"Who's he going to listen to?" (another CODEPINK alert...)

[mikal haley]

November 19, 2009 Dear mikal, President Obama is expected to announce his next moves in Afghanistan when he returns from his Asia trip. Will he send more soldiers into harm's way? Or will he listen to Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, who on November 12 recommended the President send no additional troops? Will he listen to California democrats who voted in San Diego this week to "end the U.S. occupation & air war in Afghanistan"? Will he listen to the growing numbers who know there is no military solution? Contact Obama now to say No Escalation-no more wounded soldiers, no more lost lives, no more money for war. Peace Action West is donating their toll-free number so that several national organizations can collaborate in an effort to flood the White House with phone calls. Call 888-310-8637-you will be connected to the White House after a brief message. Then tell us how your call went. Email a personal message to the White House here! The terrible costs of the U.S. war in Afghanistan have the public's attention: from the Fort Hood tragedy to Spc. Alexis Hutchinson's decision to put family first. Tell the President that there is massive opposition to sending more troops to Afghanistan, and strong support for bringing the troops home! Do it now! PINK Pushback works! In solidarity, Dana, Emily, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Janet, Jodie, Marina, Medea, Nancy, Paris, Rae, Suzanne, and Whitney P.S. Emergency action! If Obama does announce a surge, please plan to be in the streets in your community, whether with a noisy protest, engaging with people on the issues in a heavily-foot trafficked area, or a silent vigil denouncing the escalation and mourning those lost and wounded. To see the call to action from Veterans for Peace, click here. See our Afghanistan Women Say No To War page for easy-to-use tools + a list of CODEPINK and coalition surge response actions planned around the country. --- my personal feelings on the above: i tend to think that there are many so-called "Liberal activists" who are wrongheaded about Barack Obama...their hearts are in the right place, but they are pretty much failing to understand that there are power personalities behind Obama who are pushing him around and issuing secret orders...men like Don Rumsfeld, the George Bushes and Richard B. Cheney who are still screwing around and creating policy with their money behind the scenes. I am sure of this.. ...and i NEVER AGAIN will agree to protest government solely because a protest has been scheduled by strangers on the internet. some antiracistaction kids got really surprised and thwarted when the G20 cops whipped out LRADS on them... (The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is a crowd-control and hailing device developed by American Technology Corporation. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the equipment weighs 45 pounds (20 kg) and can emit sound in a 30° beam (only at high frequency, 2.5 kHz) from a device 83 centimetres (33 in) in diameter. At maximum level, it can emit a warning tone that is 146 dBSPL (1,000 W/m2) at 1 metre, a level that is capable of permanently damaging hearing, and higher than the normal human threshold of pain (120–140 dB). The maximum usable design range extends to 300 metres. At 300 metres, the warning tone (measured) is less than 90 dB. The warning tone is a high-pitched shrill tone similar to that of a smoke detector. There appears to be some disagreement over these specifications, as some[who?] have reported measurements that differ from the manufacturer's specifications, and show reduced output with a less directive beam. It's instructive to note that any loudspeaker of equal size will generate a beam of the same directivity as LRAD. The parameter "ka", which is the wave number multiplied by the speaker radius, is often used to characterize sound source directivity. For this source, ka=19 at 2.5kHz, and according to the LRAD data sheet, the beam angle of about 30 degrees total is precisely what is predicted for a regular loudspeaker.[1] Contrary to some beliefs, the device does not use ultrasound, nor is it a phased array; it uses an array of conventional acoustic tweeters, the same as those used in many professional audio applications, all driven together in parallel.[citation needed] The confusion spawns from a similar product marketed by the same company called the HyperSonic Sound. Carl Gruenler, former vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corporation (and who now runs a company making a competing device), says that being within 90 metres (98 yd) of the device is extremely painful, but its use should be limited to 270 metres (300 yd) to be effectively used. He concedes that the device is powerful enough to cause permanent auditory damage, but that it is only meant to be used for a few seconds at a time. Countermeasures may include the use of passive hearing protection (earplugs, headsets), which may bring the sound down to ineffective levels. In addition, sound could be reflected from a solid surface, and redirected back to the originator.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_range_acoustic_device