IVAW Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Iraq War

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  • DLR'sCock
    Crazy Ass Mofo
    • Jan 2004
    • 2937

    IVAW Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Iraq War

    IVAW Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Iraq War
    Iraq Veterans Against the War
    t r u t h o u t | Statement

    Friday 18 March 2005

    Today marks the second anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, a key milestone in the current U.S. Government’s campaign of lies and deceit common since 9/11. We were first told that there was a link between Iraq and the horrible 9/11 attacks. But there was none. Then we were told that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction; yet only a few old warheads and some dormant bacterial cultures have been found despite rigorous searching. Then finally, we were told that Saddam Hussein was training terrorists to attack the United States, but no terrorist presence seems to have existed in Iraq prior to the massive build-up in early 2003. Post-invasion Iraq, however, has clearly become a hotbed for new terrorist threats.

    We, the veterans of the war, now know all of these reasons for invading the sovereign country of Iraq were false, and we have paid a heavy price for these lies. Two years into a seemingly endless war, our nation has incurred a terrible debt, while the corporations who profit from the business of war reap millions. Our deficit has climbed to a rate that can only be paid by our children’s grand children. While our domestic programs crumble, the social and economic future of our children is indeed bleak. Most tragic, over 1,500 of our comrades in arms have given the ultimate sacrifice for this senseless, imprudent, and immoral policy of war and occupation. A cross section of our county, these extraordinary men and women came from all walks of life. They were both poor and wealthy, high school dropouts and highly trained professionals. All believed in their country’s leadership and in their own duty to that country, and so they went into needless slaughter. Every one of these fallen comrades was loved by their families and many in their community. They were our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives, our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers; most of all, they were our friends and they are sorely missed. If they could arise from their graves and speak, they would tell us to find a better way to solve our conflicts.

    Whatever the reasons for this counterproductive conflict, it is now clear that it had nothing to do with helping the Iraqi people. We, the troops, were told that we were not invaders and occupiers, but liberators and protectors of the Iraqi people, and that we would bring them freedom, prosperity and a better life. Specific numbers of the Iraqi dead are not known, since "We don’t do body counts," as General Tommy Franks said. However, we do know that we shoulder some of the responsibility for the thousands of innocent civilians that have been killed. In addition, important commodities such as food, water, power, and sanitation are not readily available ensuring the continued suffering and death of countless innocent Iraqis. Iraqi Children play amongst explosives and clouds of depleted uranium dust, and bombings of markets and mosques are a daily occurrence. In many ways, we have made the lives of average Iraqis worse, not better, since the invasion. It is no wonder, then, that the terrorism that was not present in Iraq prior to the US invasion is now a daily reality there.

    On the second anniversary of this unwise, unjust, and unproductive invasion, Iraq Veterans Against the War call upon our President, the Congress, and all elected officials to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq and the Middle East. We also demand full funding for the medical needs of our returning veterans, including treatment for post traumatic stress disorder and the effects of depleted uranium. Finally, we call for all citizens of the United States to demand that their government end the pillaging and destruction of Iraq so that everyday Iraqi people can control their own lives and country.




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    Over 725 Communities to Say "End the War!"
    United for Peace and Justice
    t r u t h o u t | Statement

    Friday 18 March 2005

    It's historic: This weekend, on the two-year anniversary of the Iraq war, people will gather in more than 725 communities, in all 50 states, to mourn the devastating losses and call for the troops to come home now. This is more than double the number of anti-war actions that took place on the first anniversary of the war. The unprecedented number and geographic spread of these events reflect the growing breadth of U.S. peace organizing, which is reaching into more communities than it ever has.

    Many of the events throughout the country will feature veterans and family members of active-duty soldiers speaking out against the war. In Fayetteville, NC, home of Ft. Bragg, military families and veterans have been central to organizing what promises to be an extraordinary mobilization. If you live in driving distance from Fayetteville, we urge you to join this powerful event (visit North Carolina Peace Justice.org for more details).

