5 YEARS TOO MANY

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Pillars of War
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The Pillars of War and How We Can Topple Them

The Military

The US government can't fight war or maintain an occupation without troops -- or without obedient troops. Nor can they begin new wars without enough compliant soldiers and the military machine to carry it out. Right now the military is culpable for sending U.S. troops to occupy Iraq under false pretenses, without proper training or protection and for changing soldiers' original agreements through stop-loss programs. The military's targeted recruitment campaigns are full of lies and gross violations of the civil liberties and privacy rights of America's youth. Troops returning home with debilitating mental and physical injuries are not provided with the services, care or resources they need to heal and return to healthy civilian lives.

The American people want our military to stop lying about supporting the troops and start doing it.

This pillar can be weakened by supporting or doing counter-recruitment work, and supporting GI resistance and events like Winter Soldier, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Funding

So far the United States has spent over $500 billion on this war -- with money that comes straight from taxpayer dollars & the Congress. More then $200 billion more has already been earmarked for the occupations of Iraq & Afghanistan even as the US fumbles into recession. This is only a small portion of total U.S. military spending, which exceeds 50% of the entire federal budget.

The American people want funding for healthcare and education -- not death and destruction through military actions.

This pillar can be weakened by keeping the pressure on Congress and the presidential candidates to stop funding the war, and we can escalate our pressure through direct action! We can also take matters into our own hands by directly refusing to pay for the war through war tax resistance. Part of the responsibility for the war's funding rests with those of us who pay for it.

War Profiteers

Corporations are essential to continuing the occupation in Iraq, and forcing them to withdraw their participation would shut down essential parts and motives for the war. American corporations have contracts in Iraq to provide weapons, mercenary private security, and reconstruction services, and are involved in the efforts to privatize Iraq's economy, especially the oil industry. Many of these corporations -- such as Exxon, Bechtel, Blackwater, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, Shell and Halliburton -- have offices in the K Street corridor in downtown Washington, DC, and they are all making record-breaking profits from corporate participation in the occupation. Despite numerous allegations of human rights violations, murder, rape, improper conduct & wasteful spending, these companies continue to coordinate the occupation with no congressional oversight.

The American people refuse to let these companies siphon off our tax dollars to profit from the death of innocent people.

Security State

With 9-11 we saw the creation of Homeland Security, the imposition of the Patriot Act and increased willingness to continue to engage in actions that violate the Geneva Conventions. US policy has led to Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, immigrant detention centers in the US, torture and interrogation, use of lethal and non-lethal weapons against civilian populations, etc. All of these tools are used to shut down dissent, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of ordinary citizens through warrantless wire-tapping, data-mining, and travel restrictions in epic proportions. Politicians continue to perpetuate fear through rhetoric and lies.

The American people will no longer fear our government and ambiguous foreign threats -- we will stand together against them and oppose their march to fascism.

Mainstream Media

Corporate media's now documented steady stream of lies, distortions and repetition of the Bush administration's "global war on terror" propaganda was essential in whipping up and continuing public support for the illegal invasion, war and occupation. The media has continued to stand by our warmongering president and Congress by refusing to conduct proper investigative reporting, withholding information, cooperating with unjust provisions of the Patriot Act, and neglecting its responsibility as the 4th estate.

The American people demand the truth, and media based on responsible, investigative and robust reporting free of governmental and corporate interests.