CONGRESSMAN ALAN GRAYSON PROUDLY SERVING FLORIDA’S 8th DISTRICT

Congressman Alan Grayson urged his colleagues to oppose the war in Afghanistan this morning.  In a speech on the floor of the House, he read a petition against the war signed by more than 100,000 people.  Congressman Grayson wants Congress to stop President Obama’s planned escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

Congressman Grayson said, “The goals of expelling al-Qaeda and overthrowing the Taliban were accomplished years ago. The notion that an increase of 30,000 troops is necessary to ensure America’s security is absurd. It took about a thousand Special Forces troops to overthrow the Taliban in 2001.  Why do we need a hundred times that number now to keep them out?

“This occupation is an 18th century strategy used against a 14th century enemy. We’ve done enough for the security and well-being of the Pushtuns, the Tajiks and the Hazara. Instead of spending billions on the other side of the world, we can spend that money here to rebuild America. We simply can no longer afford this war. The American people are tired of war.”

Two veterans of the war in Afghanistan joined the Congressman at a morning news conference on the war.  Both are now members of Veterans For Rethinking Afghanistan, a group opposed to the escalation of the war.  One of the veterans, Matthew Justice from Wisconsin, echoed the Congressman’s sentiments that the involvement in Afghanistan has reached a dead end.  “We have lost sight of our mission in Afghanistan. We need to determine what our goals are prior to sending more troops,” he said.

Congressman Grayson was also joined by Robert Greenwald of Brave New Foundation, who agrees the war’s costs are too high. “At $1 million per soldier per year, America can’t afford this pointless war that is not making us safer,” he said.

You can find the Rethink Afghanistan petition here.

You can watch the Congressman’s floor speech here.