The human cost of war

Friends,

A report released this month states that "between 480,000 and 507,000 people have been killed in the United States’ post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This tally of the counts and estimates of direct deaths caused by war violence does not include the more than 500,000 deaths from the war in Syria, raging since 2011, which the US joined in August 2014."

The report, "Human Cost of the Post-9/11 Wars: Lethality and the Need for Transparency," is part of the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson Institute.

"Too often, legislators, NGOs, and the news media that try to track the consequences of the wars are inhibited by governments determined to paint a rosy picture of perfect execution and progress," the report concludes. "The U.S. has made some effort to increase transparency, but there are a number of areas — the number of civilians killed and injured, and the number of US military and veteran suicides, for instance — where greater transparency would lead to greater accountability and could lead to better policy."

This report has been covered by several news outlets -- please keep these articles in circulation by reading and sharing them with your networks:

• The Intercept: "It's time for America to reckon with the staggering death toll of the post-9/11 wars"
• Newsweek: "U.S. has spent six trillion dollars on wars that killed half a million people since 9/11, report says"

In peace,

Save the Iran deal

From NIAC Action:

"Now that we will have a new Congress in a matter of weeks that can check Trump, it is time to go on the offense. It is clear that Trump's efforts to collapse the [Iran Deal] are only inflicting pain on the Iranian people while increasing the risks of war and an Iranian nuclear weapon. Nobody believes Trump's Iran push is about helping the Iranian people—it is instead aligning with Mohammed Bin Salman and Benjamin Netanyahu to crush Iran's hopes for a brighter future and pave the way to war.

We can block a war and give peace another chance—but only if we put up a fight."

Contact your legislator here.

Join the team for Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, we invite everyone irrespective of race to join in our social and educational event. Join us as we recognize and award the contributions that Black and minorities have made in the community. We need a dedicated group of about 10 volunteers that will help put up this event together. Please contact Christelle at 360-820-4963 or luchristmood@gmail.com. 

Film festival seeks volunteers