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Sun Feb 8 03:56:54 CST 2004
Iraqi military and political foes of Saddam Hussein in
London announced a virtual government in exile. Notably
present at the meeting was Jordan?s number two leader
Crown Prince Hassan. Although Jordan has publicly opposed
a new war against its larger neighbor, the western media
on July 12 widely reported that the pro-U.S. monarchy has
"agreed secretly to allow U.S. special forces to operate
from two of its air bases" when the invasion takes place.
(The Herald of Scotland, July 12)
Other lead articles have appeared in the major press of
U.S. allies with screaming headlines like that in the July
16 National Post of Canada: "Iraq is bound to lose,
quickly, completely." On the same day British Prime
Minister Tony Blair went out of his way to tell the
members of Parliament that his government will not be
compelled to discuss with them any British participation
in the coming war.
On July 14, Paul Wolfowitz, the Pentagon's second ranking
official and a leading cheerleader for the war, held a
press conference in Turkey -- one site from which the U.S.
attack is likely to be launched -- announcing that Turkey
would reap ?economic" benefits from the overthrow of the
Iraqi government. Turkey is experiencing a severe economic
crisis and its government was on the verge of collapsing
as Wolfowitz executed his widely covered saber-rattling
media performance.
IMPACT OF ?LEAKED" WAR PLAN
The administration's psychological war, or Psyops as it is
known in military parlance, began with special intensity
when a top secret, five-inch thick, dossier detailing
plans for an invasion of Iraq with 250,000 troops was
"leaked" to the New York Times. The Times on July 5
featured the story prominently on the front page. It's
follow-up editorial two days later did not dispute the
legality or rightness of the planned aggression -- as it
did so famously with the publication of the secret
Pentagon Papers in June 1971 that increased public
opposition to U.S. policy in Vietnam. The Times follow-up
editorial to the July 5 Iraq invasion story only called
for the tactics of the war plan to be debated in Congress
and elsewhere.
Since the Times story on July 5, the print media and
television have been dominated by a discussion of the
tactics of the coming war. Should it be a large-scale
invasion of hundreds of thousands of troops or a
lightning-fast Special Operations accompanied by strategic
bombing? The debate, limited exclusively to the "best
tactics" of war, is designed to leave everyone -- in Iraq
and among the public at home -- with the distinct
impression that the military conflict is unavoidable,
inevitable and thus impossible to resist.
Which raises the question of who leaked the classified
document to the New York Times in the first place?
"The Observer of London [newspaper] has been told that the
leak ... came from within the Pentagon, from the office of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top professional soldiers
who drew it up in the first place." (The Observer, July
14)
CAN THE WAR BE STOPPED?
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz grouping are creating
an aura of inevitability around the war with two audiences
in mind. They are hoping to split the Iraqi military --
hoping that sections of the Iraqi High Command will defect
rather than face certain annihilation. But Bush and
company are also trying to demoralize any, at home or
abroad, who desire to challenge the war before it starts.
Bush and the Pentagon know the history of the Vietnam war
and they actually fear the potential of massive anti-war
resistance from Washington, D.C., to the streets of Cairo
and Amman.
While the centers of pro-establishment liberalism are
playing their usual frightened and collaborationist role
in the face of the ultra-militarists, the genuine
progressives and anti-imperialist fighters need to do
everything in their power to mobilize grassroots
opposition on every campus, high school, workplace and
community.
While Bush slashes funds for education, housing, jobs and
health care he is calling on the sons and daughters of the
working class to kill and be killed in the desert of the
Arabian peninsula for the sake of Exxon/Mobil, Texaco,
Chase, Citibank and his corporate constituents. This war
doesn't have to happen. Now is the time for the anti-war
movement to intensify its mobilization among working and
poor people, and especially young people -- including
those in uniform.
All anti-war forces should unite right now to launch an
energetic and determined mobilization of the people -- in
the United States and around the world. It is time to
remind the war-makers of the inevitability of resistance
to their plans for slaughter and destruction.
GET INVOLVED!
Go to http://www.internationalanswer.org for information
about upcoming activities against a new U.S. war in Iraq,
including the October 26 Internationally Coordinated Day
of Mass Actions and the January 18, 2003, National March
on the White House in Washington DC.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
dc at internationalanswer.org
New York: 212-633-6646
Washington DC: 202-332-5757
Chicago: 773-878-0166
Los Angeles: 213-487-2368
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
International A.N.S.W.E.R.
