{"article":{"id":38284,"heading":"Millions condemn Iraq war","author":"Tim Wheeler, PWW correspondent","created":"2003-03-22 15:17:49","modified":"2013-11-10 23:49:11","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:49:11","article":"
WASHINGTON – With U.S. war planes and troops poised for combat with Iraq, peace forces vowed to continue the fight against war. Win Without War, a coalition of religious, community, and equal rights organizations, sharply condemned George W. Bush’s preemptive attack on Iraq and urged their millions of members to mobilize for peace.
“Win Without War remains steadfastly opposed to the Bush doctrine of preemptive attack and the reckless use of military power,” declared WWW National Director Tom Andrews, reading from a WWW statement during a crowded news conference in the National Press Club, March 19. Andrews, a former congressman from Maine, was joined by Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders as well as leaders of women’s equality and community organizations. “It is only through respect for international law, our international allies, and the United Nations that we can hope to successfully address our most serious international challenges including terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, North Korea ...,” the statement said.
Hailing the world peace movement, Andrews said, “We have an enormous amount of momentum, a very strong base across this country. This is a powerful force across this country to defeat this first-strike doctrine.”
The coalition stressed that it supports U.S. service personnel and urged peace activists to contact soldiers through “Operation Dear Abby” available at
winwithoutwar.org. “We hope and pray for their safe return as we hope and pray for the innocent men, women and children of Iraq,” the statement said.
Mary Ellen McNish, speaking for the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group, reported that AFSC and other humanitarian groups had met with Pentagon officials to offer help in aiding to 11 million Iraqis who will lack food and clean water in the first days of the war. But Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld made clear that any relief “must be a ‘force enhancer,’” she charged. “Our answer is, absolutely not!” All humanitarian relief agencies must be neutral, she said.
Arthur Waskow, director of the Shalom Center said the peace sentiment among Jewish people is being mobilized against the war with a full page ad in the New York Times, March 20 against Bush’s invasion.
The Win Without War statement notes, “Unlike the Gulf War of 1991 where our allies paid for 90 percent of its cost, Americans will now be required to shoulder the burden of this unnecessary war – a price that will drive up our already skyrocketing deficit and put yet more pressure on our fragile economy.”
Jeff Blum, executive director of U.S. Action, said his group is also actively participating in the Fair Taxes For All Campaign. “It’s outrageous we are going to war and they aren’t telling us how much it will cost,” Blum told the World. “Are we going to give each millionaire a $90,000 tax cut or are we going to fund Medicare? Are we giving $90,000 to each millionaire and at the same time slashing veterans’ benefits by $15 billion? Are we going to give $90,000 to each millionaire while Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ is woefully underfunded?”
On March 17, three dozen anti-war demonstrators were arrested on the U.S. Capitol grounds demanding that Congress break its silence on the war. Republican majority leaders have limited Congress’ role to banning french fries in Capitol dining halls. While most lawmakers fell in line behind Bush after his televised ultimatum that same day, some lawmakers spoke out sharply against the war.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif), flanked by labor and religious leaders, told a news conference in her Oakland office, “The best way to support our troops is not to put them in harms way. This is just the beginning. Which country is next? Iran? Syria? Where does this policy of preemption take us?” Her news conference was one of several coordinated by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) told Newhouse News Service, “In the Black community all over America there is an anti-war sentiment.” Standing beside him was Illinois State Sen. Mickey Hendon, who said, “My constituents think it’s a war for oil, a war for control, to show superiority, and that’s wrong. It’s a way to distract us from the economy and the deterioration of the American way of life under President Bush.”
Meanwhile, 52 California legislators signed a statement of opposition to the war “without a formal resolution by the United Nations Security Council and a declaration of war by the Congress of the United States.” The legislators cited “a lack of credible evidence to convince other nations” that war is justified.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), who voted for the war resolution last November, told delegates to a meeting of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), “I’m saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we’re now forced to war. I’m saddened that we have to give up one life because this president couldn’t create the kind of diplomatic effort that was so critical to our country.”
