Strength Through Peace gives one half-hearted cheer and one loud boo to Congresswoman Betsy Markey for her votes concerning the occupation of Afghanistan before the Independence Day recess. We cheer Markey's vote against a supplemental appropriations bill that included $33.5 billion for continuing the military "surge" in that country. We boo her vote against a bill that would have required $33.5 billion be spent on the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The first bill passed and will next go to the Senate; the second bill failed.
It is unclear whether Markey voted against the supplemental appropriations bill because she disapproves of the continued occupation of Afghanistan or because she disapproved of the nearly $50 billion in domestic spending included in the same measure. Given her vote on the "orderly withdrawal" bill, it seems likely that her main objection was to increasing domestic spending.
Strength Through Peace and Progressive Democrats of America-Northern Colorado have been asking Markey to clarify her position on the occupation of Afghanistan since February. We have delivered letters to her Fort Collins office staff after each of our monthly Brown Bag Lunch Vigils, signed by dozens of her constituents. So far, none of our letters has been answered.
Our next Brown Bag Lunch Vigil will be at noon today (see http://www.cjpe.org/stp/BBLV.html for details). We encourage your readers to join us. The more people protest the failed occupation of Afghanistan, the harder it will be to ignore us.
Kevin Cross,
Fort Collins