Rallying to Bring U.S. Troops Home
Thousands in D.C. protest Iraq policy
By Robert Gutsche Jr
WASHINGTON BUREAU
October 26, 2003
Washington - An Air Force sergeant who said the United States has misused
the U.S. troops in an "unjustified war" in Iraq was one of thousands of
people who rallied on the National Mall yesterday to demand an immediate
withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.
"I think there is a lot of sentiment inside the military that what we are
doing isn't right," said the sergeant, who said he was 30 but asked not to
be further identified. "Technically and legally we did sign up for this, and
it's our responsibility to fill what our responsibilities are, but the
people making the decisions also need to use us as a last resort."
By noon, more than 30,000 people had gathered near the Washington Monument,
according to an estimate by Newsday. Organizers said about 100,000 people
squeezed through city streets during the three-hour march. Police didn't
report any arrests by early yesterday evening.
At the same time, 20,000 people gathered in San Francisco for similar
demonstrations, according to organizers there.
In Washington, the sergeant, who could face deployment to Iraq, said he
lives "two contradicting lives" by working in the military and participating
in the demonstration. Despite his reservations about war, he said he needs
his job in the military to pay the bills. "I probably wouldn't disagree with
a person who calls me a hypocrite, but this war was wrong," he said.
Democratic presidential candidate the Rev. Al Sharpton told the crowds at
the rally, "President Bush and Tony Blair don't make a world conference. Two
men in a phone booth don't speak for the world. ... Bring our troops home
now."
Later, the crowds cheered "Impeach Bush" while marching toward the White
House and around the Justice Department.
The thousands of protesters clashed peacefully with about 50 people who had
gathered along the march route to support President George W. Bush and
military action in Iraq.
"War freed the slaves. War saved the Jews. Anti-war racists go home," yelled
one woman with Free Republic, a group that supports Bush. The two groups
chanted at each other for about two hours, separated by fences and police
officers in helmets.
"We are pretty happy with the way things have been going" in Iraq, said
Kristinn Taylor, who led the group from a small rally near the Capitol
before the main march near the White House. He said his organization wants
to show "that this is not going to be like Vietnam where we won the war on
the battleground, but lost the propaganda war at home."
Cynthia Rivelli, 61, traveled from Washington Heights in Manhattan to
protest America's presence in Iraq. "I'm hoping that this will help perk up
Congress that there are still people out there outraged," she said.
Bill Perry, 56, from Pennsylvania, was one of about 150 Vietnam veterans and
military family members who gathered in the cold late Friday night near the
Vietnam Wall to protest the war. Perry, who fought in Vietnam in 1967 and
1968, demonstrated against the war when he came home.
"I hate to see kids suffering," he said. "And I would hate to see more kids
come home in wheelchairs and caskets. We need our troops home now."
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usdemo263510337oct26,0,753
9039.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines
--
CBS reporter David Martin revealed that weeks before the attacks, the CIA
had warned Bush personally of Osama Bin Laden’s intent to use hijacked
planes as missiles. That followed the damaging exposure by The Associated
Press’s John Solomon of a pre-9/11 FBI memo from an officer in Phoenix
warning of suspicious Middle Eastern men training at flight schools—a
warning that went unheeded.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=340_0_1_0_C
.
|
