SHANNON KELLY
News Editor
Gloomy weather and cold rain could not deter more than 3,000 protesters who marched through puddles from the Democratic Party office on Figueroa Street to the Federal Building on Saturday, demanding the new Democrat-led Congress to push the U.S government to cease funding the war and immediately withdraw troops from Iraq.
The L.A. march was part of a nation-wide demonstration with protests in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq, led the group that carried signs depicting messages such as “Impeach Bush” to the Federal Building where they continued the demonstration.
“We were there to express discontent with the current occupation of Iraq and the social cost it has on working men and women,” said Ahjamu Makalani, vice chair for the California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus. “The cost of war for this country is exorbitant and that money should be going toward improvements in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.”
Makalani, who helped bring together more than 50 anti-war organizations to endorse the rally, also stressed the difference between gradual withdrawal and an immediate pullout.
“We don’t agree with the Hillary Clinton argument, we’re saying bring them home now. Humpty Dumpty is already broke and you can’t fix it again,” he said. “In time, the situation there will work itself out, but there should still be diplomacy.”
Iraq veteran Jason Lemieux spent more than four years in the Marine Corp Infantry and served three deployments before leaving active duty in July. As a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he spoke in front of an audience to spread his message that every time a soldier kills one person, the insurgency increases. “On a tactical level, pulling out now saves us lives because at this point it is mathematically impossible to win by killing” he said. “If you kill an insurgent, his family is still going to consider you an enemy and it’s a societal obligation to get revenge when a family member is killed.”
Frank Dorrel, a prominent member of the peace movement, set up a booth at the Federal Building where he sold copies the “Addicted to War” books and DVDs, which illustrate “why the U.S. can’t kick militarism.” He says the book he publishes are not just about the Iraq war, it discusses the history of all U.S. foreign wars. “Calling this a war isn’t even a good term, it’s genocide, it’s a mass murder,” Dorrel said about the war in Iraq.
Activist Yumi Kikuchi says she comes from Japan to be a participate in U.S. peace rallies because she loves the people involved and is surprised by the lack of coverage the demonstrations get in the mainstream media.
“What amazes me when I attend one of those marches is that there are so many different types of people – young, old, and there are so many different costumes and colors,” said Kikuchi, who attended the rally in San Francisco.
While protesters were adamant about an immediate withdrawal, Pepperdine Public Policy professor Dr. Robert Kaufman, pointed to the negative effects of complete redeployment.
“Pulling out would be the worst possible thing we can do and would result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who count on our support,” he said. “Beyond Iraq, it would also demoralize American allies, encourage those who fight to challenge American freedom and embolden the Iranian Regime.”
Kaufman, whose book “In Defense of the Bush Doctrine: Moral Democratic Realism and American Grand Strategy” will be out in May. “To paraphrase Churchill ‘it’s the worst approach except for any other,’” he said.
Political science professor Dr. Robert Williams said his problem with the Bush plan is that it is not a plan at all.
“Sending 21,000 troops is not a plan, but at this point anything one can imagine — more troops, fewer troops or immediate pullout is going to result in continuing chaos,” he said. “There is nothing but chaos in the future.
02-01-2007
