One hundred and fifty people attended a Teach-In on Afghanistan at Los Angeles City College, Saturday, October 21, 2009, in support of the Iraq Moratorium and to demand an end to the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Participants included students and people of all ages, and ethnic and racial backgrounds. Many are active in peace and justice organizations, but for many this was the first anti-war event they attended. The Teach-In was initiated by the Answer coalition, and supported by many other organizations. Speakers included Hamid Kahn of the South Asia Network; Muna Coobtee, a Palestinian-American with the National Council of Arab Americans; Richard Becker, Answer West Coast Regional Director; Ivan Goldman of Military Families Speak Out; Tamara Khoury of Students Fight Back at California State University at Fullerton; Juan Jose Guitierrez of the Latino Movement USA; Michael Prysner, Iraq war veteran; Jollene Levid of the women's organization Gabriela Network; Benny Moto of the FMLN of El Salvador in Los Angeles; Michael Lindley of Veterans for Peace; and Paul Krehbiel of the Iraq Moratorium.
Speakers gave a detailed history of efforts by foreign colonial powers to subjugate Afghanistan, and the Afghan people's long history of successful resistance to foreign domination. Many speakers explained the war was to set up US military bases in the region, to help US owned Unocal to build a big oil and natural gas pipeline through Afghanistan, to continue Bush's war because the US doesn't want to be seen by the world as having been defeated there, and others. All speakers called for an end to the war and occupation of Afghanistan and to bring all US troops home now.
