TODAY: Iraq war officially ends
Today, the Iraq war officially ends.
Three years ago, Americans elected a president who rose to prominence on the basis of his opposition to the war. Now, after sustained grassroots pressure, President Obama will finally withdraw the last US troops from Iraq by year’s end.
And the war that started with a bang, with millions rising up in protest, will quietly end. But our journey towards peace won’t end here. We need your help to prepare for the new year.
Peace Action West campaigned tirelessly to turn the tide against a war that was once popular. And while we have much more to do, we’ve made a difference. That’s the way peace works.
Unlike war, peace progresses quietly and slowly, and takes patience. But people like you and me understand the stakes, and keep working. Peace is quiet. But it demands action.
Because when we raise our voices together, we make a real difference in the world. If it weren’t for those Americans who steadfastly stood for peace, the war in Iraq would not be ending. In the 1960’s, experts predicted that by now there would be 20 to 30 nuclear-armed nations in the world. That didn’t happen, and it’s because the people of the world insisted their governments sign and uphold the agreements that have kept nuclear weapons in check.
Ninety-eight percent of our annual budget comes from individual donors, people just like you. That’s why it’d be impossible to look ahead to 2012 without folks like you by our side.Can you help us prepare for 2012 with a year-end contribution? For a gift of $40 or more, we’ll send you our new Peace Demands Action stainless steel sports water bottle.
As you know, America is facing serious challenges, including a military commander who is pushing to extend the war in Afghanistan, a Congress that is planning to ramp up nuclear weapons spending while beating the war drum on Iran, and a string of presidential candidates who are frighteningly ignorant when it comes to foreign policy.
If you’ve gotten this far in this email, it’s because you know that we can’t afford more open-ended war, and more expensive foreign policy mistakes. And we know from history that nothing changes unless people who believe in peace take action.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
Inspiring, right? That’s why we put that quote on our new Peace Demands Action sports water bottle. We’ll send it to you as a thank you for a gift of $40 or more, but please give whatever you can afford before the year’s end.
Thank you.
