RITA LASAR
Lasar is a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Her brother Abraham Zelmanowitz died in the World Trade Center attack while trying to save a coworker, Ed Bayea, a paraplegic in a wheelchair, who could not leave.
She just wrote the piece “Dear President Obama: Get Us Out of Afghanistan.”
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JURGEN TODENHOFER, via Shay Totten
Recently in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he has traveled extensively, Todenhofer is author of the just-released Why Do You Kill? The Untold Story of the Iraqi Resistance. The book outlines what steps Western countries should take to bring about a peaceful outcome to the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Israel/Palestine. Todenhofer is in New York City and D.C. for the next week. A former German parliamentarian, he is a leading expert on Islamic movements.
He said today: “Should Barack Obama believe that he can win the fight against global terrorism by defeating Al Qaeda copycats and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he would commit a fatal mistake that would be a catastrophe for his presidency. Terrorism arises from injustice. Thus it can only be overcome by justice and not by unjust wars.
“I was in the crowd when Obama spoke in Berlin last year. And I cheered because Obama talked of the Berlin airlift that ended a conflict without firing a shot.
“I’ve been spending time in Afghanistan since 1980. The Soviets threatened me when I was first there. You cannot win in Afghanistan. Even if you could, you’d inflame more resentment which would cause more terrorism. Muslims and others see Afghan villages being bombed. …
“What the U.S. should do in Afghanistan is step up its strengthening the Afghan forces, it would cost some money but would be much cheaper in terms of both money and blood than increasing the U.S. military there. And people should negotiate with the Taliban forces — notice that [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai wants to give the Taliban some power, that will help produce a peaceful outcome.”
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For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