The author can be reached at greenerpastures21212@yahoo.com<\/a>
Originally published by the People’s Weekly World
www.pww.org
\n","contact":"pww@pww.org","link":"www.pww.org","address":"235 W 23st., NYC 10011","phone":"212-924-2523","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"\r\nWASHINGTON \u2013 With U.S. war planes and troops poised for combat with Iraq, peace forces vowed to continue the fight against war.","numcomment":21,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/03\/38284.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":38290,"heading":"Erin","article":"Hi, \r\nFirst, I am utterly against this war. Yesterday I participated in the walk-out at Cal State Northridge and marched around Old Town that night in Pasadena.\r\n\r\nBut I do have a question. Obviously, Hussein really is a tyrant who has oppressed his people for years. (Why the US wasn't so interested in intervening when he gassed the Kurds is curious) but what would a peaceful solution to this problem be? Some kind of indictment? Would that have to come from within his own regime? What about the up and coming International Criminal Court? Not that Bush has been crazy about that either.\r\n\r\nI know that sanctions only hurt his own people and that as far as weapons, the inspectors seem to be saying that they were doing good if not slow and tedious work.\r\n\r\nResponses would be appreciated. I have not heard many articulate responses to this question. Thanks.","author":"Erin Ashby","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 15:58:22","modified":"2003-03-22 15:58:22","fileurl":""},{"id":38296,"heading":"Millions support this war.","article":"73% of Americans support this war. Many more support it than not. So go demonstrate, practice free speech, wave your banners, and know that 3 out of 4 people disagree with you.\r\n\r\nYou are the minority here.","author":"Rich","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:10:49","modified":"2003-03-22 16:10:49","fileurl":""},{"id":38300,"heading":"restructure the UN or create a new council to uphold the geneva accords","article":"Restructure the UN (and move it out of the US) so that it is an effective international\r\nbody rather than an ineffectual institution with no guts to regulate the US.\r\nGet an new chair (Kofi Annan has shown his weakness).\r\nPut together a stronger body that is as willing to hold the US and Israel accountable\r\nfor their actions as they are for Iraq.\r\n\r\nOr, create a new international body based on the geneva convention and other\r\ninternational laws. Do away with the ICC laws that exempt US forces from being \r\ncharged with war crimes. Bring Saddam and the Bush cabinet before the council and\r\nsend them both to the Hague.\r\n\r\nIn some sense Saddam is an agent of the US, going back to the reagan and bush-daddy\r\nregimes, deals with Dick Cheney and Halliburton, meeting with rumsfield, etc.\r\nso if Saddam has to go, so does bush and everything affiliated with him.\r\n\r\nWe can't allow Saddam to get away, but more importantly, we can't allow the bush \r\nadministration to turn the US into the Fourth Reich.","author":"apache","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:17:53","modified":"2003-03-22 16:17:53","fileurl":""},{"id":38309,"heading":"the world opposes the world","article":"polls, smolls\r\n\r\npolls are based on selective demographic samples, for instance the gallup\r\npolls are based on only 738 respondents. the nielson ratings system is based\r\non only 800 respondents (who then decide what is the top rated programs\r\non TV and people get brainwashed and gravitate towards them).\r\n\r\nget a clue, polls don't mean shit.\r\n\r\nlook at the numbers that are suggested by the images on television and the\r\ninternet. the only institution besides the government that is really supporting \r\npro-war sentiment is the Clear Channel corporation that owns radio stations\r\nin all the major urban markets. But even with that edge, the anti-war movement\r\nhas still succeeded in garnering unimagined support.\r\n\r\nthe minority in this case is bush, blair, and that dude from Spain. aside from \r\nthe useless coalition of the coerced, I mean willing, the rest of the world is against\r\nthem including their own populations. \r\n\r\nthe reason why the war was stymied at first, aside from the UN situation, is because\r\nthe anti-war movement is making an impact...and it will grow ","author":"mediawatcher","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:29:28","modified":"2003-03-22 16:29:28","fileurl":""},{"id":38310,"heading":"Fourth Reich?","article":"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The left will continue to alientate themselves to the fringes and prove they cannot have a cohesive argument about anything if they continue to make retarded equivalencies between the U.S. administration and Nazis.