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Gold9472
01-27-2007, 01:23 PM
Thousands in Capital to Protest Iraq War

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/reprehensor/911/raging-grannies-9-11.jpg

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070127/D8MTNL9G1.html

By LARRY MARGASAK
Jan 27, 11:14 AM (ET)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters, energized by fresh congressional skepticism about the war in Iraq, were demanding a withdrawal of U.S. troops in a demonstration Saturday featuring a handful of celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon.

"We see many things that we feel helpless about," said Barbara Struna, 59, of Brewster, Mass. "But this is like a united force. This is something I can do."

Struna, a mother of five who runs an art gallery, made a two-day bus trip with her 17-year-old daughter, Anna, to the nation's capital to represent what she said was middle America's opposition to President Bush's war policy.

Her daughter, a high school senior, said she has as many as 20 friends who have been to Iraq. "My generation is the one that is going to have to pay for this," she said.

She held a sign that said, "Heck of a job, Bushie," mocking Bush's words of encouragement to his disaster relief chief, Michael Brown, amid criticism of the government's immediate response to Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005.

Other demonstrators on a clear, sunny day carried signs to the National Mall that said "Make hip-hop not War,""The surge is a lie," and "Clean water speaks louder than bombs."

As protesters streamed to the Mall, Bush reaffirmed his commitment to the troop increase in a phone conversation Saturday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a day when one or two rockets struck the heavily fortified Green Zone, home of the Iraqi government, thousands of Americans and the U.S. and British embassies.

Bush was in Washington for the weekend. He is often is out of town during big protest days. On Monday, for instance, he called anti-abortion marchers on the phone from Camp David.

United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, said there has been intense interest in the rally since Bush announced he was sending 21,500 additional troops to supplement the 130,000 in Iraq. He termed the increase a "surge" in troops.

The group said its Internet site received more than 5 million hits this month, including 650,000 on Wednesday - the day leaders held a media briefing about the protest.

The rally was scheduled as congressional opposition to the war is building. The Senate is considering nonbinding resolutions that would state opposition to Bush sending the extra forces to Iraq.

Frank Houde, 72, of Albany, N.Y., was a career Air Force pilot who served in Vietnam. Houde did not carry a sign, but said that his protest was on his hat, which said "Veterans for peace."

"The fact is war doesn't work," he said. "Iraq is not going to work. The war was started for reasons that turned out to be false."

Houde, retired from the antique restoration business, said he was never upset by protests at home while he was in Vietnam.

"I knew most were protesting on principle," he said. "It was a democratic process."

Houde said he came to this protest to be counted and added, "You can't sit in the middle of the stink of war for a year and not be affected by it. We changed the balance of power in Congress."

He said that since the new Democratic Congress is now starting to listen to those opposing the war, the timing of the protest "isn't an accident."

Scheduled speakers in addition to Fonda and Sarandon included Danny Glover, Tim Robbins, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy and several members of Congress who oppose the war.

Fonda was a lightning rod in the Vietnam era for her outspoken opposition to that war, earning the derisive nickname "Hanoi Jane" from conservatives for traveling to North Vietnam during the height of that conflict 35 years ago. She has avoided anti-Iraq war appearances until now.

A small group of active-duty military troops planned to attend the protest. A Defense Department spokeswoman said members of the Armed Forces can speak out, subject to several restrictions. They must not do so in uniform, and they must make clear that they do not speak on behalf of their military unit, their service or the Defense Department, unless authorized to do so.

MrDark71
01-27-2007, 03:40 PM
Maybe it just me...but abandoning these poor people now just reinforces our poor behavior in this matter...ok...not OURS..but still. How can we expect to have any integrity without accountablitiy. Our country has always been the self proclaimed defender of freedom and justice around the world. To not accept our failures, hold ourselves accountable, and correct our wrong doing we are nothing but hypocrites. To actually go protest our own integrity is appalling to me. Hear me out...

