America’s Wars and U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Outrage

Last month, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in its 79th annual meeting, urged the United States to end its war in Afghanistan and, instead, spend $126 billion to better its own society and economy. In 1971, this organization had also strongly urged the U.S. to seize all its military operations in Vietnam. The consensus of the U.S. Conference of Mayors echoes the fact that the U.S. has waged useless and unnecessary wars against Muslim countries, wars that have cost it too much. America fights these wars for its own hypocritical reasons.

America’s mainstream media almost never comments on its country’s belligerent, “war-addicted” policies but it too listened to the warnings of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The organization’s findings reveal the deteriorating state of American society and its numerous problems. The organization’s president, Antonio Villaraigosa, said that some of the current war-afflicted cities will remain in this condition over the next 20 years. He admonished the U.S. government for neglecting the needs of its own citizens and advised it to think less about Kandahar and Baghdad and more about Kansas City and Baltimore.

Another member stated that the U.S. is sending off its citizens to be killed in other countries and is squandering the citizens’ tax money on wars. He further stated that the U.S. government focuses more on furthering its military adventures abroad and on aiding other countries in completing their national projects and programs. It ignores the problems that its public has to face as a result of its actions abroad. The time has come, he said, to start taking some actions within our own country, for our own people. Kitty Piercy, another member of the organization, agreed with the majority and advised the U.S. to spend money on peace, not war, bring its soldiers back home and make a concerted effort to bring positive changes within America by improving its economy and society.

The statements of the U.S. Conference of Mayors prove that America’s wars have resulted in its own destruction: The hypocritical policies of America’s greedy, power-hungry leaders have hurt its people tremendously. Their foreign goals have failed as a result of the ferocious resistance they have had to face from Afghanistan. America boldly claims that it has weakened the power and influence of extremist groups within Afghanistan. They say that by sending 30,000 additional soldiers (who engaged in target-killings and investigations), they have succeeded in their efforts against the Taliban.

But the reality is quite the opposite. According to the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO), there has been a 54 percent increase in attacks against the U.S. soldiers and a 56 percent increase in their soldier’s deaths over the last 9 months (September to May). Last September, there were 1,541 attacks against the U.S. army. That record was broken in May of this year, which saw 1,571 such attacks. These statistics reveal the fact that America is stuck in Afghanistan and cannot seem to accomplish any of its goals there. It will be impossible for the U.S. to succeed there. The only thing it has accomplished as a result of its war is the utter destruction of its own society. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has been repeatedly turned into a graveyard (after periods of success) over the centuries. It finds itself in that very state at the present moment.