\r\n\r\nDo you know anything about the UN? Do you know who heads the UN Commission on Human Rights? What makes you think that some other "international world order" would be any better? \r\n\r\nIdealism is noble, but you obviously know nothing of history... or reality. \r\n\r\n","author":"Rich","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:31:12","modified":"2003-03-22 16:31:12","fileurl":""},{"id":38311,"heading":"Mediawatcher...","article":"Don't believe your own hype. ","author":"Rich","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 16:33:55","modified":"2003-03-22 16:33:55","fileurl":""},{"id":38312,"heading":"More "Propaganda"?","article":"You people for "peace" for the Iraqi people are morons. Here's is your proof. And it will ONLY GET BIGGER. Are you starting to feel stupid yet?\r\n\r\n"No Saddam Hussein!" one young man in headscarf told Gurfein. "Bush!" \r\n\r\n\r\nU.S. Marines Rip Down Saddam Portraits \r\n1 hour, 5 minutes ago \r\n\r\nBy ELLEN KNICKMEYER, Associated Press Writer \r\n\r\nMilling crowds of men and boys watched as the Marines attached ropes on the front of their Jeeps to one portrait and then backed up, peeling the Iraqi leader's black-and-white metal image off a frame. Some locals briefly joined Maj. David "Bull" Gurfein in a new cheer. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Iraqis! Iraqis! Iraqis!" Gurfein yelled, pumping his fist in the air. \r\n\r\n\r\n"We wanted to send a message that Saddam is done," said Gurfein, a New York native in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. "People are scared to show a lot of emotion. That's why we wanted to show them this time we're here, and Saddam is done." \r\n\r\n\r\nThe Marines arrived in Safwan, just across the Kuwait border, after Cobra attack helicopters, attack jets, tanks, 155 mm howitzers and sharpshooters cleared the way along Route 80, the main road into Iraq (news - web sites). \r\n\r\n\r\nSafwan, 375 miles south of Baghdad, is a poor, dirty, wrecked town pocked by shrapnel from the last Gulf war (news - web sites). Iraqi forces in the area sporadically fired mortars and guns for hours Thursday and Friday. Most townspeople hid, although residents brought forth a wounded little girl, her palm bleeding after the new fighting. Another man said his wife was shot in the leg by the Americans. \r\n\r\n\r\nA few men and boys ventured out, putting makeshift white flags on their pickup trucks or waving white T-shirts out truck windows. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Americans very good," Ali Khemy said. "Iraq wants to be free." \r\n\r\n\r\nSome chanted, "Ameriki! Ameriki!" \r\n\r\n\r\nMany others in the starving town just patted their stomachs and raised their hands, begging for food. \r\n\r\n\r\nA man identifying himself only as Abdullah welcomed the arrival of the U.S. troops: "Saddam Hussein is no good. Saddam Hussein a butcher." \r\n\r\n\r\nAn old woman shrouded in black — one of the very few women outside — knelt toward the feet of Americans, embracing an American woman. A younger man with her pulled her away, giving her a warning sign by sliding his finger across his throat. \r\n\r\n\r\nIn 1991, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died after prematurely celebrating what they believed was their liberation from Saddam after the Gulf War. Some even pulled down a few pictures of Saddam then — only to be killed by Iraqi forces. \r\n\r\n\r\nGurfein playfully traded pats with a disabled man and turned down a dinner invitation from townspeople. \r\n\r\n\r\n"Friend, friend," he told them in Arabic learned in the first Gulf War. \r\n\r\n\r\n"We stopped in Kuwait that time," he said. "We were all ready to come up there then, and we never did." \r\n\r\n\r\nThe townspeople seemed grateful this time. \r\n\r\n\r\n"No Saddam Hussein!" one young man in headscarf told Gurfein. "Bush!" \r\n","author":"Rich","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-03-22 16:39:37","modified":"2005-08-15 01:17:38","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/reagan.jpgi7fwuf.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/reagan.jpgi7fwuf.jpg"}},{"id":38336,"heading":"Polls","article":"Whether you accept it, or continue to live in your \r\nfantasy world, either way you ARE in the minority.\r\n\r\nOf course polls don't mean jack shit, that is whenever \r\nthe numbers they show are stacked AGAINST you. If \r\nthe numbers don't show results that YOU like, then \r\nthey're obviously skewed. Just because 100% of the \r\npeople you associate with are anti-war, doesn't mean \r\nthe ratio is the same in the rest of the real world.\r\n\r\nGet your facts straight, the number of people that \r\nGallup surveys varies from poll to poll. Sometimes \r\nwell over 1,000 people are questioned, and the ONLY \r\nselectivity involved is that adults over 18 are polled. It \r\nalso hurts your argument when other organizations, \r\ncompletely independent of Gallup, do their own \r\nsurveys and come up with EXTREMELY similar numbers.