Everyone is encouraged to contribute to this list of real questions we can ask politicians, instead of the wussy softballs asked by the media or planted questions from campaign staff.

Where to Ask

(Upcoming politician appearances):

Update 1/29/08:

California is now an important stop before the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5. Keep an eye on campaign sites and whatever tidbits the corporate media throw us...

Press release (MS-Word doc file)

What to Ask

(Frequently Avoided Questions):

1. According to the U.N. Charter, countries may use force only to repel a direct armed attack. Since Iraq never attacked us or even threatened to, doesn’t that make the war illegal?
   
   
2. How is the U.S. fulfilling its obligations as an occupying power in Iraq under the Geneva Conventions?
   
   
3. President Bush, through his use of signing statements, has claimed the right to disobey over 750 laws. Will you continue this practice or abolish it, and why?
   
   
4. In your opinion, why has the Democratic-controlled Congress failed to end the war in Iraq?
   
   
5. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, millions of people at home and abroad were aware that the Bush administration was lying to us. Why were you, as a senator, not aware of this?
   
   
6. What’s your plan for ridding the world, including the United States, of the scourge of nuclear weapons?
   
   
7. You’ve said that "Nothing is off the table" with regard to Iran. Under what circumstances would you consider using nuclear weapons?
   
   
8. Of the 25 richest countries in the world, the United States has the greatest inequality of wealth: the rich have gotten richer while the poor and middle class have gotten poorer. What are the key steps toward rectifying this situation?
   
   
9. Do you believe war criminals should be brought to justice, and if so, does that include U.S. officials who violate international law?
   
   
10. Do you believe President Bush when he says the United States doesn’t practice torture?
    
    
11. According to every poll that’s been made public, a majority of Iraqis believe the occupation of their country is doing more harm than good, and they favor an immediate military pullout. Shouldn’t their wishes be respected?
    
    
12. What consequences do you see for rest of the Middle East if the United States attacks Iran?
    
    
13. Neither the International Atomic Energy Agency nor the CIA claims to have any evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran. The NIE says they called off whatever program they ever did have in 2004. Are we being lied into another war?
    
    
14. Are you willing to promise that, as President of the United States, you will actively support all democratically elected goverments, such as that of President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela?
    
    
15. According to the CIA World Factbook, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. is higher than that in Cuba. What will it take to catch up to our southern neighbor in this important category?
    
    
16. What sort of actions would justify the impeachment of a president? Please give us a few examples.
    
    
17. Who are your top five corporate contributors?
    
    
18. As one solution to its recruitment problem, the military has been granting more so-called "moral waivers" to recruits with criminal records. Do you endorse this policy or would you change it?
    
    
19. How would you ensure that the Iraqi people are the prime beneficiaries of the proceeds from Iraqi oil, rather than U.S. and British corporations?
    
    
20. Do you see any connection between the subprime mortgage crisis and the policy of deregulation that’s been carried out since the Reagan administration?

Here are the FAQ in a MS-Word .doc file, to print out and use.

In 2006, the American people voted to end the horror show in Iraq, and to oppose a new one in Iran. Since then, the political process has churned, groaned, chugged, eaten thousands of hours on the news media, but done very little of substance. We tried Congress, now it's time to try something else. It's time to take back the political initiative ourselves at the lowest grass roots level. We must force the media and the politicians to recognize just how angry and how massive the 70% anti-war majority in this country has grown.

It's time for the Iraq Moratorium.

The Iraq Moratorium will be an escalating, monthly expression of determination to end the war. Commencing Friday, September 21st and continuing the Third Friday of every month thereafter, we will encourage people to make a break with business as usual. This does not necessarily mean a strike. It could be as simple as a slight show of solidarity, or a minor break in the daily routine. It's up to you.

