Afghanistan War Teach-In Demands U.S./NATO Out Now! -- A Report By the ANSWER Coalition

I'm guessing ANSWER's administrative apparatchiks don't read FrontPage Magazine. I just got my first e-mail from these folks, despite my essay from earlier this week, "When Defeat is the Answer." (Actually, the PLS organizers have been sending me stuff, but this is the first e-mail from the ANSWER side of things ...)

Here's the text from the e-mail, "Afghanistan War Teach-In Demands U.S./NATO Out Now! -- Hundreds Gather to Renew the Anti-War Struggle" (it's quite a different take than you'll get from my articles):

A report by the ANSWER Coalition

On Saturday, Oct. 17, around 200 people attended a teach-in on the war in Afghanistan at Los Angeles City College, hosted by the ANSWER Coalition.

On the heels of a successful Los Angeles demonstration against the war in Afghanistan on its eighth anniversary, the teach-in brought together students, workers, long-time activists, and people who were new to the movement, all of whom were eager to hear an honest perspective Afghanistan war.

At a time when Afghanistan is being touted as “the good war,” and people in the United States are being bombarded with distortions and falsehoods, the teach-in provided an alternative to the imperialist propaganda. It showed that there are scores of people who are questioning the war and ready to fight back.

The teach-in explored all facets of the occupation of Afghanistan, from Afghanistan’s long history of resistance, to the beginning of U.S. involvement in the region, to the true motives behind the war and how it benefits Wall Street.

The overall theme of the teach-in was "U.S./NATO out now": The anti-war movement must demand a complete, immediate, and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Speaker after speaker stressed that there is no justification for U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan even one day longer.

The keynote speaker was Richard Becker, West Coast Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition. Becker discussed Afghanistan’s largely unknown history, focusing on the designs of Washington to dominate the region for decades. He elucidated the current struggle as one that will heat up since the Obama administration and the Pentagon are deciding what to do next.

I doubt there were more than 75 people were in attendance, but hey, these folks are all about propaganda, so what can you do?

See my complete blog report from the event, "STOP THE WAR! Teach-In on Afghanistan and the Anti-War Struggle - ANSWER L.A."