\r\n\r\nAs far as the Coalition of the Willing. It does not, by far \r\nconsist only of Bush, Blair, and "that dude from Spain" \r\nwho's name is Jose Aznar. You honestly think the \r\nentire rest of the world is against us? Explain how the \r\nlist of countries that have publicly pledged their \r\nsupport has grown to at least 30?\r\n\r\nAfghanistan\r\nAlbania\r\nAustralia\r\nAzerbaijan\r\nBulgaria\r\nColombia\r\nthe Czech Republic\r\nDenmark\r\nEl Salvador\r\nEritrea\r\nEstonia\r\nEthiopia\r\nGeorgia\r\nHungary\r\nIceland\r\nItaly\r\nJapan\r\nKorea\r\nLatvia\r\nLithuania\r\nMacedonia\r\nthe Netherlands\r\nNicaragua\r\nthe Philippines\r\nPoland\r\nRomania\r\nSlovakia\r\nSpain\r\nTurkey\r\nthe United Kingdom\r\nUzbekistan\r\n\r\nHardly looks like opposition from the rest of the world to me.\r\n\r\nI'll fully admit, it DOES look, at first glance, like the anti-\r\nwar group is in the majority. But that's only because \r\nthey are the ones making such a scene and getting \r\nthe media attention. The people who support this war \r\neffort aren't the ones blocking traffic on major Chicago \r\nroadways, thus garnering media attention.\r\n\r\nA vocal minority does not constitute a majority.","author":"Silent Majority","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:07:19","modified":"2003-03-22 17:07:19","fileurl":""},{"id":38346,"heading":"The New X","article":"The New X\r\nby The New X \u2022 Thursday March 20, 2003 Thut 04:33 PM\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nthe fear that Saddam will attack the US with WMD shows how PARANOID americans are. \r\n\r\nthey don't really know why he will attack \r\nthey just know he will \r\n\r\n"we don't know what a nigger is, but we're just gonna hate 'em anyway" \r\n\r\nAMERICAN HYPOCRISY \r\n\r\nTO ANY PRO-WAR ADVOCATE \r\nI DARE YOU TO REPLY TO THIS: \r\n\r\nThe US government supported Saddam during his most murderous years. They supplied him with WMD and the technology to make his own WMD. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A KNOWN TYRANT. Why? So that he would use them on the Iranians. Even after Halabja in 1988, the US government CONTINUED to support him. \r\n\r\nNow in the year 2003 (whether it is morally just or not), Saddam no longer wishes to play into US global strategy. So he is ALL OF A SUDDEN branded a TYRANT ------ EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A MURDEROUS TYRANT ALL THE YEARS THE US SUPPORTED HIM! \r\n\r\nIsn't it hypocritical that although he was even more murderous back then, he was considered an ALLY and FRIEND OF AMERICA simply because he was killing Iranians (if 5,000 kurds happened to be gassed in a single attack thats no big deal). Now he's still murderous but now the US actually acknowledges that he is a tyrant. Imagine if he was still following US wishes by fighting with Iraq, would the US be calling him a TYRANT? I DON'T THINK SO. \r\n\r\nHYPOCRISY HYPOCRISY HYPOCRISY. \r\n\r\nUntil the US apologizes to the victims of Saddam terror DURING THE YEARS THAT THEY SUPPORTED HIM, this war will only be about US PARANOIA and its attempts at gaining a FALSE sense of security. \r\n\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------- \r\n\r\nwar advocates only want to see sand nigger blood being spilled. they try to improve the body count \r\n2,500 Americans (WTC) < 100,000 Sand Niggers. \r\n\r\nSo they can feel better about themselves and feel as if they "won" the overall battle. Their oh so precious American pride was hurt on 9\/11 and now they seek to get it back by killing sand niggers left rite and center \r\n\r\n(basically this is the whole starship troopers scenario)\r\n","author":"The New X","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:23:17","modified":"2013-11-10 23:49:11","fileurl":""},{"id":38349,"heading":"The New X","article":"OH YEAH BTW\r\n\r\nthat list of countries is YET just another example of how Bush plays on the ignorance of the American people. since they just believe anything he says, he neglected to mention several things.\r\n\r\n\r\nFirst of all, some of those countries are only in the POST-WAR coalition. Not all of them support war.\r\n\r\nsecond, countries were offered economic aid packages in return for their support.\r\n\r\nthird, countries who would not support the US would have had their existing US aid halted.\r\n\r\n\r\nagain this is not a conspiracy theory. i read on the news that japan was a post-war coalition member. so i bothered to check news sources and found out the above. americans, you need to put aside your hamburgers, fries and ford pickups. pick up newspapers and start reading. learn to read even. and don;t watch abc,fox or cbs or ne of that american crap. watch BBC. just pure facts. no "patrotic american cheesy melodrama bullshit"","author":"The New X","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:28:01","modified":"2003-03-22 17:28:01","fileurl":""},{"id":38354,"heading":"Stop war","article":"stop war http:\/\/www.outwar.com\/page.php?x=490159","author":"Willy","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-22 17:29:57","modified":"2003-03-22 17:29:57","fileurl":""},{"id":38659,"heading":"Erin","article":"What the heck was the point of the ICC in the first place if you were allowed to exempt yourself from it?