    There will be numerous protests outside military recruitment centers, to counter the predatory targeting of youth by the U.S. armed forces, in places ranging from Tucson, Arizona to Springfield, Missouri to Williston, Vermont. And there will be an array of nonviolent civil disobedience actions across the country, many as part of a new National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance against the War in Iraq (visit Iraq Pledge.org for more information).

    This weekend will also mark the formal launching of Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq. Nurtured by United for Peace and Justice, this new national faith-based network is focusing on the immorality of the war and occupation. Visit United for Peace.org for highlighted events and more information.



    726 Towns and Cities in the United States Where Anti-War Events Will take Place from March 18-20

    This list has been compiled from numerous sources, principally from the United for Peace and Justice events calendar and the anti-war vigil listings of the American Friends Service Committee and Sojourners Magazine.

    Visit United For Peace.org for an updated version of this list, or to add additional events..

    Alabama

    Anniston, Calera, Jacksonville, Hoover, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Oneonta
    Alaska

    Anchorage, Homer, Juneau
    Arizona

    Cottonwood, Phoenix, Prescott, Show Low, Tempe, Tucson, Window Rock, Winslow
    Arkansas

    Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Little Rock
    California

    Alameda, Albion, Altadena, Bakersfield, Belmont, Benicia, Berkeley, Bishop, Brentwood, Capistrano Beach, Castro Valley, Cazadero, Clayton, Cloverdale, Corona, Costa Mesa, Cupertino, Davis, Eagle Rock, El Centro, Encinitas, Eureka, Fairfax, Fallbrook, Fresno, Glendora, Hollister, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Idylwild, Irvine, La Canada, Lafayette, Lakeport, Livermore, Loomis, Los Angeles, Malibu, Mendocino, Mill Valley, Mountain View, Mt. Shasta, Napa, Oakland, Oxnard, Pacific Palisades, Pacifica, Palm Springs, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Penn Valley, Petaluma, Piedmont, Placerville, Pleasanton, Redding, Redlands, Reedley, Riverside, Rohnert Park, San Bruno, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, Santa Cruz, Santee, Sausalito, Sonora, Susanville, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Tustin, Valencia, Van Nuys, Ventura, Walnut Creek, West Hollywood, Willits
    Colorado

    Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Evergreen, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Longmont, Lyons, Niwot, Paonia, Steamboat Springs, Walsenburg
    Connecticut

    Danbury, Hartford, Madison, New Haven, Norwalk, Shelton, West Hartford
    Delaware

    Lewes, Odessa, Rehoboth Beach, Wilmington
    District of Columbia

    Washington, D.C.
    Florida

    Altoona, Bunnell, Delray Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Key West, Lake Worth Beach, Lakeland, Marina, Melbourne, Miami, Naples, Niceville, Orlando, Ormond Beach, Palm City, Pensacola, Sanford, Sarasota, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Sunrise, Tallahassee, Tampa, Vero Beach
    Georgia

    Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Decatur, Gainesville, Milledgeville, Savannah, St. Simons, Stone Mountain
    Hawaii

    Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului, Pahoa
    Idaho

    Boise, Ketchum, Pocatello, Sandpoint
    Illinois

    Arlington Heights, Canton, Carbondale, Chicago, Evanston, Glen Ellyn, Kankakee, Macomb, Morton, Mt. Prospect, Naperville, Oak Park, Olney, Palatine, Park Ridge, Peoria, Rock Island, Rockford, Schaumburg, Springfield, Urbana-Champaign,
    Indiana

    Bloomington, Cromwell, Ft. Wayne, Gary, Granger, Goshen, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Mishawaka, Muncie, North Manchester, Notre Dame, South Bend, Terre Haute, Washington
    Iowa

    Ames, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Madison, Iowa City, West Union
    Kansas

    Emporia, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Newton, Olathe, Ottawa, Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka, Wichita
    Kentucky

    Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville, Paducah
    Louisiana

    Baton Rouge, Keithville, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Thibodaux
    Maine

    Augusta, Boothbay, Brooksville, Brunswick, Damariscotta, Falmouth, Kennebunk, Machias, Newcastle, Portland, Presque Isle, Skowhegan
    Maryland

    Baltimore, Columbia, Darnestown, Eastport, Mount Rainier, Olney, Pasadena, Rockville, Salisbury, Silver Spring, Takoma Park
    Massachusetts

    Abington, Amherst, Andover, Arlington, Boston, Brimfield, Cambridge, Connecticut Valley, Duxbury, Fall River, Falmouth, Harwich, Holyoke, Hyannis, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Longmeadow, Monson, Montague, Nantucket, Natick, New Bedford, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Norton, Pittsfield, Quincy, South Hadley, Spencer, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Vineyard Haven, Wendell, Waltham, Warwick, Wenham, Westborough, Westfield, Winchester, Woburn, Worcester
    Michigan

    Adrian, Ann Arbor, Big Rapids, Chelsea, Detroit, East Lansing, Ferndale, Flint, Fremont, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Livonia, Marquette, Midland, Monroe, Montague, Muskegon, Owosso, Pinckney, Port Huron, Prudenville, Redford, Royal Oak, Saranac, St. Joseph, Traverse City
    Minnesota

    Alexandria, Anoka, Bemidji, Burnsville, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Lake Crystal, Lino Lakes, Litchfield, Little Falls, Marshall, Minneapolis, Montevideo, Red Wing, Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Paul, Stillwater
    Mississippi

    Biloxi, Jackson, Jonestown, Oxford, Starkville, Tupelo
    Missouri

    Camdenton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Lake St. Louis, Osage Beach, Rolla, Springfield, St. Louis
    Montana

    Bozeman, Dillon, Dutton, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, Whitefish
    Nebraska

    Belgrade, Gothenburg, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, Omaha
    Nevada

    Las Vegas, Reno
    New Hampshire

    Concord, Conway, Gofftown, Hanover, Keene, Milford, Plymouth, Wakefield, Walpole, Wolfeboro
    New Jersey

    Atlantic City, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Cherry Hill, Englewood, Hackensack, Hackettstown, Highland Park, Lambertville, Maplewood, Marlton, Merchantville, Montclair, Moorestown, Ocean Gate, Secaucus, Stirling, Woodstown
    New Mexico

    Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Rinconada, Santa Fe, Silver City, Taos, Truth or Consequences
    New York

    Albany, Bay Shore, Bellport, Binghamton, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Chatham, Cherry Valley, Cooperstown, Coram, Dobbs Ferry, East Norwich, Elmira, Farmingdale, Flushing, Garden City, Greenport, Ithaca, Johnson City, Kingston, Liberty, Nanuet, New Hartford, New Paltz, New York, Oneonta, Patchogue, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Saranac Lake, Sarasota Springs, Saugerties, Schenectady, Setauket, Southampton, Staatsburg, Staten Island, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Troy, Trumansburg, Utica, Wading River, Watertown, Woodstock, Yonkers
    North Carolina

    Asheville, Belhaven, Boone, Burnsville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Charlottesville, Columbus, Cullowhee, Fayetteville, Fletcher, Raleigh, Shelby, Southport, Waynesville, Wilmington
    North Dakota

    Fargo, Minot
    Ohio

    Akron, Archbold, Bellevue, Cambridge, Cincinnati, Circleville, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Dayton, Delaware, Jefferson, Kent, Lima, Medina, Oberlin, Reynoldsburg, Sandusky, Springfield, Stoutsville, Tiffin, Toledo, University Heights, Westerville, Wilmington, Youngstown
    Oklahoma

