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TechnoratiProtests Targeted War Funding
NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of people across the United States staged demonstrations over the weekend to protest the continued U.S. occupation of Iraq and the White House's reported plans to attack Iran.Organised by a diverse array of anti-war groups, the nationwide protests were held in more than 10 major cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.
The purpose of Saturday's mass action was to build up pressure on the U.S. Congress. Organisers said they wanted the Congress to take decisive measures against the George W. Bush administration's military-led policies.
"Every month, nearly 100 service people and countless more Iraqis are killed," said Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK, a leading anti-war group that has organised several demonstrations since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"People everywhere want the war to end, but Washington has failed to take decisive action," she added in a statement. "We want this war to end. And want it to end now."
At protest demonstrations, Benjamin and other anti-war campaigners also tried to highlight the impact of war on domestic needs, such as health care and quality education for the children of poor U.S. families.
According to independent estimates, every month, the U.S. government spends at least 12 billion tax dollars on its military operations abroad, which is adding to the economic hardship and suffering of working and middle-class citizens.
Saturday's protests came as the Congress began to consider Bush's request for additional spending on military operations abroad. He has asked for 196.4 billion dollars for war-related operations this budget year.
Last Thursday, the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the country would need at least 2 trillion dollars to continue its military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for another decade. According to CBO estimates, Washington has already spent about 604 billion dollars on these wars, which also includes 39 billion dollars dedicated to diplomatic operations and foreign aid.
Soon after its release, the administration dismissed the CBO analysis by saying it was based on "speculation".
"It's just a tonne of speculation," said White House spokesperson Dana Perino. "We don't know how much the war is going to cost in the future."
Democratic politicians pointed out the vast difference between the CBO estimates and those the White House offered before the war on Iraq began in 2003.
"That estimate is a far cry from the administration's original claim of a 50-billion-dollar price that the Iraqis could pay themselves," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The depth of this tragedy is stunning, particularly for our military families -- and for prospects for peace in the region."
However, despite their opposition to the war, so far the Democrats have not given any clear indication that they would take a firm stand against Bush's request for additional money for war.
Political observers say the proposed additional spending on military operations indicates that the plans to carry out an attack on Iran cannot be ruled out. Last week, the Bush administration declared its readiness to roll out an unprecedented package of unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
Independent foreign experts have repeatedly warned about the consequences of such measures, arguing that it would fuel anti-U.S. sentiment throughout the Muslim world, and place at further risk the lives of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We can't bomb a country simply because we don't like it," said Carah Ong, an analyst at the Washington-based Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a policy think tank. "Doing so would be recklessly shortsighted and only strengthen the hands of hard-liners in Iran."
Last week, Bush suggested that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to "World War III." Vice President Dick Cheney also used threatening language against Tehran, saying that Iran would face "serious consequences" if the government there does not abandon its nuclear programme.
Iran has repeatedly said it has no intention to build nuclear weapons and that its atomic program is meant for peaceful purposes, which is its right under the U.N. treaty on nuclear nonproliferation (NPT).
Ong's Centre and many other organisations are currently trying to build pressure on Congress to prevent a military attack against Iran. As the war of words between Washington and Tehran intensified last week, the group started a signature campaign to send a petition to Congress demanding a diplomatic solution.
"If we want to see a change in Iran's behaviour," said Ong, "we must pursue courageous diplomatic leadership to establish a serious, sustained dialogue."
Meanwhile, anti-war groups said they are determined to organise a series of demonstrations against the administration's militarist foreign policy in the coming days. There were no official estimates available, but the United for Peace and Justice, a leading anti-war coalition said there were at least 100,000 people who participated in the Oct. 28 marches and rallies.
© 2007 Inter Press Service
14 Comments so far
Show Allfirefem,
ugh,
it got by us like most else these days. .
it's a full time job just trying to keep up with the insane bills, never mind to read them and then get on the horn with our reps to raise hell. thanks for the heads up.
I don't disrespect the people who have participated in peace rallies. But don't you think such demonstrations are a little bit..... old school? Been there, done that. It worked in the 1960's, but rallies just aren't news anymore, and they certainly are not impacting the corporations that have control of our government.
We're going to have to do something that will grab the attention of those corporations and squeeze hard if we want to bring about any changes.
As Demerara says: "Stop buying gas from Exxon, Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron. Buy from: CITGO. Use public transport when ever possible. Walk. Bike."
I would add to those suggestions the following:
1) Don't buy at the big box stores like Wal Mart, etc. - buy from Mom and Pop stores. Wal Mart imports most of its merchandise from China. China has virtually no environment protections, not to mention that Chinese laborers are paid poorly. Buy American if you can.
2) Support organized labor in the US. Labor has always been the thorn in the side of US manufacturing giants.
3) Make contributions to organizations that are making a difference.
4) Find out if your church has lobbyist representation in Washington. Most mainline (Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.) churches do, and most are fighting for progressive social principles. Evangelical fundamentalist churches generally are not.
5) Email, write, or better yet CAll ON THE PHONE your Senators and Representatives and let them know you're mad as hell. You might be suprised at the attention you will get. Don't do this just once. Do it regularaly.
