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WHEREAS, October 7th 2011 marks the 10th Anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history; and
WHEREAS, the ostensible goals of the invasion - the toppling of the then ruling Taliban regime, and the capturing or killing of Osama bin Laden - have both been since accomplished; and
WHEREAS, more than 5,000 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with tens of thousands more wounded - many of them with permanent disabilities, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis and others have been killed with untold numbers wounded and permanently disabled; and
WHEREAS, on May 30, 2010, according to the Cost of War Project, the combined cost of both these wars exceeded $1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion dollars); and
WHEREAS, local, county, and state governments are being starved for cash due in part to a ballooning national debt caused by a combination of war spending, the economic crisis which began in 2007, and tax cuts granted to multinational corporations and the country's wealthiest individuals; and
WHEREAS, proposals are being advanced which propose paying down the national debt upon the backs of the most vulnerable members of our society - the young, the sick, the unemployed, the marginally employed, the working poor, and the elderly, among others, by reducing or eliminating social programs upon which the vulnerable depend for life and well-being rather than reducing military spending.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Pittsburgh petitions President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to end both combat and occupation operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and remove U.S. troops and private security forces from those countries immediately; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of Pittsburgh petitions the U.S. Congress, especially Senators Casey and Toomey, and Congressmen Doyle and Murphy, that all monies saved by ending these conflicts will be used ...
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