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DLR'sCock
03-18-2005, 07:42 PM
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
03-19-2005, 01:16 PM
Two years later after the invasion of Iraq and the big story was Terry Schiavo.

Nickdfresh
03-19-2005, 01:40 PM
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!

DLR'sCock
03-19-2005, 01:50 PM
http://www.freudlevels.com/images/officer.jpg

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

Nickdfresh
03-20-2005, 01:45 AM
Originally posted by DLR'sCock
http://www.freudlevels.com/images/officer.jpg

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