[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6514-H6515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AN ANNIVERSARY NOT TO CELEBRATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this week marks an anniversary we must 
acknowledge, but that we certainly cannot celebrate. This Friday, we 
will have spent 10 years at war in Afghanistan. We will have spent a 
decade fighting a war that the American people no longer support. The 
sobering 10th anniversary is the time for reflection--reflection on how 
our world has changed in the last 10 years.

                              {time}  1020

  This war has consumed an unjustifiable amount of our financial 
treasure, led to an unprecedented burden on our servicemembers, and 
changed forever how an entire generation of young people views the 
world.
  This anniversary is the time to reflect on the choices we've made and 
their impact on the world. Ten years later, we are still building war 
machines that have the potential to cause devastating harm to innocent 
people around the world. Ten years later, many of our Nation's best and 
brightest are coming home with scars, both physical and mental, that 
they and their families will live with forevermore.
  The numbers are against us. After a decade at war, we still have 
90,000 soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. More than 1,800 Americans have 
died. Our Nation has spent $460 billion on an unwinnable war, and tens 
of thousands of innocent Afghans and Iraqis have been killed. It is 
well past the time for us to end this.
  In remembering the last 10 years, we must think of the future. My 
five grandchildren are now part of a generation that has grown up 
without knowing what it's like to live in a country at peace. Over the 
past 10 years, we've led our world down a path towards war rather than 
fighting for peace, rather than fighting for a smarter security plan.
  The American people and the global community see the error in our 
policy, and we are facing increasing scrutiny from our international 
partners. In fact, not one other government agrees with the U.S.' use 
of drones. In fact, our European allies have never supported the U.S. 
drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Instead of heeding their 
calls, we are expanding the use of this deadly force, creating 
automatic drones that have the potential to cause unchecked 
devastation.
  I have spoken from this spot 407 times, as you all know because 
you've heard me so many times, in support of SMART Security--an 
approach for an end to the war. And I am not alone. I've been joined by 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle and have been supported by 
Americans across the country to call for an end of our war and the 
return of our troops. That's exactly what my SMART Security plan is 
about--making military force a last resort and, instead, directing our 
energy and our resources toward diplomacy, democracy promotion, 
development

[[Page H6515]]

aid, and other more powerful, peaceful ways of engaging with the rest 
of the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will take note of Friday's 
anniversary and realize that now is the time to turn the tide on our 
policies in Afghanistan. We need to end this war. We need to do it now. 
We need to promote peace through democracy. We need to promote peace 
through diplomacy and development. We must bring our troops home.

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