Dear Friends,

This Sept. 18 will be the 20th anniversary of the day President Bush signed the law authorizing the beginning of our country's longest war. This war is not over, although the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan brought us one significant step closer to peace. In order to actually end the war, we need to first end drone strikes, close Guantanamo, and welcome Afghan and other refugees into our country. Please help us end the war by submitting an op-ed or letter to the editor (LTE) to your local newspaper calling on our government to take these steps – see our talking points.

The rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, combined with the continued existence of Al Qaeda and the rise of ISIS (which did not exist 20 years ago) show that we are not winning the war and there is no reason to think that continued fighting will produce any better result. It is time for America to learn that violence cannot end the threat of terrorism. It is time to close Guantanamo, end drone strikes, and end the war. Further, now that the Taliban rules Afghanistan, we must open our hearts and our borders to our allies who worked with us and fought along side us, and to the women, minorities, and others who fear the Taliban. We must not abandon those who depend on us for their physical safety.

Please use these tips and talking points to write and submit an op-ed or LTE to your local newspaper. Op-eds and LTEs are important for persuading members of the public to support an end to the war. They are also read by Members of Congress and their staff - the very people who are now deciding on how many Afghans to allow into the U.S. and who will decide whether the U.S. will close Guantanamo and end drone strikes.

If you submit an op-ed or LTE, please let us know by emailing a copy of it to me at [email protected].

Thank you for helping our country finally end its longest war.

Sincerely,

Matt Hawthorne
Policy Director