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, and for a foreign policy based on fairness, cooperation, and humanitarian and development aid. ”People who feel optimistic about life don’t support terrorism,” Miller says, “We can make more friends or more enemies. Helping a village meet it’s goals makes friends. Blowing things up doesn’t.”
The vigil will be on the south shore of Seattle’s Green Lake (at N 65th st), 6-8pm. Candles will be provided.
