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150 people attended the No War on Iraq Rally and March on February 8, 2003, at Marietta College.
The No War on Iraq Rally, hosted by the Marietta College Coalition for Social Change, began at 12pm in front of the Hermann Fine Arts Center. One-Hundred fifty people attended from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The rally included speakers John Kitson, Cate Weber, Rev. Diane Dowgiert, Jackie Delaat, Rev. Faith Perrizo, Brandon Sims (reading a statement from congressman Sherrod Brown), and a representative from Soka Gakkai International. The rally was followed by a march through town, with a stop along the way for a reading of the Not in Our Name Pledge of Resistance at the County Courthouse.
People attended from towns and colleges from Columbus, Athens, California University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Washington State Community College, Ohio State, Ohio University, Marietta College, and Marietta.
Some of the groups represented were the Peace and Justice Network (Athens), Social Action Committee (Athens), Mid Ohio-Valley Peace Coalition, Columbus Anti-Racist Action League, Soka Gakkai International. The protest was organized by the Marietta College Coalition for Social Change. They are active in many political and social issues, including the peace movement.
Afterwards many of the groups attended an organizing conference to help organize the area peace organizations.
The rally and march was held to allow citizens from the Southern Ohio/Northern West Virginia region to declare their opposition to a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. We believe there is no current case for a war against Iraq. The President has not proved that Saddam Hussein presents a clear and present threat to our security. It is our belief that an unprovoked attack would set a dangerous precedent for this country. "A CIA report declassified on October 9, 2002 stated that in the foreseeable future the probability of Iraq initiating an attack is low" (American Friends Service Committee).
"There are few things I know with absolute certainty, but of this I am sure: war causes immense suffering that lingers for generations," said Rev. Diane Dowgiert.
During the Gulf War, the United States was found to have specifically targeted civilian infrastructure, in clear defiance of international law. Hospitals and water treatment plants were bombed, leading to widespread epidemics among the civilian population. It is our belief that if a pre-emptive war is started against Iraq, these violations will occur again.
In addition, during this time of economic downturn it is impractical to waste taxpayer money for a pre-emptive strike against a country that could be handled diplomatically, as we are dealing with North Korea. Therefore, we agree with the demand for "Jobs not War."
These are several of the many reasons we oppose the administration's attempt to wage war against Iraq. Please contact the Coalition for Social Change to get involved: simsb@marietta.edu (740) 376-3806
The No War on Iraq Rally, hosted by the Marietta College Coalition for Social Change, began at 12pm in front of the Hermann Fine Arts Center. One-Hundred fifty people attended from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The rally included speakers John Kitson, Cate Weber, Rev. Diane Dowgiert, Jackie Delaat, Rev. Faith Perrizo, Brandon Sims (reading a statement from congressman Sherrod Brown), and a representative from Soka Gakkai International. The rally was followed by a march through town, with a stop along the way for a reading of the Not in Our Name Pledge of Resistance at the County Courthouse.
People attended from towns and colleges from Columbus, Athens, California University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Washington State Community College, Ohio State, Ohio University, Marietta College, and Marietta.
Some of the groups represented were the Peace and Justice Network (Athens), Social Action Committee (Athens), Mid Ohio-Valley Peace Coalition, Columbus Anti-Racist Action League, Soka Gakkai International. The protest was organized by the Marietta College Coalition for Social Change. They are active in many political and social issues, including the peace movement.
Afterwards many of the groups attended an organizing conference to help organize the area peace organizations.
The rally and march was held to allow citizens from the Southern Ohio/Northern West Virginia region to declare their opposition to a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. We believe there is no current case for a war against Iraq. The President has not proved that Saddam Hussein presents a clear and present threat to our security. It is our belief that an unprovoked attack would set a dangerous precedent for this country. "A CIA report declassified on October 9, 2002 stated that in the foreseeable future the probability of Iraq initiating an attack is low" (American Friends Service Committee).
"There are few things I know with absolute certainty, but of this I am sure: war causes immense suffering that lingers for generations," said Rev. Diane Dowgiert.
During the Gulf War, the United States was found to have specifically targeted civilian infrastructure, in clear defiance of international law. Hospitals and water treatment plants were bombed, leading to widespread epidemics among the civilian population. It is our belief that if a pre-emptive war is started against Iraq, these violations will occur again.
In addition, during this time of economic downturn it is impractical to waste taxpayer money for a pre-emptive strike against a country that could be handled diplomatically, as we are dealing with North Korea. Therefore, we agree with the demand for "Jobs not War."
These are several of the many reasons we oppose the administration's attempt to wage war against Iraq. Please contact the Coalition for Social Change to get involved: simsb@marietta.edu (740) 376-3806