With the U.S. war in Afghanistan over, we need to address the the toxicity of Veterans Day.
By Rory Fanning, Truthout
As a veteran who turned into an antiwar activist after deploying twice to Afghanistan, I’ve been railing against the toxicity of Veterans Day and calling for an end to the war in Afghanistan every year for the last decade.
This year, following the official end to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, there is a new kind of pressure because I fear most people in the U.S. will soon stop talking about Afghanistan — the country I think about nearly every day — entirely.
I know it’s tempting. The war is technically over. We saw it “end” nearly three months ago. But in reality, the war spills on in insidious ways that are harder to see and harder to resist: official and unofficial special forces operations, drone strikes and surveillance, and the training and maintenance of proxy forces.
Recent Posts
Gavin Newsom’s last budget belies his ‘California for All’ pledge
Take Action Now Yet, even as the state is poised to lose billions in federal funding, and millions of Californians are losing access to health care…
Israel and American Hawks are Pushing U.S. to Iran War With Catastrophic Consequences
Take Action Now At the World Health Assembly in May, member states may endorse an unprecedented strategy declaring that health is not a cost – but…
A Child’s View of the Attack on Venezuela. And a Peace Flotilla
Take Action Now At the World Health Assembly in May, member states may endorse an unprecedented strategy declaring that health is not a cost – but…
How to Organize Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Take Action Now From threat modeling to encrypted collaboration apps, we’ve collected experts’ tips and tools for safely and effectively building a…