More+Troops+to+Afghanistan

a) The troop increase in Afghanistan, I believe that the recently sent 30,000 US troops will not be sufficient enough to stabilize the country of Afghanistan. a) This can be a very broad topic, but to specifically narrow it down I focused on the idea that people are dying and US soldiers are dying so we need to come up with an effective enough decision to quickly win the war so we can get out of Afghanistan without much more delay or troop loss. That is why I am suggesting a troop increase of 50,000. If Gen McCrystal (Leading American Commander in Afghanistan) wanted between 40,000 and 60,000 troops, why on earth would Pres. Obama send 30,000, that number seems clearly insufficient to get the job done. 50,000 troops seems very reasonable because it is in between the min and max of troop increase suggestions. If America plans on winning the war or at least stabilizing the country then we need seriously take another look at our commitment by the amount of troops we are sending. b) Things that I would do differently would be to complete the project earlier so I wouldn't have to rush . **3) ****Outcomes of the project** a) Achievements- I’ve laid the ground work for future students who wish to tackle this issue, Contacted RI Senators and Congressmen, letter to the Editor. Limitations- This issue is worldwide, which involves others counties and people. b) Done next- Contact local veterans. **4) ****Reflections on the Project** a) This project made me more informed about Afghanistan then ever before i) That freedom is not free and the military are truly defenders of our freedom and liberties. ii) What I learned about myself is that I am truly intereseted in the military and how it makes decisions and moves troops. iii) Didn't work with anyone . a) Each portfolio must include a minimum of one artifact from each of the following sub sections. You should include all artifacts that were actually created and you may also add ones which you did not use but could have used. i) __Public Education__
 * 1) ****Introduction to the problem**
 * 2) ****Strategies employed**
 * 5) ****Appendix: Ways of Acting**

Public Hearings/Committee Hearings Below are prepared points to be given at a Hearing  If we want to win and get out of Afghanistan then we need to regain control of the country and do it with speed and send in 50,000 troops. The agreed upon 30,000 may prove to be not enough, so why risk wasting valuable resources.  The Taliban have seen a recent surge of success that needs to come to a stop before serious momentum leads to a bigger problem.  If we don’t comfortably commit all that we can to the war effort then what are we doing?  We need to recognize the significance in what Gen. McCrystal requested for he is the best source of information on the topic.  Remember these are the people that attacked us.
 * __(4)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Public Hearings,Candidates nights__**

ii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Direct Action__

Demonstrations and Protests -Demonstrations to be held at local political offices throughout the state. All to be held on January 27, 2010 Senator Reed- U.S. District Courthouse One Exchange Terrace Suite 408 Providence R.I. 02903-1173 Senator Whitehouse- 170 Westminster St. Suite 1100 Providence R.I. 02903 Congressman Langevin-300 Centerville Road Suite 200 South Warwick R.I. 02886 Congressman Kennedy- 249 Roosevelt Avenue Suite 200 Pawtucket, R.I. 02868
 * __(3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Demonstrations and Protests__**

iii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Citizen Lobbying__ Persuading Legislators The following is a mock meeting between myself and Sen. Reed Colin- Hello Senator Reed, my name is Colin Wilson, I’m here gathering support for more troops to Afghanistan. We believe that the recent decision to send 30,000 troops will not be sufficient to get the country under control. Can we have your support for the efforts to increase the amount of troops being sent to Afghanistan?
 * __(3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Persuading Legislators__**

Sen. Reed Answer#1- Yes you can have my support.

Sen. Reed Answer#2-I’m not sure let me think about it.

Response to Answer#2- Well Senator what is there to think about, If you want to win and bring the troops home safe then we can’t play around, we need to increase the amount of troops being sent now rather than down the road. Here is our information on increasing the amount of troops, thank you for your time. Sen. Reed Answer#3- No I’m sorry you will not be receiving my support.

Response to Answer#3- Alright Senator thank you for your time. iv) The Media Troop Increase in Afghanistan Op-Ed Article Recently the U.S. has been losing ground in the fight to win Afghanistan. Gen. McCrystal the commanding U.S. general in Afghanistan issued a statement or resolve to President Obama, send no more troops and get out of the country altogether, end a minimum of 40,000 troops, or send a maximum of 60,000 troops. President Obama has recently issued an increase of 30,000 troops. But why 30,000, that’s not what Gen. McCrystal needs to get the job done, as he has planned to do. People need to remember this country attacked us, we should be devoting more emphasis on this war and what we are doing there. The Taliban have seen a recent surge of success. With this recent surge made by the Taliban, more U.S. soldiers are being attacked at undermanned posts all around the country often on desolate mountain tops. The troops are simply being stretched too thin. Gen. McCrystal is purposing a surge in troops that worked very well in Iraq, Iraq now is on the back burner in terms of violence. Now the strategy is to have more of a physical presence and more American troops will be dedicated to the training of the Afghanistan Army, which will hopefully bring the troops home faster. The three views are, get out of Afghanistan altogether, send 40,000 troops or send 60,000. The viewpoint of to get out of Afghanistan is one that seems to be gaining recent popularity. The people that support this belief think that Afghanistan is an unwinable war and most people look at the history of the country and see that no one has ever truly conquered Afghanistan. The next point is to send 40,000 troops as a minimum. These people view the situation as important but don’t think we should throw everything we have at it. The viewpoint to send 60,000 is held by most people who think that this issue needs to be handled with all the U.S. Army can throw at it. They think the more troops the better chance of winning and bringing the troops home safe. After discussing the pros and cons of each point of view I believe that the best solution is a troop increase of 50,000. I believe a surge of 50,000 is sufficient because it is between the minimum and maximum of what Gen. McCrystal believes he needs to get the job done. President Obama has made it clear that he wants to win and stabilize the country of Afghanistan but he has refused to take in consideration Gen. McCrystal’s recommendation of troop seizes. With a Surge of 50,000 troops we will be able to stabilize the country so government can effectively take hold of things so we can comfortably leave.
 * __(2) Op-Ed Articles__**

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">b) For students working alone there must be one entry per category c) For group with 3 or less members there must be two entries per category d) For groups with 4-5 members there must be three entries per category **6)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> ****Format of the portfolio** a)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Please compile the portfolio in a professional manner i)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Title & Date ii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Credits: Contributors, Class Period, Date iii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Introduction to the problem__ iv)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Strategies employed__ v)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Outcomes of the project__ vi)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Reflections on the Project__ vii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Appendix: Ways of Acting__ b)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All entries should be typed, double spaced, 1” margins, and Times New Roman c)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All media productions (audio or video) should be saved on a CD/DVD and should have descriptions entered into the Appendix d)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All contributors to your project should be credited
 * e)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> **** All portfolios should be uploaded to: http://nkdemocracyproject.wikispaces.com **