Dear Editor:

As early as May 14, Congress could vote on the Obama administration’s request for $83.4 billion in supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House Appropriations Committee has increased this amount to $94.2 billion.

Both secretaries Clinton and Gates have said that economic assistance and diplomacy are the road to stability and security, but only about 8 percent of the funding in this bill is for non-military activities, the rest for military operations.

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There is no military solution in Afghanistan. U.S. air strikes inside Afghanistan and Pakistan are stirring up more suffering, fear and hatred towards the United States. A recent U.S. air strike in Afghanistan killed as many as 100 civilians, including children. In 2008, air strikes in Afghanistan killed some 552 civilians. The estimated cost of a drone attack is over $4 million.

Please call Senators Mark Udall (202) 224-5941 and Michael Bennett (202) 224-5852 and Representatives John Salazar (202) 225-4761 and Jared Polis (202) 225-2161 and ask them not to vote for this supplemental appropriation.

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Cathleen Krahe

Carbondale