[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Thursday - Picket Against U.S. Aggression in Middle East

[Brooke Anderson]

**Picket Against U.S. Aggression in Middle East**
    Thursday, May 1st, 12 noon
    UI Alma Mater, Green and Wright St., Champaign

Why should you still be fighting against the U.S. position in Iraq?

Here are just a few reasons:

**Even though many say the war is over, Iraqi civilians will still
suffer under US occupation**

    The heavy fighting in Iraq may be over, but that does not mean the
war is finished. As long as tens of thousands of US soldiers occupy the
country, the conflict goes on. The Iraqi people are happy to be rid of
Saddam Hussein. But they also want US troops out of their country.
Keeping US soldiers in Iraq violates the founding principles of the
American republic, fuels hostility toward the US while robbing us of
allies, and costs billions of dollars. We  need to bring the troops home
now. -US Labor Against the War- 2003

**The United States is not serious about democratization in Iraq.**

    The United Nations is still the only legitimate authority to
orchestrate a process to select an interim authority.  If the U.S. were
serious about democratization in Iraq, it would move quickly to turn
even preliminary authority over to the UN to identify an interim
authority and move towards a more permanent indigenous process.
Furthermore, the initial contracts for reconstruction are going to be
designated US companies without any competition from other US firms, let
alone anyone internationally.
   -Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies

**This war has cost billions at a time when funding for every important
social program here at home is being cut.**

    Post-war reconstruction ranges from $80 billion to more than $200
billion. This money could be spent at home to address the urgent needs
arising from the most serious economic crisis in recent memory: massive
unemployment, state and local budget crises, and cut-backs in health
care, education, Medicare and other vital services.
-US Labor Against the War- 2003

**This war has been used to distract the American people from the 
anti-labor, anti-worker agenda that Bush is pursuing here at home**

    Bush stripped 170,000 employees of the new Homeland Security
Department of their union and civil service protections. He plans to
privatize another 700,000 federal jobs. He intervened on behalf of the
employers in the West Coast dock workers negotiations. He has proposed
legislation that would enable him to suspend many union rights in the
event of war. He is proposing massive tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of
Americans while slashing funding for schools, hospitals and even
veterans? benefits. He has launched a full-scale assault on our
Constitutional protections in the name of national security. His war
against Iraq serves as a cover for a war against working people here at
home. War will bring neither democracy to Iraq nor security to us.
-US Labor Against the War- 2003

**We need to support the troops even after the military aggression 
ends and after "pro-American" citizens forget about their troops!**

    As the troops begin coming home, we need to realize that many service
men and women face adverse health effects from the first gulf-war and
their needs are not being meeted by the country for which they gambled
with their lives. Veterans benefits and healthcare leaves much to be
desired, and the current troops in the Middle East will face similar
battles to veterans of other wars.
-The Guardian

**We need to prevent any more pre-emptive wars of aggression in the
Middle East.**

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) is holding the fifth
in a series of anti-war pickets tomorrow, Thursday, May 1st, at 12 noon.
Join people from the campus and community to not only denounce continued
fighting in Iraq, but also the mounting civilian casualties, Bush's
unfair continued occupation of Iraq, and the administration?s continued
refusal to address important issues here in the U.S.

For more information, please contact the PRC at prc at prairienet.org or
call (217) 352-8721.

The PRC is a program of the Illinois Disciples Foundation.


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Brooke Anderson
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
44 E. Main St., Suite 208
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone = (217) 352-6533, x 17
Fax = (217) 352-9745
Email = brooke at shout.net
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