Of the tens of thousands of attendee's this weekend, how many of them have the integrity to be there? How many of them voted for the current administration? For that matter...voted at all? How many of them currently have investments in companies that are profiting from the war on terror? How many of them have written their Congressperson?...their Senators? ...anybody? How many of them, now so enraged at this war, have taken the time to even know why we are at war? How many of them marched on Washington when our troops complained they don't have enough basic supplies or even ARMOR? How many can accept what the administration says caused this war, yet NOW question it's worth without looking back.

Plain and simple. WE fucked up! Big Time! Yes ,we...the American people. WE allowed this war! WE trumpeted this war! WE were the ones who, as a nation stood behind our leaders, and went to war will bells on against terror. WE are the ones who allowed our troops to be in danger.......and WE are the ones who should clean up this mess we made.

You want to stop the killing? Who doesn't? I do. But guess what? Since we decided to play "Global Police" WE accepted the deadly reality of war...or at least should've thought of that ahead of time. TFB folks. The only way to "walk the talk" is for the US to FIX Iraq. That means more troops...more money...more death. That's reality. If you don't like it you can't just "quit". It's not recreational softball. The troops can't just quit? So don't disgrace their honor...and more importantly the honor of THOSE WHO DIED for our mistakes.

The men and women of the armed services accepted a job when they signed on. To fight for our Freedom...and the Freedom of those who ask for our help. They accepted the realities (or should have) when they enlisted. I'm filled with sorrow for the families of the fallen during this campaign. How dare WE...civilians... trivialize the deaths of these brave soldiers by holding OUR errors, AND the errors of our leaders, in a higher regard by saying the potential deaths are more important than the MISSION OF THE FALLEN! It's fucking disgusts me.

We should be protesting and questioning our own actions and the actions of our government NOT sweeping the memory of the 3000 plus troops and 3000 plus civilians killed, under our own rugs. Instead of bailing on our troops and our "war against terror" we felt was so important, the US should do WHATEVER IT TAKES to repair the damage of our mistakes...that includes supporting a non hypocritical plan to restabilize the nations we have destroyed. No one blinked an eye back in 2001-2003 about going to war...yet tens of thousands of you...driving in your SUV's...wearing your designer labels...making your rhetorical signs and symbolic ribbons... are lining up in groves to complain now. Seems a bit two-faced coming from people whose worst day includes a bad manicure, a ding on your BMW, and a slight drop in your Lockheed-Martin stock price....not exploding Nissans and sniperfire.

AuGmENTor
01-27-2007, 04:05 PM
To fight for our Freedom...and the Freedom of those who ask for our help. First of all, I was not aware Iraq was a threat to our freedom. Could you please explain how they ever were?
Secondly, I don't recall the Iraqies asking for our help.
Some of us have only become aware of the terrible corruption that exists in our government. We took at face value what we were told by our government, and supported our going in there. But it was brought to our attention that our leaders grossly mislead us, and now we just want to put an end to the bloodshed of our own troops, as well as the Iraqie people. i DO support our troops, and do agree that they should guard our freedom. But what we have here now is an illeagal war that needs to be ended. i don't know the right way to go about getting out of there and keeping everyone happy about it. My experience is that you can never make everyone happy. I think the first step is to get Bush, the murdering, lying fuck out of office asap. Beyond that, I don't know. Our government is not driven by the right, or humane thing to do. They are controlled by big business.
Fuck everything I just said. the only way to fix this is to forcibly rip our current government completely apart, and start over. Since I KNOW that is never happening, I have no opinion.

Gold9472
01-27-2007, 06:10 PM
Why can't we withdraw our troops, and make reparations?

PhilosophyGenius
01-27-2007, 06:34 PM
nice posts'

Chana3812
01-29-2007, 12:43 AM
Rwanda asked for our help - Republican controlled Congress did nothing. 800,000 died in 90 days.

But ... Rwanda doesn't sit on a massive oil reserve either......