Dear Al, Our longest war just got even longer. President Obama just announced that U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan for another 2 ½ years. When Congress voted to authorize the war way back in 2001, they surely didn’t know they were authorizing a 15-year occupation. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has a bill calling for a congressional vote on any US troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014. As the senator said in response to the president’s announcement, “Automatic renewal is fine for Netflix and gym memberships, but it is not the right approach when it comes to war.” Tell your senators to cosponsor this bill to make our voices heard about exiting Afghanistan. While it’s encouraging that the administration is reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan and setting a clear timeline for withdrawal, it’s not good enough. 9,800 troops is 9,800 too many, and we need our tax dollars here at home. Our friends in the House tried to bring up a similar amendment last week, but the Republican leadership was too afraid to watch the anti-war sentiment play out on the floor and blocked a vote. We need to turn to the Senate now and demand an end to this war by the end of this year. Click here to tell your senators to cosponsor Sen. Merkley’s bill for a vote on Afghanistan. Children who were in elementary school when this war began are now old enough to fight in it. It’s well past time to stop risking lives and wasting tax dollars in Afghanistan. Thank you for speaking out. Humbly for Peace, Kevin Martin Executive Director Peace Action Take Action: Tell your Senators:  We need a vote on extending our longest war CONNECT TO US:  Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  Read our blog  Contact us You are subscribed to Peace Action's Action Alert Network. You can unsubscribe here.