Dear John,

This week we read in the Washington Post that during the U.S. War in Afghanistan, 1 trillion of your tax dollars were knowingly wasted along with the destruction of Afghanistan and countless lives. This revelation reminds me of the Pentagon Papers but it landed with a whimper.  

Yesterday the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to end US engagement in the Saudi War on Yemen was gutted and, instead of being a step toward peace, it became a trojan horse to fund more war.  

Which brings us back to a fundamental question: how are we going to affect change in a world run by a war economy that is propped up by weapons and war?  The most important answer: we must begin cultivating our local peace economies. In doing so we will know who to vote for and why, we will know how the war economy is killing us, our communities, and the planet. You can hear more this weekend at Be the Revolution.

10 years ago CODEPINK went to Afghanistan and brought back 4000 signatures from Afghani women, begging then-President Obama not to escalate in Afghanistan, explaining that there is no such thing as a ‘good war’. My dear friend Ashawna Hailey funded my capacity to deliver those signatures to Obama personally.  He did not listen. 

We must build a movement for peace and divest ourselves, our habits, and our idea of what nourishes life from the war economy. Join Be the Revolution this weekend to hear more about Growing A Local Peace Economy. Reach out next week and let’s talk about what you are doing locally to divest from war and invest in a peace economy.

Cultivating peace to create conditions conducive for life,

Jodie 

P.S. It's the end of the year and we're asking for your support. Can you donate $5, $10, or $20 so we can continue to grow our movement for peace in DC?