6) Don't be afraid to voice your opinion in your neighborhood, your workplace, your church, etc. Part of the problem here is that there are more and more people fed up with our government, but they are afraid to say or do anything about it. Let them know they are not alone.
7) Get your news off of the internet, but not from the big news giants.
Well, I was there in Seattle. Had driven 150 miles or so to get there. We had participants from Portland OR, and various other towns and cities around the State but Seattleites themselves have apparently become passive as there were only about 5000 of us. That, to me, says that we are really losing momentum. Too many seem to believe that if we just hold on til 1/21/2009 that everything will be all better.
Writing letters and sending emails may make you feel like you're doing something but any response you receive is from an aide so don't count on that helping much.
We must encourage those currently serving in the military that it is time to stop fighting/killing Iraqis. That's when the occupation will end...
They marched on 10/27/07; the media barely made mention of the events across the country. MSNBC and ABC web sites had some coverage over the weekend. CNN -- not a word. I didn't see any reporting on the TV news either. So, other than local coverage, if you happen to live in one of the 12 target cities, you don't know squat about this action. I knew it was going to happen, and being from Hawaii, knew there wasn't going to be anything substantive schedule here. So I looked for news, and I looked, and I looked . . . .
The only obstacle we face in pursuing courageous diplomatic leadership with concern to Iran, is that no one in the Bush administration has any... courage, diplomacy, or leadership.
To make matters worse, her family survived the Holocaust - and she's paving the way for truncating any dissent to a government that is growing more fascist by the day. Simply brilliant. God honey, wake up or get out - time for you retire.
Firefem,
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca36_harman/Oct_23.shtml
"Our plan must be to intervene before a person crosses that line separating radical views from violent behavior, to understand the forces at work on the individual and the community, to create an environment that discourages disillusionment and alienation, that instills in young people a sense of belonging and faith in the future."
(sarcasm) I feel safer, don't you?
We marched in Orlando Saturday, a state hardly known for it's peace activism. Our right wing media played down the entire effort and all but ignored the message entirely. They gave more attention the pitiful, vulgar, obscenity laden few members of the "Gathering of Eagles" who tried to entice our peaceful marchers, many of whom were war veterans, into violence than Senator Mike Gravel who spoke. In fact, he was completely left out of all but one story. And that one was related to the Democratic convention in town not the peace rally. A recent global warming rally we attended at UCF had less than 100 attend. People don't care in this state run by corporate greed and developers.
And write more letters! They can ignore the press all they want, but they can't ignore your emails and letters!
As for the violent approach, uh uh, not here in the US anymore:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1955
Be sure to read Section 899B. Findings #3
How did this get by us?
Stop buying gas from Exxon, Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron.
Buy from: CITGO. Use public transport when ever possible. Walk. Bike.
Turn your TV's off. Do not buy the Times, Washington Post, nor Wall Street Journal ever again.
San Fransisco: Vote Nancy Pelosi out of office.
Dana Perino...[said] "We don't know how much the war is going to cost in the future."
Yeah, that's if Bu$hCo's collective heads are stuck up their collective asses...
This is absolute gobbledygook, the administration would have access to the finest Econometric Computer Modeling software and top flight Economists money could buy...But that's assuming they would have the will..Bu$hCo's agenda is deceitfully lying, obfuscation and canard manufacture to conceal the real mission...Cuddling up to the Military Industrial OIL Media Israel Complex etc etc
PS: I continue to be gob smacked at ongoing output of blatant bald faced lies by arguably the most criminal Administration in US history
History has proven that Jack37 is correct.
In a nation where corporate money guides the decisions of Congress, marches are a good way to increase awareness.
Unfortunately they have no influence on elected officials.
Until the average American views big business with the same disdain that they were viewing Osama Bin Laden six years ago, there will not be adequate momentum to change.
Just saw the classic 1976 movie "Network" again. What's it going to take to get people to open their windows and scream to the world, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore?"
News coverage of the day was pathetic. Couldn't find anything on local TV news Saturday night. My Sunday paper had one photo of the "Die in" in San Francisco - portrayed more as a curiosity than a newsworthy story.
I'm in favor of Scott Ritter's idea. Rather than 10,000 people for one day, put 1000 people on Pennsylvania Avenue for 100 consecutive days.
All praise to those who marched and spoke out---But not even numbers are going to work this time. Since mainstream media will only pay attention to violent demonstrations (meaning demonstrations that 'disprove themselves' to the bourgeoisie), Target A (of all PEACEful means)has got to become THE MEDIA. Their offices, places of business and production, face to face with these idiotic pseudo-reporters, because that way citizens can directly demand better standards of national/international news and points of view. (Are they not insulting and injuring us every single day? Can anybody believe Al Jezeera isn't on the cable?) And that in turn could be the focused fulcrum of turning the general tide of awareness into action, toward this country's need to stop its international crimes immediately. Target B: The same tactic, directly at the people of CONGRESS who are sneering or snoring at the will of the people who pay their salary: Grow UP into something worthy of the U.S. Constitution in your analysis and action immediately or you will soon be on your way out of office, period....At least in these two ways, a relatively small national number of actual citizen/activists can be most effective---You can put millions in the street and still get a war, as Britain and we have already proved. TIME TO GO FOR THE CHOKE-POINTS of a system that understands/responds to nothing but violence and cash-flow.....