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Citizens speak out against U.S. troops in Afghanistan
Protestors opposed to Obama’s plan to send more soldiers
SAJIKA GALLEGE/Herald photo
Protestors march down State Street donning masks to represent the dead.
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Protestors gathered at Library Mall Monday and marched up State Street in response to the Obama administration’s plan to send more than 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
The protest was the first of several scheduled to take place throughout the week. The president plans to address the nation tonight from West Point, N.Y., regarding his new plan for war efforts in the Middle East.
Donning white masks and carrying coffins to signify the dead, the group of veterans and Madison community members traveled up to State Street Brats, marching to the beat of a single drum and carrying multiple protest signs.
Protesters then returned to Library Mall, where speakers discussed reasons the United States should not send more troops into the Middle East.
One speaker, Nathan Toth, who served in the United States Navy from 1999 to 2003, called the war “unconstitutional” and said “bombs and bullets don’t end terrorism.”
Other speakers protested military recruitment, and the suffering of innocents and soldiers in the war. Pictures of deceased soldiers and images of bloodied victims were displayed on posters.
Adam Schesch, a speaker at the protest who received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and specializes in guerilla warfare and counterinsurgency, said he believes sending these troops is just a “drop in the bucket.”
“According to Gen. David Petraeus, there needs to be an equivalent of 20 U.S. soldiers for every 1,000 Afghani people, which means that there needs to be over 600,000 troops in Afghanistan,” Schesch said.
Following the speakers, the group funneled into Science Hall to watch a movie titled “Rethinking Afghanistan.” The movie showed devastation in the country, then argued there are problems associated with the United States being involved and offered a few alternative solutions.
When the movie concluded, a panel talked about the movie and took questions from the audience.
The panel included Buzz Davis of the WI Impeachment/Bring Home Our Troops Coalition; Joy First, leader of the Madison Pledge of Resistance; and Joe Elder, UW professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, and Sociology; as well as a lieutenant colonel who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The main points the panel discussed was the conflict’s cost to the American economy, al-Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan, and the future implications of sending these troops.
“President Obama, like Lyndon B. Johnson in Vietnam, does not want the blame of losing a war on his shoulders,” Davis said.
Without strong UW student attendance, the size of the protest was moderate, though more students attended the film showing following the demonstration.
“It’s different now because there is no draft,” Elder said, explaining the lack of student attendance. “[Students] aren’t worried about being in the war next year, having to worry about possibly dying.”
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so that dude in the mask is protesting more troops in Afghanistan by holding up a sign about a dead Iraqi?
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These protesters know that Iraq and Afghanistan are two completely separate wars, right?
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All foreign imperialisms have been defeated in Afghanistan. Alexander the Great lost in the end. The British Raj relinquished its hold. The German Panzers were stopped cold. The Russians were devastated - over a 100,000 killed, as many wounded for life.
So far from U.S. territory, essential interests, and cultural understanding, the Pashtoons will outlast, possibly slaughter, the heavily armed U.S, forces - no matter how any of us might judge who is right or wrong.
President Obama and his military supporters will find too soon, the war is not winable, the cost in blood and human fiber too great, the arrogance of empire following the dismal path of those who tried to conquer Afghanistan long before them.