Anti-War
These are some of the letters collected by the Iraq Peace Team over the last three weeks at Baghdad high schools.
Al-Adamia Secondary School for Girls – Baghdad
March 3, 2003
Dear Friends,
We love you and want to see you and we hope all the world live in peace and love each other like the flowers in one garden in heaven. Please urge your government to let us live in peace.
Best wishes,
Somiea, Anfal, & Yasamin (we are 18 years old)
*****
Al-Adamia Secondary School for Girls – Baghdad
March 3, 2003
My name is Rasha. I'm 18 years old. I want to say that I love the world and I love peace. I don't want war. Why do you want to kill the smiles on our faces? We want to learn and live in peace. I want to be a dentist, so how could I make that if the war happened? We are a peaceful people. We love peace. We love American people, so why do you want to kill us? I pray for the God to avoid us the war, and I hope for whole the world the peace and love. I want to be friends and keep in touch with you. Let us spread love among us.
With all the best,
Al-Adamia Secondary School for Girls – Baghdad
March 3, 2003
Dear Friends,
We love you and want to see you and we hope all the world live in peace and love each other like the flowers in one garden in heaven. Please urge your government to let us live in peace.
Best wishes,
Somiea, Anfal, & Yasamin (we are 18 years old)
*****
Al-Adamia Secondary School for Girls – Baghdad
March 3, 2003
My name is Rasha. I'm 18 years old. I want to say that I love the world and I love peace. I don't want war. Why do you want to kill the smiles on our faces? We want to learn and live in peace. I want to be a dentist, so how could I make that if the war happened? We are a peaceful people. We love peace. We love American people, so why do you want to kill us? I pray for the God to avoid us the war, and I hope for whole the world the peace and love. I want to be friends and keep in touch with you. Let us spread love among us.
With all the best,
This is my last ditch effort to show the hypocrisy within President Bush’s administration regarding its policies toward Iraq and its President, Saddam Hussein, just as the United States and Britain prepares to invade the country.
It was only five years ago when Vice President Dick Cheney, as chief executive of the oil-field supply corporation, Halliburton Co., was engaged in secret business dealings with Saddam’s regime by selling Iraq oil production equipment and spare parts to get the Iraqi oil fields up and running, according to confidential United Nations records.
During the 2000 presidential campaign, Cheney adamantly denied such dealings. While he acknowledged that his company did business with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries, Cheney said, “Iraq’s different.” He claimed that he imposed a “firm policy” prohibiting any unit of Halliburton against trading with Iraq.
It was only five years ago when Vice President Dick Cheney, as chief executive of the oil-field supply corporation, Halliburton Co., was engaged in secret business dealings with Saddam’s regime by selling Iraq oil production equipment and spare parts to get the Iraqi oil fields up and running, according to confidential United Nations records.
During the 2000 presidential campaign, Cheney adamantly denied such dealings. While he acknowledged that his company did business with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries, Cheney said, “Iraq’s different.” He claimed that he imposed a “firm policy” prohibiting any unit of Halliburton against trading with Iraq.
As we all know, some evil-doers have forged some evidence against Iraq.
These same evil-doers have misused the U. S. Government, attempting to deceive the whole American people, and the whole mankind.
Tonight will be a very happy night for some evil-doers.
Tonight, it will become easier, for some evil-doers, to forge evidences against Iraq.
Tonight (or very soon), the Iraqi Government will lose control over a part of the territory of Iraq.
In that part of the territory of Iraq, it will become easier, for some evil-doers, to place large amounts of weapons of mass destruction.
After that, it will become very easy, for some evil-doers, to announce that large amounts of weapons of mass destruction were found within the territory of Iraq.
Will 6 billion people believe what they will announce ?
These same evil-doers have misused the U. S. Government, attempting to deceive the whole American people, and the whole mankind.
Tonight will be a very happy night for some evil-doers.
Tonight, it will become easier, for some evil-doers, to forge evidences against Iraq.
Tonight (or very soon), the Iraqi Government will lose control over a part of the territory of Iraq.
In that part of the territory of Iraq, it will become easier, for some evil-doers, to place large amounts of weapons of mass destruction.
After that, it will become very easy, for some evil-doers, to announce that large amounts of weapons of mass destruction were found within the territory of Iraq.
Will 6 billion people believe what they will announce ?
As the hour of murder nears, people are gearing up to
voice their outrage at George Bush's foreign policy.
It seems that he feels that killing tens of thousands
of innocent people to get his "target", Saddam
Hussein, is a good foreign policy. Unfortunately, far
too many people feel that in order to prevent
terrorism, and/or to prevent an attack on the US, will
require killing a tyrant. Not just any tyrant mind
you, but a specific tyrant from Baghdad. While I do
not in any way. shape or form support Hussein, I also
do not support Bush in this endeavor.
I have resigned from the cabinet because I believe that a fundamental principle of Labour’s foreign policy has been violated.
If we believe in an international community based on binding rules and institutions, we cannot simply set them aside when they produce results that are inconvenient to us.
I cannot defend a war with neither international agreement nor domestic support. I applaud the determined efforts of the prime minister and foreign secretary to secure a second resolution. Now that those attempts have ended in failure, we cannot pretend that getting a second resolution was of no importance.