\r\n\r\n(mostly rhetorical)","author":"Erin","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 03:28:24","modified":"2003-03-23 03:28:24","fileurl":""},{"id":38670,"heading":"The Bush Legacy...","article":"Don't ask about the dead children. Don't tell anyone about it.","author":"Diogenes","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 03:54:20","modified":"2003-03-23 03:54:20","fileurl":""},{"id":38699,"heading":"hi","article":"The children, of course, i forgot. If i'm not mistaken bush has made apoint to kill children. I'm pretty sure i heard that. He hates children and despots, but, children first. Countries should never go to war if the life of one child is at stake. I would rather have hitler killing all non-whites than have the death of one child on my hands. I would rather be assimilated into any cause rather than fighting for my life. This war is good though right? we forgot to take all the oil when we conquered iraq the first time. So we'll just steal it all now and it should be no problem. Still i don't know. Even though saddam signed a treaty in 91 and then defied every single term of that agreement i don't think we should do anything. I think it would be a good move for america to allow every nation to flout anything they come to an agreement to. Thats a good way to live. No war ever! rape me and abuse me please. I think maybe the muslims have a point. I would love to put my bitch in veil and beat her ass when dinner isn't good and hot. Plus she reads to much and should be more concerned with my loins. Religion should be life. die infidels. I have to go because saddam wants to put me in his nitric acid drip room for thinking. See you in shangrlai and don't touch my virgins","author":"blibber","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 04:35:20","modified":"2003-03-23 04:35:20","fileurl":""},{"id":38707,"heading":"What a bufoon.","article":"Earth to Blibber, or is that Blabber?\r\n\r\nBecause someone in authority says they are doing something for moral reasons does not make it true.\r\n\r\nAnd you are an idiot for parroting the old "Hussein = Hitler" nonsense. You Freepers are becoming too inbred. You have been slapping each other on the back and self congratulating so long that you have come to believe your own nonsense.\r\n\r\nOther than that your ignorance is on such obvious display that you charicature yourself without even realizing it. The heigth of ignorance.","author":"Diogenes","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 04:57:10","modified":"2003-03-23 04:57:10","fileurl":""},{"id":38783,"heading":"hi diogenisis","article":"I expected more than your standard "Your an idiot" diatribe. I know i'm dumb because i don't agree with you. You know far right and far left are the same thing right? the "warmongers" are the same as the "no war ever" . You will never have an impact and it's apparent with how easy you throw around the idiot card. I'm not an idiot, i'm rather in touch with whars going on. But have a good time on this board doing nothing. I support you and your uselessness. Meet me somewere and call me an idiot toughperson. You never would because you are a non-entity and you always will be. write me back we'll set it up. \r\n","author":"blibber","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 07:29:48","modified":"2003-03-23 07:29:48","fileurl":""},{"id":38902,"heading":"Hi blibber","article":"Q. What's the difference between a truck load of\r\ndead American or Iraqi babies and a truck load of marbles?\r\nA. You can't unload marbles with a pitch fork. (giggle-snort)","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 14:49:57","modified":"2003-03-23 14:49:57","fileurl":""},{"id":38909,"heading":"Cleared by Pentagon news","article":"Thank you for your support.","author":"Dan Rather","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-23 15:06:46","modified":"2003-03-23 15:06:46","fileurl":""},{"id":38913,"heading":"The BBC is not cleared by the Pentagon Dan","article":"These are Iraqi soldiers lining up to welcome the US Marines into Basra. Look at the photo. \r\n\r\nWhy is it that you anti-war dorks refuse to admit that you've been wrong all along. Open your eyes. Look at the facts. Stop ingesting Pacifica Radio pablum for a change.","author":"Bush Admirer","parent_id":38284,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-03-23 15:21:57","modified":"2005-08-15 01:17:38","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/wecomingmarines.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/03\/wecomingmarines.jpg"}}]}