Letter to President Obama on Afghanistan

I don't typically write letters to the President. I know (from working in an elected official's office myself) that such a letter is screened by some 20-something aide, then cataloged and perhaps sent a stock response. But I felt compelled to send the following email letter yesterday, on the afternoon before the speech explaining to the public the "justification" for escalating the war in Afghanistan. Somewhere in my heart I thought if enough energy is sent to Obama, he would access his heart and change his mind.

December 1, 2009

President Obama,

I fiercely supported your campaign for president and believe you are the best president for our country and our world.

I believe in your brilliance and compassion and your political savvy. I believe in your vision for change. I believe you are a change maker.

You inherited a huge mess and are trying to make your way through some unbelievable burdens not of your doing. I think you are steering us toward a better tomorrow on almost every front.

That said, I feel compelled to write to say I do not support your decision to increase troops in Afghanistan. I say that having family members who are in harm's way, right now, serving there. I know there is a belief that more troops will make them safer and will make the outcome of the war better. I disagree. They will be safer if they come home. We can address issues of instability in that region without this escalation. If anyone can figure out how, I believe it can be you.

President Obama, we need our energy, our dollars, and our hearts focused on the crisis at home. We need better health care, better public education, more affordable housing, more jobs.

Please, listen to your heart, which I believe is the heart of a peacemaker, not a war maker.

I know you have weighed your options carefully, but do not go down in history as the person responsible for escalating this conflict.

Rather, I urge you to be the leader who stands in line with Ghandi, and with Martin Luther King Jr., and insists that change is possible through peaceful action.

Sincerely, and with respect,

Ann Freeman

I am also honored and humbled to be asked to post this letter on the blog for the Fellowship of Reconciliation.