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Anti-War Activists Rush to Hold Protests    [

    War Surge May Face Anti-War Surge
    By Frank James
    The Chicago Tribune

    Thursday 11 January 2007

    It's starting to feel like President Bush's Iraq speech last night may have proved the last straw, providing a critical boost to the anti-Iraq war movement in the U.S.

    There was a press conference here today at which opponents of continued U.S. presence in Iraq and the president's planned increase in U.S. troop levels there unveiled plans for protests, starting tonight, to raise pressure on Congress to block funding for increased U.S. military activities in Iraq.

    The coalition behind what organizers called their National Campaign Against the Escalation of the War in Iraq reflected a range of left-of-center grassroots groups, including organized labor, veterans and the MoveOn.org online political action organization.

    The clear impression they left was that they were fed up and they weren't going to take anymore.

    "Last night's speech is clearly fueling a surge of antiwar sentiment and activism," said Tom Andrews, a former congressman from Maine who now leads the group Win Without War. "We have had it."

    Many observers have wondered over the years why there haven't been more visible protests against the U.S.'s continued role in Iraq similar to the outrage expressed on streets during the Vietnam War. Many have concluded that it has a lot to do with the lack of a military draft.

    The professional military has limited the sacrifices to a relatively small group of warfighters, their families and friends.

    But that may be changing now.

    With a map of the U.S. dotted with locations where events are expected, Andrews said the following:

    "More than 1,000 communities tonight will stop what they're doing and citizens will gather in all 50 states to say no to President Bush and to say no to escalation of this war.

    "It is the first in a series of activities that will continue to mobilize more and more citizens and more and more anti-war sentiment all across this country. The next major activity will be right here in the nation's capital on the 27th of January, United for Peace and Justice organizing, a march around the Capitol building to make sure Congress gets the message."

    And what was that message? That members of Congress, especially Democrats, had better think long and hard before they agreed to fund the surge of more than 21,500 troops into Baghdad.

    With few exceptions, congressional Democrats have talked about maintaining funding for U.S. troops.

    Democrats fear few things more than that denying even some of the funding for military operations in Iraq would allow Republicans to outflank them on national security issues and define them as unsupportive of America's warfighters.

    Congressional Democrats have instead talked about the passing a non-binding resolution that would express Congress's opposition to the surge while still funding it, at least initially. Later, if enough Republicans were to join them, congressional Democrats might take the plunge into the water of funding denials, but not until then.

    The organizers of the national campaign against escalation made it clear, however, that they expected more from the Democrats who won control of Congress because voters have lost faith in the administration on the war.

    Said Andrews, the former congressman:

    "Thankfully, the Constitution of our country was designed to provide relief for citizens in disasters like this. It's called checks and balances… What we need now, and what we are demanding now, is that the Congress step up and put an end to this madness and not simply with non-binding words and phrases. The president has bound this nation to a catastrophic policy… We expect Congress to do more than non-binding resolutions. We demand action, including the exercise of its power of the purse. Our mission, starting tonight … is to make sure Congress does the right thing."

    Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action, said his online activism group's web site had been especially busy this week, as Americans, unsolicited offered money and their bodies for activities geared at stopping the troop surge and, more broadly, ending the U.S. presence in Iraq.

    "In the last two days, in the last 48 hours over 65,000 people have joined MoveOn to be part of this campaign against an escalation of the war. We didn't ask people for any money. But people have given us over a quarter of a million dollars on line in the last two days.

    "In the last two days over a quarter of a million people have signed our on-line petition to Congress to block the escalation and that is increasing rapidly. There is a movement afoot across America right now. People are incensed. Democrats, Republicans and Independents, that the president would ignore the clear message that was sent on Nov. 7."

    There are times at some Washington press conferences that stand out because they cause emotions to well up even inside reporters accustomed to maintaining a professional distance from stories. Usually it's because the person at the microphone, because of what he himself has experienced, can make a special claim on a listener's humanity.

    Such a moment came when Jon Soltz, a former Army officer, Iraq War veteran and currently chairman of Vote Vets, told a story about meeting one of his injured soldiers at a military hospital in Germany.

    "He was blown up. They had to take bones out of his rib and put them into his arm. I had to say to this kid, I hope this is worth it. When American soldiers and Marines have to ask that question, it's because their leadership has failed….

    "Yesterday, since I returned, was the worst day I've had because … they continue to make the same mistakes…. This president makes the same mistake everyday, except yesterday he made it even worse."

 

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    Anti-War Activists Rush to Hold Protests
    By Jason Dearen
    The Associated Press

    Thursday 11 January 2007

    San Francisco - Activists angered by President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq staged anti-war demonstrations in several major cities Thursday, protesting that the buildup will cause more bloodshed and give insurgents new American targets.

    Jan Rogers, 58, was among several hundred people who gathered in a bustling San Francisco shopping area during rush hour. She watched Bush's televised speech Wednesday night and said he "doesn't seem to get it."

    "The rest of the country is shouting, 'Stop this insanity,' and I think he's just trying to save his presidency and his legacy. But he's just on the wrong path," Rogers said.

    Law student Zahra Billoo, 23, advocated an immediate troop withdrawal.

    "I think our only presence at this point needs to be humanitarian aid. No more armed soldiers - they're not wanted there," she said.

    In New York, Tony Palladino protested in Lower Manhattan's Foley Square with a pair of anti-war signs. The former Air National Guardsman said the new troops would just give insurgents "20,000 extra targets."

    Rallies were also planned in Boston and some other cities.

    In Times Square, hundreds of anti-war protesters crammed onto a traffic island, chanting "Stop the funding, stop the war" as drivers in one of the world's most famous intersections honked in support.

    Some demonstrators held signs depicting the president as a monkey. Others sold buttons that said "Peace."

    Pat De Angelis said Bush's plan to add more troops would be counterproductive to peace in the Mideast.

    "In times of trouble, like the time we are in now, it helps to feel like you are doing something to right the wrongs," she said.

    A band of pro-war protesters on the other end of the island yelled for passers-by to ignore the anti-war rally. The group held a large sign that said "Warning - Leftist protesters trying to demoralize our troops."

    "They say they are supporting our troops, but they are lying," said Pamela Hall, a member of the United American Committee. "You can't support someone if you don't support what they are doing. It's disrespectful."

    In San Francisco, turnout was decidedly lower than the crowd of 15,000 that organizers had predicted, but they said protesters were merely spread out among other events throughout the Bay Area.

    Anti-war activists have marshaled more than 100,000 protesters at U.S. rallies on a few occasions since the run-up to the Iraq invasion. But the vast majority of demonstrations have been far smaller than those of the Vietnam era.

    Anti-war groups and scholars say that's because the draft has been eliminated and because protesters appear more willing to work within the political system - a sharp contrast from the 1960s, when many protesters regarded the system as corrupt.

    Thursday's protests were cast as a prelude to a bigger gathering starting Jan. 27 in Washington, where demonstrators plan to urge Congress to stand up to Bush, said Hany Khalil, a spokesman of United for Peace and Justice.

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    Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Samantha Gross in New York and Jeff Donn in Boston contributed to this report.

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