Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC) has looked at war from both sides. As he has readily shared with us, he was hoodwinked by the US intelligence community in the run-up to the Iraq war. He attended the briefings and he trusted the “professionals.” As the neocon promised “cakewalk” turned out to be a slaughterhouse, he began to think hard about what he had been told about Iraq and terrorism and 9/11.
He soon realized it was all a fake. He became one of the most important conservative opponents of the wars for the US empire. How many conservatives did his passionate commitment to truth turn against the war? Scores.
Rep. Jones now is convinced that we must end the 16 year US war on Afghanistan. In a recent interview with PJ Media, he pulled no punches in outlining his opposition to the expected Trump Administration military escalation – “surge 3.0” – in Afghanistan.
Said Rep. Jones:
I’m absolutely opposed to [the planned US military escalation], because if you increase the number of American troops that means the number of Americans to be killed and wounded goes up. And again, I come back to the point, what have we accomplished? We spent over $800 billion dollars. We are very close to $1 trillion in the past 16 years.
Jones has introduced legislation, HR 1666, which would “prohibit funds for activities in Afghanistan.” This is the only way we will see an end to the idiotic and slow-motion disaster called “US intervention in Afghanistan.”
Though the US Congressman stands behind his 2001 vote to go into Afghanistan to pursue those who might have been behind the 9/11 attacks, he now realizes that that era has passed and that there is no compelling US national security interest in endlessly prolonging this war.
Let us hope – and help – that the Congressman (who is a Ron Paul Institute Board Member) gains some traction with this important piece of legislation. Only the grassroots can pressure Congressmen to co-sponsor and push this legislation through. But it is eminently do-able!
Daniel McAdams is director of the The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity. Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.