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.internationalanswer.org
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<P>
<P> <B><I>Action Center <actioncenter at action-mail.org></I></B> wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">To: <ACTIONCENTER.ACTGEN at ACTION-MAIL.ORG><BR>From: "Action Center" <ACTIONCENTER at ACTION-MAIL.ORG><BR>Subject: [IAC] CALL to ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT: Stop war on Iraq before it<BR>starts!<BR>Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 18:50:57 -0400<BR><BR>A CALL TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT:<BR>Stop the war on Iraq before it starts!<BR><BR>By Brian Becker<BR>(The writer is a co-director of the International Action <BR>Center and a member of the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition steering <BR>committee.)<BR><BR>It is imperative that all progressive working class and <BR>anti-war organizations organize now to try to stop the <BR>pending U.S. war against Iraq.<BR><BR>These progressive organizations should base their strategy <BR>and tactics on the assumption that the Bush administration <BR>is determined to attack Iraq and replace the current <BR>government with a puppet regime like the one that exists <BR>in Afghanistan. <BR><BR>Despite this Bush administration goal, however, there <BR>exist sufficient potential deterrents -- in the U.S. and <BR>around the world -- that could still prevent a new <BR>invasion. <BR><BR>A war on Iraq is a war of imperialism against an <BR>oppressed, formerly colonized people. It is a war for Big <BR>Oil against a country that dared to nationalize its oil <BR>fields and tried to use the revenues from that oil to help <BR>Iraq emerge as an independent modernizing regional power <BR>in the Persian/Arabian Gulf -- an area that contains <BR>two-thirds of the world's known oil reserves. The U.S. <BR>reserves for itself the right to be the only regional <BR>power in this oil-rich area.<BR><BR>Working people must not be taken in by the war propaganda <BR>of the White House. It's just propaganda aimed at <BR>justifying aggression against Iraq.<BR><BR>Bush and the Pentagon are planning a war not because they <BR>fear Saddam Hussein's potential to develop weapons of mass <BR>destruction, or because they are sickened by the <BR>undemocratic nature of the Iraqi government. Washington <BR>supports dictatorial monarchies like Saudi Arabia and <BR>Kuwait. It sends $15 million a day to Israel while that <BR>government has invaded Lebanon, occupied the Palestinian <BR>territories and created a large, illegal arsenal of <BR>nuclear weapons.<BR><BR>PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR AS PRELUDE TO INVASION <BR><BR>The Bush administration for the last two weeks has engaged <BR>in a full-scale psychological war against the Iraqi regime <BR>and the people there. It is going out of its way to create <BR>an aura of inevitability about the coming conflict. This <BR>is a coordinated high-profile campaign designed to split <BR>the Iraqi government as a prelude to U.S. military action.<BR><BR>From July 11-13, a CIA-supported gathering of hundreds of <BR>Iraqi military and political foes of Saddam Hussein in <BR>London announced a virtual government in exile. Notably <BR>present at the meeting was Jordan?s number two leader <BR>Crown Prince Hassan. Although Jordan has publicly opposed <BR>a new war against its larger neighbor, the western media <BR>on July 12 widely reported that the pro-U.S. monarchy has <BR>"agreed secretly to allow U.S. special forces to operate <BR>from two of its air bases" when the invasion takes place. <BR>(The Herald of Scotland, July 12) <BR><BR>Other lead articles have appeared in the major press of <BR>U.S. allies with screaming headlines like that in the July <BR>16 National Post of Canada: "Iraq is bound to lose, <BR>quickly, completely." On the same day British Prime <BR>Minister Tony Blair went out of his way to tell the <BR>members of Parliament that his government will not be <BR>compelled to discuss with them any British participation <BR>in the coming war.<BR><BR>On July 14, Paul Wolfowitz, the Pentagon's second ranking <BR>official and a leading cheerleader for the war, held a <BR>press conference in Turkey -- one site from which the U.S. <BR>attack is likely to be launched -- announcing that Turkey <BR>would reap ?economic" benefits from the overthrow of the <BR>Iraqi government. Turkey is experiencing a severe economic <BR>crisis and its government was on the verge of collapsing <BR>as Wolfowitz executed his widely covered saber-rattling <BR>media performance.