Those around for the old Viet Nam Moratorium recognize the validity of this approach. Instead of waiting around for the next televised foreign policy disaster and briefly taking to the streets, or attending the occasional march and going home feeling better, the Moratorium is always there. It encourages the creation of simple, individually chosen, and all-encompassing actions that feel right for the particular individuals and groups, but in the aggregate create a massive protest too big to ignore.

Here are some simple ideas for Moratorium day actions. Of course, you are by no means limited to these. Be creative, be you, commit to only one day a month, and stop this war.

• Wear and distribute black ribbons and armbands
• Refrain from buying gas, and tell people why
• Pressure politicians and the media
• Hold vigils, pickets, rallies, and teach-ins
• Hold special religious services
• Coordinate events in music, art, and culture
• Host film showings, talks, and educational events
• Organize student actions: Teach-ins, school closings, etc.
• Display signs, candles, crosses, whatever works for you
• Just be creative

Many organizations have already supported this effort, but you don't have to be in an organization at all.

Here's the original CFWP Moratorium Proposal by Paul Krehbiel:

• MS-Word doc
• PDF

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE! CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!

Following the NIE saying Iran closed its weapons program in 2004, we have the momentum to stop this ill advised war for all time. Congress can prevent it, but only if Congress asserts its Constitutional right to decide whether or not the United States goes to war. Don't wait until the bombs start dropping to ACT. Do it today! Here's the text of the resolution and list of co-sponsors.

THERE IS NO SITTING STILL ON A MOVING TRAIN!

All rational analyses indicate that a US attack on Iran would surely bring permanent disaster. The BEST case scenario is four-dollar gas [Looked like I guessed low... bump that to $6] and stepped-up attacks on American soldiers, bringing economic ruin to the United States, and a generation of terrorism and instability to the rest of the world. The worst case is confrontation with Russia or China, drifting into global thermonuclear holocaust and the end of most life on Earth.

According to many sources quoted in the New Yorker and Jerusalem Post, any effective attack on Iran's deeply buried facilities would require tactical nukes. There is no conventional "robust penetrator" or" bunker buster" that will work. BY DEFINITION, THIS IS A NUCLEAR WAR.

It may already be too late to do much about it. As a movement, our weakness is that we come together and work desperately hard every time the war party does what war parties do. When we fail to stop the unstoppable - a war or the irrestible momentum toward war - we quit in despair, and go back to other causes.

How's YOUR mental health doing? Of course you feel like you're going crazy. We all do. We're all doing the classic 12-step description of insanity, repeating destructive and ineffective behavior because surely it will work THIS time. Of course, it never does, and it never will, and US presidents will keep starting wars of aggression forever, or at least until there are no more people left.

No one is sitting still if the train is hurtling towards a cliff. The ONLY way to prevent a calamity lasting the rest of our lives is to give up apathy and fear, and establish a PERMANENT movement that will STOP THE US DRIVE FOR EMPIRE.

Are we up to it?

A recent Pentagon-sanctioned report by Retired Army Colonel Hy Rothstein concluded that the current U.S. war had given "warlordism, banditry and opium production a new lease on life" and "imposed additional, avoidable humanitarian and stability costs on Afghanistan". The United States is repeating its devastating tactics in Afghanistan and once more causing the Afghan people great harm.

Under the U.S.'s watch, Afghanistan has once more reclaimed its title of the world's largest drug producer, responsible for 75 per cent of the world's opium and 80 per cent of the heroin sold in Europe. The US is accusing the Taleban of using the drug trade to finance their insurgency since being overthrown. But in fact the U.S.'s friends are the drug producers. Jack Blum, an expert in International Finance Crime testified to the House of Representatives recently saying, "The revenue of poppies is essential for the warlords supporting the United States," in their fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors are investigating the recently ousted Haitian President Aristide's connection to cocaine and touting a campaign of drug trafficking as a reason why Haiti is better off without Aristide.

