White House petition to bring troops home from Afghanistan

[tsai3904]

Please sign and share this petition to bring our troops home from Afghanistan now.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/bring-all-troops-home-afghanistan-now/ZJJV09DT


Bring all troops home from Afghanistan now.

The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for over 11 years, which makes it the longest war with US ground troops in history.

The Congressional Research Service says the US has spent $557 billion in Afghanistan from 2001 through 2012.

66,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan as of January 2013.

Reports indicate the Administration may decide to keep as many as 15,000 US troops in Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond.

Over 2,000 US soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan and tens of thousands have come home wounded.

Therefore, We the People demand all US troops be brought home from Afghanistan now.

I started this petition after reading that the first casualty of 2013 was of a 28 year old soldier killed on January 10 and that only two national media news organization have reported on it (no CNN, NY Times, Reuters, etc).

Now, Mitch McConnell is saying that we need at least 10,000 troops beyond 2014 and the Administration is deciding how many to leave behind rather than when to bring them all home.

Although this won't change policy, I'm hoping the media will report on this petition (since they have been doing it a lot recently) and bring awareness to the situation.

People are tired of this war so please share and let them express their frustration by signing this petition. It needs 150 signatures before it becomes open and searchable to the public.

[FrancisMarion]

Unbelievable out of 240 open petitions this is the only one......

First one I have ever signed.

[tsai3904]

Unbelievable out of 240 open petitions this is the only one......

First one I have ever signed.

Yea, I was surprised there wasn't one petition related to Afghanistan.

+rep for signing

[sailingaway]

https://twitter.com/usernamenuse/status/291205463528329216

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edit, also promoted to front page

[KMX]

I bet the people in the White House just laugh at silly petitions. People really think these are going to do anything?

[sailingaway]

I bet the people in the White House just laugh at silly petitions. People really think these are going to do anything?

It's just infuriating that there are NONE. What happened to the antiwar left? Let's put it in their faces and at least maybe a few will think about it. And the media does report when it reaches a level it needs to be addressed by the white house per Obama's promise.

But no, I don't sign these generally, because I think Obama does it to cherry pick what he wants to do anyhow and claim a mandate, ignoring those he'd rather not see - unless they become cause celebre like the Piers Morgan one.

[tsai3904]

I bet the people in the White House just laugh at silly petitions. People really think these are going to do anything?

If you think the only goal is to actually get Obama to bring all the troops home, then yea, it's not going to accomplish that.

However, more political people understand that certain actions generate media attention and can help the cause in other ways.

Look at the Death Star petition. You think the actual goal was to build a death star? Come on...

It got almost 35k people to sign a petition and probably many to think about how absurd it is to waste money building something useless. Then after the White House responded, every media organization reported on it.

[cheapseats]

Is anyone keeping track of how many meaningful-not-farfetched White House petitions have logged a significant number of signatures, only to be dismissed with some variation of THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST?

[tsai3904]

Is anyone keeping track of how many meaningful-not-farfetched White House petitions have logged a significant number of signatures, only to be dismissed with some variation of THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST?

They respond to petitions that gather more than 25k signatures within a month. You can see all 96 responses here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/responses

The main point isn't to get a White House response. It's to generate media attention and to remind people that there are still tens of thousands of troops there and they will not all be brought home even after 2014.

[tsai3904]

15 people signed the petition today.

[shane77m]

signed it

[sailingaway]

signed it

remind me to give you rep when you are no longer a guest and are rep receptive...

[Thor]

The online White House petition system is a way for the government to easily identify the troublemakers. "Hey, come over here and give us your name and address.... we won't bite."

[sailingaway]

The online White House petition system is a way for the government to easily identify the troublemakers. "Hey, come over here and give us your name and address.... we won't bite."

yeah, that occurred to me, but with all the data mining crap they are pulling, I figure I'm pretty naked already.

[ClydeCoulter]

yeah, that occurred to me, but with all the data mining crap they are pulling, I figure I'm pretty naked already.

No comment at this time :)

[shane77m]

Did this one make it in before the 100,000 signature cut off date?

[sailingaway]

Did this one make it in before the 100,000 signature cut off date?

We have to read the fine print. Yes it did, however, if they say it is when it reaches their 'shows up in database' threshold, it hadn't done that yet. It better make it.

[tsai3904]

Did this one make it in before the 100,000 signature cut off date?

Yea it did. It only needs 150 signatures before it becomes searchable to the public. I think once it's open to the public, it should pick up signatures on its own. The problem is getting to 150.

[sailingaway]

Yea it did. It only needs 150 signatures before it becomes searchable to the public. I think once it's open to the public, it should pick up signatures on its own. The problem is getting to 150.

Did you post this at DP? Unfortunately when you posted it here, the forum immediately went down, so it didn't get as much exposure.

[tsai3904]

Did you post this at DP? Unfortunately when you posted it here, the forum immediately went down, so it didn't get as much exposure.

Yea I did. No response.

http://www.dailypaul.com/270266/white-house-petition-to-bring-troops-home-from-afghanistan

[FrancisMarion]

22 signatures? What say you?

By the way, the name of the soldier lost that was mentioned in the OP is Aaron X. Wittman.

[sailingaway]

Yea I did. No response.

http://www.dailypaul.com/270266/white-house-petition-to-bring-troops-home-from-afghanistan

bumped it there as well.

[tsai3904]

25 year old soldier killed on January 16. It's been over 15 hours since DoD sent out a press release of the death and still no national media coverage.

[sailingaway]

tweeted again: https://twitter.com/usernamenuse/status/292361139453587456