End Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

The women and men of the Armed Forces have been sent into combat zones created, not to protect our national security, but to satisfy President Bush and Dick Cheney's lust for the profits of war. The war in Afghanistan was completely avoidable. When the Taliban offered to hand over bin Laden following Sept. 11, Bush declined the offer and instead invaded the country and allowed bin Laden to escape. Regarding Iraq the evidence is clear that none of the reasons Bush gave for invading have turned out to be valid, and in fact, there is a significant amount of evidence that the Bush Administration has lied and fabricated its way through this war and occupation.

The fact of the matter is, none of the information this administration has produced can be trusted. The only solution is begin a swift pull-out immediately of all US troops, mercenaries, and contractors.

End the War on Terror

We must also end the so-called War on Terror, which has succeeded in destroying our civil liberties, creating a climate of fear, and rewarding big Republican donors, but failing to make us even marginally safer than we were before Sept. 11. In fact, the invasion of Iraq, along with anti-Islamic rhetoric from conservatives heard as recent as the Republican National Convention, has only turned the average Muslim against us, and has served as a great recruiting tool for our enemies. We must rise above the tactics of the terrorists. We must recognize the so-called War on Terror for what it is: a vague doctrine and convenient excuse for a hidden political agenda.

The U.S. can once again restore its standing in the world by withdrawing troops from Iraq and beginning to restore the trust of our allies. We must end the practice of kidnapping and torture by the U.S. military. We must stand up against hate speech against Muslims. We must draw down the police state that has emerged in this country by ending domestic spying and restore due process.

The so-called War on Terror has cost us not only our freedom, but our dignity, and we need to take them both back.

As your representative in Congress, I will never support any measure that needlessly puts our soldiers in danger; I will vote against any reauthorization of the occupations. I will work to repeal laws that have erroded our civil liberties, such as the Military Commissions Act and the USA PATRIOT Act.