Letters to the Editor: The U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan Is Endless War. Bring Our Troops Home Now
MFSO Board Member Jeff Merrick’s Letter to the Editor:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-12-10/endless-war-afghanistan-bring-the-troops-home-now
Action Alert: Oppose Nomination of Michele Flournoy as Secretary of Defense
Soon Pres. Elect Biden will be announcing his choice for Secretary of Defense and Michelle Flournoy seems to be at the top of his list. As military families, we are very concerned about her appointment, since she opposes withdrawal of our troops from the Middle East. Flounoy and several others from the think tank she founded, the Center for New American Security, are invested in the escalation of war and pre-emptive strikes. We urge you to call you Senator now, mention that you are a military family and speak out against her appointment for Secretary of Defense. Below is more information about Flounoy and the policies she has supported. Please call your Senator today and get the word out to all your contacts.
Action Alert
WHAT: Oppose Nomination of Michele Flournoy as Sec. of Defense
HOW: Contact your U.S. Senators (202) 224-3121
WHY: Oppose hawkish Flournoy’s nomination because she wants to increase arms sales to Saudi Arabia to police the Middle East while the US pivots to Asia to escalate troop deployments for more “war games” in the South China Sea. Flournoy advocates:
· Preparation for multiple simultaneous large theater wars.
· Pre-emptive unilateral military strikes.
· Sale of more weapons to Saudi Arabia’s brutal regime in contrast to President-elect Joe Biden’s position to end US support for Saudi genocide in Yemen.
· Escalation of provocative roving war games in the South China Sea, ramping up the risk of a hot war with China or North Korea, both nuclear powers.
· Increased use of drone warfare.
· Symbolizes the revolving door between Pentagon, consultants and military contractors.
· Investment in new weapons systems when resources are urgently needed to address the climate crisis and COVID-19, etc.
WHEN: Call and email NOW as Biden will reportedly announce his cabinet choices as early as Thanksgiving. Biden’s nominees, to pass muster, must be approved by a majority of the Senate.
Please share the links below with Senators, on social media & with like-minded organizers:
Will Michele Flournoy be the Angel of Death for the American Empire? Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies. Common Dreams. 9/22/2020
https://www.commondreams.org/
Progressives Slam Biden’s Foreign Policy Team
https://www.thenation.com/
Tim Shorrock. The Nation. 9/21/20
Democrats are walking a fine line on the election’s main foreign policy issue: China. Akbar Shahid Ahmed. Huffington Post. 8/22/20
https://www.huffpost.com/
How to Prevent a War in Asia by Flournoy (Foreign Affairs, June 18, 2020)
https://www.foreignaffairs.
“…if the U.S. military had the capability to credibly threaten to sink all of China’s military vessels, submarines, and merchant ships in the South China Sea within 72 hours, Chinese leaders might think twice before, say, launching a blockade or invasion of Taiwan; they would have to wonder whether it was worth putting their entire fleet at risk.” Flournoy
“Washington needs to clarify—and consistently demonstrate—its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, making clear who and what it is willing to defend. It must deploy more senior officials and additional military forces to the region, to underscore its enduring presence, strengthen its relationships, and counterbalance China’s influence. It should conduct more regular military exercises with allies and partners in the region, both to demonstrate capabilities it has already and to accelerate the development of new ones.”
Background on Flournoy (Wikipedia)
Michèle Angelique Flournoy (born December 14, 1960) is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy under President Clinton and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under President Obama, serving as a principal advisor to U.S. Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta from February 2009 to February 2012.[1] During her tenure in the Clinton administration, Flournoy was the principal author of the May 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which advocated the unilateral use of military power in defense of US interests.[2] While serving in the Obama administration, Flournoy crafted the administration’s policy of counter-insurgency in Afghanistan[3] and helped persuade President Obama to intervene militarily in Libya.[4]
After leaving the Obama White House, Flournoy joined the Boston Consulting Group as a senior advisor, overseeing the development of $32 million in military contracts.[7][8] In 2018, she joined the board of Booz Allen Hamilton, a publicly traded consulting firm with military contracts and cyber security expertise.[9] She is currently the co-founder and managing partner of WestExec Advisors
For more on Biden’s cabinet choices, read “Meet the Contenders for Biden’s Cabinet” (Politico, 11/7/20).
https://www.politico.com/news/
Please share this email with your social media networks and followers, urging them to take action, as well.
MFSO Newsletter – October 2020
MFSO Newsletter – September 2020
Depleted Uranium Fact Sheet
Scattergories Parties
MFSO T-Shirt Fundraiser
Like many other non-profits, our ability to raise operating funds has been impacted by COVID-19. We had planned on participating in many events this year and have a surplus of t-shirts that we have not been able to sell at our usual tabling events. Please consider helping us spead the word about MFSO and our mission by purchasing and wearing your MFSO T-Shirt!
Available in all adult sizes in either white or black.
To donate by check, please make your check out to MFSO and send to:
Upcoming Events – Summer 2020
On July 18th, 2020, the 18th Annual Peacestock: A Gathering for Peace will take place virtually at 1pm via Zoom. Register here.
What is Peacestock?
Peacestock is a mixture of speakers, activists, and musicians. Peacestock features timely topics and seeks speakers who are well respected on those topics. Browse the archives of previous Peacestock festivals for reference, and watch video of our speakers.
Where can I register for the 2020 virtual event?
Register here: peacestockvfp.org/
Who organizes Peacestock?
Peacestock is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115, in Red Wing and Veterans for Peace, Chapter 27, in Minneapolis, and has a peace-themed agenda.
Where can I connect to Peacestock on Social Media?
Facebook users: Please join our Peacestock Facebook page, found at https://facebook.com/
Twitter users: Please follow our Twitter account @peacestock, found at https://twitter.com/
Welcome to the VFP 2020 Online Convention!
We are excited to announce Veterans For Peace’s first Online Convention! We know that many of us will miss being able to greet each other in person but we also know that each and every one of us wants to make sure all of our members are safe and healthy. Convention will take place from August 2nd-9th, with the theme “Human Rights over Nuclear Might”. Since our founding, Veterans For Peace has had it in our goals “to end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons” and the week will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear explosion of all time at the Trinity Site, New Mexico, which occurred on July 16, 1945).
While we are so disappointed to not connect with everyone in person, we also see the amazing opportunity this presents for our organization. We see this as an opportunity to broaden our audience to many folks who have been unable to join us in person and to expand the possibilities of who may be able to participate and present for our workshops. Everyone in New Mexico has been amazingly generous and allowed us to rebook everything for 2021, so we will not miss out on the opportunity to gather in New Mexico next year!
We are busy making plans on an amazing array of workshops and plenaries and even creative ways to incorporate some social times. This year’s convention will highlight work being done to address nuclear weapons as well as nuclear colonialism and broader topics such as what decolonizing the peace movement looks like and highlight some of the amazing work being done within Veterans For Peace. We will be updating this website in the coming months with more information, which will include options on how to learn and navigate the convention technology. We will be doing our best to make sure that everyone who wants to participate will be able to have the technological support needed. Stay tuned for more details!
Signed,
2020 Online Convention Committee
Robert Vivar, MFSO board member and co-founder and co director United US Deported Veterans was interviewed on Via Voices last week. After living 40 years in the US, he was deported in 2014. His son is active duty Army and grandson recently enlisted in the US Marine Corps and so Robert works daily to help veterans before and after they’re deported. Take a listen to his recent interview on Via Voices and share our gratitude for the incredible work of our MFSO board member and humanitarian activist is doing. https://youtu.be/QcTh8jHxnqs