In recent days, France has been at the receiving end of the most vitriolic criticism. However, it is not France alone that wants more time for inspections. Germany is opposed to us. Russia is opposed to us. Indeed, at no time have we signed up even the minimum majority to carry a second resolution. We delude ourselves about the degree of international hostility to military action if we imagine that it is all the fault of President Chirac.
If we believe in an international community based on binding rules and institutions, we cannot simply set them aside when they produce results that are inconvenient to us.
I cannot defend a war with neither international agreement nor domestic support. I applaud the determined efforts of the prime minister and foreign secretary to secure a second resolution. Now that those attempts have ended in failure, we cannot pretend that getting a second resolution was of no importance.
In recent days, France has been at the receiving end of the most vitriolic criticism. However, it is not France alone that wants more time for inspections. Germany is opposed to us. Russia is opposed to us. Indeed, at no time have we signed up even the minimum majority to carry a second resolution. We delude ourselves about the degree of international hostility to military action if we imagine that it is all the fault of President Chirac.
As we played around on the mat with the severely handicapped children, Saturday morning at the orphanage, Amil and Quar-Quar began a game of rolling over and over away from me, calling “Bye, bye, Peggy!” and then “Hi, Peggy!” as they roll back. Repeating this over and over did not seem to make it any less fun.
From the orphanage, Tom Reiber-Martinez, one of the members of the current CPT delegation, and I hurried out to Karrada St. to hail a taxi to take across town in time for the Seventh Day Adventist worship service. A beat up old car stopped for us, and we got in. A simple, “shlonik?” (“How are you?”) started the conversation.
We learned that our driver spoke fairly good English, as we shared that we were from America, that we wanted peace, not war, and that we wanted to be friends with the Iraqi people. With his eyes glistening, he welcomed us warmly.
From the orphanage, Tom Reiber-Martinez, one of the members of the current CPT delegation, and I hurried out to Karrada St. to hail a taxi to take across town in time for the Seventh Day Adventist worship service. A beat up old car stopped for us, and we got in. A simple, “shlonik?” (“How are you?”) started the conversation.
We learned that our driver spoke fairly good English, as we shared that we were from America, that we wanted peace, not war, and that we wanted to be friends with the Iraqi people. With his eyes glistening, he welcomed us warmly.
George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC
Dear Governor Bush:
So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you:
1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works!
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC
Dear Governor Bush:
So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you:
1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works!
Tonight, for better or worse, America is at war. Tonight, every American, regardless of party, devoutly supports the safety and success of our men and women in the field. Those of us who, over the past 6 months, have expressed deep concerns about this President’s management of the crisis, mistreatment of our allies and misconstruction of international law, have never been in doubt about the evil of Saddam Hussein or the necessity of removing his weapons of mass destruction.
Those Americans who opposed our going to war with Iraq, who wanted the United Nations to remove those weapons without war, need not apologize for giving voice to their conscience, last year, this year or next year. In a country devoted to the freedom of debate and dissent, it is every citizen’s patriotic duty to speak out, even as we wish our troops well and pray for their safe return. Congressman Abraham Lincoln did this in criticizing the Mexican War of 1846, as did Senator Robert F. Kennedy in calling the war in Vietnam ‘unsuitable, immoral and intolerable.’
Those Americans who opposed our going to war with Iraq, who wanted the United Nations to remove those weapons without war, need not apologize for giving voice to their conscience, last year, this year or next year. In a country devoted to the freedom of debate and dissent, it is every citizen’s patriotic duty to speak out, even as we wish our troops well and pray for their safe return. Congressman Abraham Lincoln did this in criticizing the Mexican War of 1846, as did Senator Robert F. Kennedy in calling the war in Vietnam ‘unsuitable, immoral and intolerable.’
LOS ANGELES, CA - March 17, 2003 - Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles (PSR-LA) called on the Bush Administration to continue diplomacy and find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. The public health group claimed that a war on Iraq would increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the US, cause untold suffering to the Iraqi people and threaten our economy and social needs at home. The group also demanded that President Bush publicly commit to a "no first use" policy on nuclear weapons.
"We call on the President to use diplomacy and to give the U.N. weapons inspectors their requested time to finish their work," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace and Security Associate for PSR-LA. "Not only is it important for the U.S. to find a peaceful solution, but the U.S. must let the international community know that it will not use weapons of mass destruction. If Saddam Hussein thinks we may use nuclear weapons like our 'bunker busting' bomb against him, he may unleash chemical and biological weapons against us first."
"We call on the President to use diplomacy and to give the U.N. weapons inspectors their requested time to finish their work," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace and Security Associate for PSR-LA. "Not only is it important for the U.S. to find a peaceful solution, but the U.S. must let the international community know that it will not use weapons of mass destruction. If Saddam Hussein thinks we may use nuclear weapons like our 'bunker busting' bomb against him, he may unleash chemical and biological weapons against us first."
DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
As the United States government under George Bush gets closer to attacking the people of Iraq, there are several things that the men and women of the U.S. armed forces need to know and bear in mind as they are given orders from the Bush administration. This information is provided for the use of the members of the armed forces, their families, friends and supporters, and all who are concerned about the current direction of U.S. policy toward Iraq.