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IRAQ: One Year Later The War Continues
Thousands March in Baghdad to Protest U.S. Occupation
One Year Later: An Iraqi Speaks From Baghdad
Soldiers Say No To War: An Active Duty Soldier & Marine
Veteran Speak Out Against the Invasion
Christian Parenti On the "Ongoing Despotism" in
Iraq and Why Jim Lehrer Apologized For Parenti's Comments
Global Protests: One Year Later the World Still Says No to
War
IRAQ: One Year Later The War Continues
On the first anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq,
Democracy Now! spends the hour looking at a war that was carried
out over the objections of most of the world's nations and
people. We hear from an Iraqi in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers back
from Iraq, journalist Christian Parenti and from protesters
across the globe.
On March 20, 2003 at approximately 5:35 am Baghdad time,
US forces began raining bombs down on Iraq, while thousands
of US and British soldiers began pouring across Iraq's borders.
It was a year ago today US time. It was the official beginning
to what the Bush administration hailed as a campaign of "Shock
and Awe." The attacks were not authorized by the United
Nations and they were carried out over the loud and public
objections of most of the world's nations and people.
The bombing and invasion in Iraq were met with an almost
immediate response of massive world-wide protest. A year later,
the war in Iraq continues. Some would say, it has only just
begun. Perhaps as many as 10, 000 Iraqi civilians have died.
Resistance to the occupation has increased. And US soldiers
continue to come home in body bags. According to the Pentagon's
official statistics, more than 570 US soldiers have been killed,
more than 430 of these since George Bush landed on an aircraft
carrier and declared the end of major combat operations. According
to the Pentagon, some 29,000 US troops have either been killed,
wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation
from Iraq. That is close to the total of a whole army division.
After Bush landed on the aircraft carrier last May 1, he
spoke to soldiers with a banner behind him that read "Mission
Accomplished." No weapons of mass destruction have been
found.
The Bush administration has barred media organizations from
filming the return of caskets from Iraq and President Bush
has yet to attend a single funeral of a soldier killed in
action during his presidency. While he hasn't found time to
attend any funerals, Bush and Vice president Dick Cheney attended
some 100 campaign fundraisers in 2003, some of these on days
when US soldiers were being laid to rest. And while the bodybags
continue to come home, it remains Iraqis who pay the price
of the occupation. There is no doubt that the situation in
Iraq has grown more and more violent each day the occupation
continues, even though Saddam Hussein and his top leadership
have been either killed or captured. Almost no day goes by
without a bombing in Iraq, a US soldier being killed, an Iraqi
life being destroyed. Desertions from the US army have increased
by 32% since 1999.
By the end of 2003, the cost of the Iraq war to US taxpayers
was more than $100 billion. This weekend, people across the
globe will mark the one year anniversary of the beginning
of the invasion of Iraq.
Today on the program, we will hear from protest organizers
around the world and find out what kinds of actions will be
taking place. We will also be joined by soldiers from the
US military, who have been deployed in Iraq, as well as journalist
Christian Parenti, who was embedded with both the US military
and an Iraqi resistance group. But first, we go to Baghdad
where we are joined by a man familiar to Democracy Now! listeners.
He was on this show a year ago, when he said that UK/USA means
"United to Kill Us All." Ghazwan al-Mukhtar is a
retired engineer, who lives with his family in Baghdad.
- Excerpt of "We Interrupt this Empire" by San
Francisco Video Activist Network.
Thousands March in Baghdad to Protest U.S. Occupation
Thousands protest in the streets of Baghdad to mark the
first anniversary of the U.S. occupation of their country.
We go to Iraq to get a report from the ground.
- Mark Levine, a professor of history at the University
of California, Irvine speaking from Baghdad where mass protests
had just taken place.
One Year Later: An Iraqi Speaks From Baghdad
As the bombs were falling on Baghdad a year ago, retired
engineer Ghazwan al-Mukhtar told Democracy Now! "UK/USA
means to me United to Kill Us All." On the first anniversary
of "Shock and Awe", Ghazwan joins us for a look
back at a year under US occupation.
- Ghazwan Al-Mukhtar, a retired Iraqi engineer speaking
from Baghdad.
Soldiers Say No To War: An Active Duty Soldier &
Marine Veteran Speak Out Against the Invasion
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, a 21-year-old soldier talks
about his last 10 months in Iraq and why he believes the war
is being fought for the profit of Halliburton and not the
liberation of Iraqis. We also speak to a Marine who entered
Iraq a year ago as an artilleryman. To mark the war's first
anniversary he plans to protest outside Fort Bragg.
On Monday Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, of the Florida National
Guard surrendered to US military police. He had been on the
run for five months after he refused to go back to Iraq to
fight.
After he surrendered Mejia said "I am saying no to war.
I went to Iraq and was an instrument of violence, and now
I have decided to become an instrument of peace."
Mejia is now seeking conscientious objector status.
He is one of an unknown number of soldiers who has returned
from Iraq and only to criticize U.S. foreign policy.
One of these soldiers is Michael Hoffman, a former Marine
artilleryman.
A year ago today he was preparing to go into Iraq.
Tomorrow he will be stationed outside Fort Bragg in Fayatteville.
Not as a soldier but a protester. He will be joining thousands
at the protest which is expected to be the largest anti-war
rally outside a military base since the Vietnam War.
And then there are soldiers like Cody. He is 21 years old
and served in Iraq from March of last year to February.
He recently returned home from leave.
Today he is speaking out on a national news program for the
first time. To protect his identity we will refer to him by
his first name. Unlike Michael Hoffman his term is not over.
In a few weeks Cody is returning overseas to finish his duty.
But he felt he had a need to speak out.
- Michael Hoffman, former Marine Artilleryman who served
in Iraq from March to May of last year. On Saturday he is
participating in an anti-war protest in Fayateville North
Carolina outside of Fort Bragg.
- Cody, 21-year-old soldier serving in Iraq on temporary
leave. He has been serving in Iraq since March 20 when the
U.S. launched its invasion. He is on leave now in the United
States. He has agreed to come on the show and talk about
his experience in Iraq on the condition that we do not use
his last name.
Christian Parenti On the "Ongoing Despotism"
in Iraq and Why Jim Lehrer Apologized For Parenti's Comments
Journalist Christian Parenti was embedded with US troops
and the Iraqi resistance in Iraq. We'll hear his story and
we'll look at why Jim Lehrer of PBS's Newshour issued an apology
to his viewers for comments Parenti made on his show.
- Christian Parenti, contributing writer to the Nation
Magazine and author of the forthcoming book "The Freedom:
Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq." He was
in Iraq this past December and January and spent time with
the Iraqi resistance.
- Excerpt of Chris Parenti on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer
Global Protests: One Year Later the World Still Says
No to War
To mark the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
people in cities and countries around the world will take
to the streets in protest. We hear what actions will be taking
place from protest organizers in New York, New Mexico, San
Francisco, Chicago, London and Spain.
This weekend, to mark the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq people
in cities and countries around the world will take to the
streets to protest the invasion and the ongoing occupation
of Baghdad.
Last night we called protest organizers and marchers in cities
across the globe to hear what actions they are taking one
year after the bombs fell on Iraq.
From New York to New Mexico, San Francisco to Chicago, London
to Spain these are the voices of resistance.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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