Part of the Series
The Whole World Is Watching: NATO in Chicago
Dear friends of ordinary 99 percent Afghans,
We thank you for your love and your hands and feet, in organizing for the upcoming Chicago protests!
In these killing days, we in Afghanistan do not expect the interests of people to triumph over self-interests. But your efforts prove that another world is possible.
However, respectfully, late May demonstrations are probably too late to request that the majority of public opinion against the Afghan war be placed on NATO’s table, so as to end the ineffectual wasting of tax money on a futile war strategy. War doesn’t work!
By the time you take to the streets in Chicago on May 20, the U.S. Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement for a long term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will have been signed.
As General John Allen remarked last Sunday:
The US is fully committed to an enduring strategic partnership with Afghanistan … and now that we have concluded these two critically important MOUs [memorandums of understanding] — one on detentions and one on special operations — we are ready to look forward to a successful summit in Chicago in the wake of the signing of the Strategic Partnership.
The talk of a 2014 withdrawal is a distracting side show, and the recently clinched “important MOUs” for detentions and night raids/special operations were the token bait. In General Allen’s declaration, we will be protesting “in the wake” of the signing of this so-called partnership. Permits! Protests! The deal will have been done.
Perpetual war in South Asia will have been sealed in Washington and Kabul, in the sacred names of global and national security.
But, our names are not global and national security.
Our name is love.
If at all possible, please take to the streets earlier.
For us here in Afghanistan, where the streets are too deadly, on April 21 we’ll take to the Afghan airwaves again!
With year-round gratitude and spring warmth,
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today during our fundraiser. We have 9 days to add 500 new monthly donors. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.