<BR><BR>IMPACT OF ?LEAKED" WAR PLAN<BR><BR>The administration's psychological war, or Psyops as it is <BR>known in military parlance, began with special intensity <BR>when a top secret, five-inch thick, dossier detailing <BR>plans for an invasion of Iraq with 250,000 troops was <BR>"leaked" to the New York Times. The Times on July 5 <BR>featured the story prominently on the front page. It's <BR>follow-up editorial two days later did not dispute the <BR>legality or rightness of the planned aggression -- as it <BR>did so famously with the publication of the secret <BR>Pentagon Papers in June 1971 that increased public <BR>opposition to U.S. policy in Vietnam. The Times follow-up <BR>editorial to the July 5 Iraq invasion story only called <BR>for the tactics of the war plan to be debated in Congress <BR>and elsewhere. <BR><BR>Since the Times story on July 5, the print media and <BR>television have been dominated by a discussion of the <BR>tactics of the coming war. Should it be a large-scale <BR>invasion of hundreds of thousands of troops or a <BR>lightning-fast Special Operations accompanied by strategic <BR>bombing? The debate, limited exclusively to the "best <BR>tactics" of war, is designed to leave everyone -- in Iraq <BR>and among the public at home -- with the distinct <BR>impression that the military conflict is unavoidable, <BR>inevitable and thus impossible to resist.<BR><BR>Which raises the question of who leaked the classified <BR>document to the New York Times in the first place? <BR><BR>"The Observer of London [newspaper] has been told that the <BR>leak ... came from within the Pentagon, from the office of <BR>the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top professional soldiers <BR>who drew it up in the first place." (The Observer, July <BR>14) <BR><BR>CAN THE WAR BE STOPPED?<BR><BR>Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz grouping are creating <BR>an aura of inevitability around the war with two audiences <BR>in mind. They are hoping to split the Iraqi military -- <BR>hoping that sections of the Iraqi High Command will defect <BR>rather than face certain annihilation. But Bush and <BR>company are also trying to demoralize any, at home or <BR>abroad, who desire to challenge the war before it starts. <BR><BR>Bush and the Pentagon know the history of the Vietnam war <BR>and they actually fear the potential of massive anti-war <BR>resistance from Washington, D.C., to the streets of Cairo <BR>and Amman. <BR><BR>While the centers of pro-establishment liberalism are <BR>playing their usual frightened and collaborationist role <BR>in the face of the ultra-militarists, the genuine <BR>progressives and anti-imperialist fighters need to do <BR>everything in their power to mobilize grassroots <BR>opposition on every campus, high school, workplace and <BR>community.<BR><BR>While Bush slashes funds for education, housing, jobs and <BR>health care he is calling on the sons and daughters of the <BR>working class to kill and be killed in the desert of the <BR>Arabian peninsula for the sake of Exxon/Mobil, Texaco, <BR>Chase, Citibank and his corporate constituents. This war <BR>doesn't have to happen. Now is the time for the anti-war <BR>movement to intensify its mobilization among working and <BR>poor people, and especially young people -- including <BR>those in uniform.<BR><BR>All anti-war forces should unite right now to launch an <BR>energetic and determined mobilization of the people -- in <BR>the United States and around the world. It is time to <BR>remind the war-makers of the inevitability of resistance <BR>to their plans for slaughter and destruction.<BR><BR>GET INVOLVED!<BR>Go to http://www.internationalanswer.org for information <BR>about upcoming activities against a new U.S. war in Iraq, <BR>including the October 26 Internationally Coordinated Day <BR>of Mass Actions and the January 18, 2003, National March <BR>on the White House in Washington DC.<BR><BR>FOR MORE INFORMATION<BR>dc at internationalanswer.org<BR>New York: 212-633-6646<BR>Washington DC: 202-332-5757<BR>Chicago: 773-878-0166<BR>Los Angeles: 213-487-2368<BR>San Francisco: 415-821-6545<BR><BR>International A.N.S.W.E.R.<BR>Act Now to Stop War & End Racism<BR>http://www.internationalanswer.org<BR><BR>------------------<BR>Send replies to iacenter at action-mail.org<BR><BR>This is the IAC activist announcement<BR>list. Anyone can subscribe by sending <BR>any message to <ACTIONCENTER.ACTGEN-SUBSCRIBE at ACTION-MAIL.ORG><BR>To unsubscribe <ACTIONCENTER.ACTGEN-OFF at ACTION-MAIL.ORG></BLOCKQUOTE><p><br><hr size=1><b>Do You Yahoo!?</b><br>
<a href="http://health.yahoo.com/">Yahoo! Health</a> - Feel better, live better
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