    Fort Gibson, Norman, Oklahoma City, Tulsa
    Oregon

    Albany, Bend, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Enterprise, Eugene, Grants Pass, Lincoln City, Manzanita, Medford, Pendleton, Portland, Salem, The Dalles
    Pennsylvania

    Allentown, Bally, Bangor, Beaver, Bellefonte, Bethlehem, Bryn Athyn, Chambersburg, Coatesville, Easton, Emmaus, Erie, Harrisburg, Hatboro, Hatfield, Healdsburg, Hellerton, Honesdale, Huntingdon, Jenkintown, Jim Thorpe, Kutztown, Lancaster, Lansdowne, Lewisburg, Middleburg, Mohnton, Nazareth, New Tripoli, Norristown, Pennsburg, Philadelphia, Phillipsburg, Pittsburgh, Schnecksville, Squirrel Hill, St. Davids, State College, Valley Forge, Warminster, Wellsboro, West Chester, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Worcester, Wynnewood, York
    Rhode Island

    Newport, Providence
    South Carolina

    Anderson, Charleston, Florence, Greenville, Myrtle Beach
    South Dakota

    Custer, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Spearfish
    Tennessee

    Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Mountain City, Nashville, Sevierville
    Texas

    Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont, Bellarie, Brownsville, Cameron, Cedar Park, Colleyville, Comfort, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ft. Worth, Galveston, Granbury, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, Rowlett, San Antonio, Wichita Falls
    Utah

    Logan, Moab, Salt Lake City
    Vermont

    Barre, Brattleboro, Bristol, Burlington, Craftsbury Common, Essex Junction, Hardwick, Manchester, Newport, Richmond, Ripton, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Williston
    Virginia

    Abingdon, Arlington, Augusta, Blacksburg, Chantilly, Charlottesville, Falls Church, Floyd, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Staunton, Waynesboro, Williamsburg
    Washington

    Anacortes, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Centralia, Edwards, Gig Harbor, Kingston, Lacey, Langley, Longview, Lopez Village, Mercer Island, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, Port Townsend, Poulsbo, Redmond, Seattle, Silverdale, Snohomish, Spokane, Suquamish, Swinomish Reservation, Tacoma, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee
    West Virginia

    Charleston, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Parkersburg, Wheeling
    Wisconsin

    Algoma, Appleton, Ashland, Beloit, Brookfield, Burlington, Cable, De Pere, Eau Claire, Fish Creek, Hayward, Janesville, Kenosha, Madison, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Menomonie, Milwaukee, Minocqua, Monona, Mukwonago, Oshkosh, Port Washington, Racine, Rice Lake, Ripon, Sheboygan, Sister Bay, St. Croix Falls, Sturgeon Bay, Superior, Viroqua, Watertown, Waukesha, Wausau, West Allis, Wisconsin Dells
    Wyoming

    Casper, Cheyenne, Lander, Laramie, Sheridan
  • DLR'sCock
    Crazy Ass Mofo
    • Jan 2004
    • 2937

    #2
    Two years later after the invasion of Iraq and the big story was Terry Schiavo.

    Comment

    • Nickdfresh
      SUPER MODERATOR

      • Oct 2004
      • 49205

      #3
      Originally posted by DLR'sCock
      Two years later after the invasion of Iraq and the big story was Terry Schiavo.
      Yup! Congress is right on that one! Good thing they found time to try to have a vegetable's feeding tube reinserted between bouts of hearing MLB players lie about steroid use. What a wonderfully useless Republican controlled government we have. All the smoke-and-mirrors grandstanding is your tax dollars at work Busheep!

      Comment

      • DLR'sCock
        Crazy Ass Mofo
        • Jan 2004
        • 2937

        #4


        Nothing to see here. Ok, keep it moving people. Nothing to see here!

        Comment

        • Nickdfresh
          SUPER MODERATOR

          • Oct 2004
          • 49205

          #5
          Originally posted by DLR'sCock


          Nothing to see here. Ok, keep it moving people. Nothing to see here!

          Comment

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