Afghan women in particular are paying the greatest price for U.S. policies. Their emancipation was upheld as one reason for going to war but two years later, they are as shackled by the same warlords and the same hunger and insecurity as they were before and during the Taliban's reign. For some women, particularly in cities and villages outside the relatively safer Kabul, things are worse. For example, tens of women in the Western Afghan province of Herat have been committing suicide by self-immolation.

So what can antiwar activists do?

Firstly, stay as informed about the U.S.'s role in Afghanistan as you can and demand the media cover Afghanistan. As a member of the alternative media (Pacifica), I have noticed more coverage in the mainstream media of Afghanistan than in the alternative media: this is shameful. Demand coverage of Afghanistan from your local community radio station, alternative political magazine, or favorite online news source.

Secondly, look to Afghans themselves for what they want for their country. For example, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) who I work in solidarity with and who are on the forefront of anti-fundamentalist and anti-imperialist work, have been calling for a United Nations intervention and peace keeping forces for years. They have asked sensibly, for the disarmament of warlords who rule the countryside with impunity and foreign backing. Today the government of Japan is funding a UN disarmament program in Afghanistan. Antiwar activists can demand that the U.S. foot the bill for the entire program - after all we will simply be disarming the very men we armed who have inflicted terrorism on the Afghan people.

Thirdly, demand that the U.S. spend proportionately as much on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan as it does in other conflict situations. A RAND Corporation study revealed that "Kosovo, for example, has a population of about 2 million, while Afghanistan has a population of 23 million. But Kosovo received several times more American and European assistance per capita to recover from 13 weeks of conflict than Afghanistan has received to rebuild from 20 years of civil war". While Afghanistan and Iraq have roughly the same area and population, in general, Afghanistan is decades behind Iraq in standards of living. For example, life expectancy in Afghanistan is 47 years compared to Iraq's 68 years. Literacy for men is nearly half as much in Afghanistan as in Iraq, while women are 3 times less literate in Afghanistan than in Iraq. These effects are directly linked to decades of U.S. fueled war which has set Afghan progress back by tens of years.

Fourthly, no matter who is in power, remind them that you are watching their policies in Afghanistan, just as you are watching their policies in Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Colombia, and everywhere else the U.S. empire reigns. Demand that your local antiwar group, or the large mobilizing groups you work with, include Afghanistan in their literature and signs. Demand that every time an antiwar rally is held, there are prominent speakers who address Afghanistan.

And finally, show sensitivity and respect to the people of Afghanistan by not exploiting their victim-hood. There are far too many books and movies depicting Afghans and particularly Afghan women as mute, blue burka-clad figures who are helpless. These images are convenient reminders of our superiority and do not empower Afghans in their fight against the U.S's war machine.

The Afghan people have been used and betrayed by the United States too often. They are a brave people with a history of anti-imperialism. But they are tired and they are dying. And they are about to be used once more: during the November 2004 Presidential elections. With the embarrassment of Bush's policies in Iraq, Afghanistan will be held up as the success story of the "war on terror". Afghan elections, conveniently timed two months before Bush's re-election bid, will be a model for U.S.-sponsored democracy in the "Muslim world."

U.S. actions in Afghanistan are not failures or mistakes, but crimes. Antiwar activists must see through the veneer of "democracy" and "success" and judge Bush's actions in Afghanistan as what they are: criminal. They are the result of deliberate policy crafted by the Bush administration, which is simply following in the footsteps of Clinton (who first courted the Taliban in an effort to get a pipeline deal and then bombed Afghanistan in), Bush Sr. (who allowed the Mujahedeen to destroy Afghanistan with US-supplied weapons), Reagan (who openly embraced the misogynist, fundamentalist Mujahedeen) and Carter (who began the initial covert operations in the late 1970s).

Empire is being built on the backs of Afghans and it is up to us as antiwar activists to recognize it and address it.

Sonali Kolhatkar (sonali@afghanwomensmission.org) is the Co-Director of Afghan Women's Mission