Please check out our friends at
Iraq Moratorium/Moratoria Irak
Allies and close friends of the Bring Them Home Now! campaign have launched two new sites, Iraq Moratorium & Moratoria Irak. We recommend that you check out these web pages, dedicated to regular local events on the third Friday of every month. And, as of Sunday, December 30, the daily BTHN! News Roundup is relocating to the Iraq Moratorium site.
An open letter on the future of Bring Them Home Now!
“Should We Stay Or Should We Go?”
Dear Family,
We need your views on the future of BTHN!
The Bring Them Home Now! campaign—and this website—date to the early days of the war, July of 2003. It was begun by military veterans and the families of active duty troops who opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, as a "safe-space" to voice that opposition.
Back then, much of the country was still in a saber-rattling fervor after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Bush had just dared the Iraqi resistance to attack U.S. troops there: "Bring 'em On!" The idea that folk in the military community would oppose the war, let alone speak out against it, seemed strange.
So Bring Them Home Now! was created to give voice to veterans, active duty troops and the loved ones of those in harm's way. And we tried to explain, patiently, to the military community, the anti-war movement, and the American people, that supporting the troops did not mean keeping them in Iraq year after year, or keeping some of them there indefinitely—that there is one way and only only one way to really support the troops—Bring Them Home Now!
Times have changed. Troops polled favor rapid withdrawal by two to one. So do non-coms. Officers up to the highest levels are using retired generals from the High Command to speak for them against this slow–motion train wreck of a war. The main forces in the anti-war movement give respect to veterans and military families and have NOW! as part of their program. 70% of the people of this country want the war over with—pronto!
So.
Is there still a need for this website? We are proud of the work we have done for the past four-plus years, but past accomplishments aren't a strong enough argument to continue it.
We need you to weigh in on BTHN's future! Do you still read it more than once in a while? Why? Are there other places (Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, GI Special) you turn to for information about the war and opposition to it from within the military community? Tell us what you have liked and what you have found inadequate, both, about this site.
A very small group of volunteers has been keeping the Bring Them Home Now! campaign afloat, and if this is not the best use of our efforts, we will simply work to build the anti-war movement in other ways. Notably, in recent months, donations have fallen off, leaving those same volunteers to pay for old printing bills, website hosting and other expenses out of pockets already near empty.
The future of BTHN! is up to you, our regular readership! Please share your thoughts by emailing us at: <futureofbthn@gmail.com>.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
DONATE!! This is a shoestring operation. Over 160,000 copies of the BTHN! card have been distributed. We hope to double that in the next year, and to publish timely leaflets folks can use wherever they are. We need to make more buttons and bumperstickers. We want to keep the website active and current. None of this can happen if the readers of this site don't help.
SPREAD THE WORD! Let family, friends and coworkers know about the BTHN! campaign and this website. Contact us to get copies of the BTHN! card, free, for distribution.
WRITE IN! The people of this country need to hear from the troops, their families and friends, veterans of this war and service at other times, those who support and sympathize with them, and activists who are organizing against the occupation.
VOLUNTEER! The BTHN! website needs a few people who are comfortable with computers and the web and can offer time on a regular basis to help maintain and improve our website and expand its reach.
S t a t e m e n t o f P u r p o s e
BRING THEM HOME NOW! is a campaign of military families,
veterans, active duty personnel, reservists and others opposed to
the ongoing war in Iraq and galvanized to action by George W. Bush's
inane and reckless challenge to armed Iraqis resisting occupation
to "Bring 'em on."Our mission is to mobilize military families, veterans, and GIs
themselves to demand: an end to the occupation of Iraq and other
misguided military adventures; and an immediate return of all US
troops to their home duty stations.
The truth is coming out. The American public was deceived by the
Bush administration about the motivation for and intent of the invasion
of Iraq. It is equally apparent that the administration is stubbornly
and incompetently adhering to a destructive course. Many Americans
do not want our troops there. Many military families do not want
our troops there. Many troops themselves do not want to be there.
The overwhelming majority of Iraqis do not want US troops there.
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Our troops are embroiled in a regional quagmire
largely of our own government's making. These military actions are
not perceived as
liberations, but as occupations, and our troops are now subject to
daily attacks. Meanwhile, without a clear mission, they are living
in conditions
of relentless austerity and hardship. At home, their
families are forced to endure extended separations and ongoing
uncertainty. As military veterans and families, we understand that hardship is
sometimes part of the job. But there has to be an honest and compelling
reason to impose these hardships and risks on our troops, our families,
and our communities. The reasons given for the occupation of Iraq
do not rise to this standard.Without just cause for war, we say bring the troops home now!Not one more troop killed in action. Not one more troop wounded
in action. Not one more troop psychologically damaged by the act
of terrifying, humiliating, injuring or killing innocent people.
Not one more troop spending one more day inhaling depleted uranium.
Not one more troop separated from spouse and children. This is the
only way to truly support these troops, and the families who are
just as much part of the military as they are.
Bush says "Bring 'em on." We say "BRING THEM HOME
NOW!" |
