Protesters Call for Return of Soldiers

Yahoo! News ^ | Apr 12, 2003 | JONATHAN D. SALANT

[El Conservador]

WASHINGTON - Having failed to keep U.S. troops out of Iraq (news - web sites), anti-war protesters are marching to bring them home.

Opponents of the conflict said U.S. troops should leave Iraq quickly rather than remain in a region once controlled by Western powers.

"Occupation is not liberation," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a civil rights lawyer and an organizer of a Saturday rally in Washington sponsored by International Answer. "Whether they can conquer it militarily is one thing; whether they can turn it into an obedient client state is another."

Protesters also were gathering Saturday in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Organizers said they expected far fewer people than at previous protests, which attracted demonstrators in numbers not seen since the Vietnam War.

Demonstrators took to the streets as well in several other countries, albeit not on the scale as past protests, such as the February march in London that drew up to 2 million people.

This time, police said 20,000 demonstrators marched. Many held placards demanding "No occupation of Iraq." They paused for two minutes of silence for the victims of war and tossed bunches of yellow daffodils at the gates of Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites)'s home.

Nearly 50,000 school children and other protesters marched in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Around 4,000 gathered in Seoul, South Korea (news - web sites), to demand the government rescind its decision to send noncombat troops to help U.S.-led forces in Iraq. In Hong Kong, around 100 demonstrators chanted anti-war slogans outside the U.S. Consulate General.

Organizers in Washington obtained a permit for 20,000 demonstrators, far fewer than the tens of thousands who filled blocks of city streets in both January and March. This time, instead of marching only past the White House and Justice Department (news - web sites), the protest route ran past offices of companies that organizers said are profiting from the war and past media organizations they said ignored the plight of Iraqi civilians.

Near the antiwar rally site, hundreds of supporters of the war effort held their own rally Saturday, featuring Watergate conspirator-turned-conservative talk show host G. Gordon Liddy; Republican senator-turned-TV actor Fred Thompson; and country music singer Aaron Tippin.

The event was organized by Citizens United, headed by former congressional aide David Bossie, one of ex-President Clinton (news - web sites)'s severest critics; and Young America's Foundation, headed by Floyd Brown, architect of the Willie Horton ads that helped elect the first President Bush (news - web sites).

"I hope the troops can see us across the seas," said Bonnie Hayslip, 48, a housewife from Quakertown, Pa.

For activists, the Iraq war has overshadowed the spring meeting of the World Bank (news - web sites) and International Monetary Fund (news - web sites). While previous meetings of the financial institutions have served a magnet for thousands of demonstrators, a protest Thursday morning attracted just 20 protesters, and no more than 2,000 were expected for a march Sunday.

Security was tight for the meetings. Police closed several streets around the International Monetary Fund and World Bank headquarters, but downtown streets were quiet.

"Because of the war, everyone recognizes there's a very immediate emergency," said Soren Ambrose, a spokesman for the 50 Years Is Enough Network, a coalition of groups opposed to the two financial institutions. "The World Bank and the IMF are taking a momentary back seat."

[El Conservador]

"OK, people, since we are gathered here anyway, let's change the subject so as to have an argument, any argument to keep on marching and be seen, as media whores that we are"

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[dead]

And as soon as we go, they'll bitch that we left too soon.

Can't they just get a hobby to keep them busy? Like showering maybe?

[KC_for_Freedom]

Yes, lets have the troops wipe out the government and leave the chaos we created. Then we could be criticized for making the situation worse instead of staying and rebuilding with democratic foundations.

Maybe the left would let us stay if we promised to put a socialist government in place and re-introduce marxism in the schools. (It would be interesting to ask them this.)

Anti americanism on display for all to see.

[Arkinsaw]

Reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit of the peace protesters.

[The Wizard]

the FBI needs to investigate these assholes.....they are enemies of the country

[angkor]

"Objective" AP report Jonathan Salant is vigilant in providing background context on David Bossie and Floyd Brown. They're obvious right wing extremeists.

But for some strange reason, the documented ties between the Socialist Worker's Party and International A.N.S.W.E.R. gets a complete pass.

[UncleSamUSA]

Maybe these idiotic protesters should start protesting the US victory in World War II. Think of all the Germans and Japs we killed.... lets have a peace rally!!! Jerks.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Go home, protesters, your breath is killing the pigeons in the park.

[F.J. Mitchell]

"Like showering maybe?"

A shower could really be a good thing. Wonder if those special showers in Germany are still available? That would be a real gas, wouldn't it?

[gcruse]

Students Wildly Indignant About Everything [S.W.I.N.E.]
With a hat tip to Al Capp.

[gcruse]

Oops. Make that Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything. Wouldn't want to overstate. Heh.

[RepubMommy]

Whatever. This is so stupid. The troops want to come home when the job is done. Perhaps these ungrateful libs would like to take the next Concord to France.

[halfdome]

Yeah, Hitler and the Third Reich were pretty clever in using those showers, weren't they? I'm sorry for you that they aren't in use anymore.

[F.J. Mitchell]

I am only sorry that those showers are not avaliable for the personal use of todays idiot protesters, who if alive as the third Reich were committing their atrosities, would have defended Hitler and opposed American intervention, with the same brainless zealotry with which they supported Saddam the Slaughterer and his goons.

What grieves you the most, the joy exhibited by the freed slaves of Iraq-or the fate of the bastard who held their souls captive?

The DU would be more receptive to your rant than Free Republic.

[F.J. Mitchell]

I really miss Al Capp-the Rush Limbaugh of Cartoonists. Remember Joany Phony?

[halfdome]

What grieves me is the fact that someone actually said they would like to put people they disagree with into showers such as those used by the Third Reich. I don't believe in slaughtering someone because they disagree with the majority. I suppose if it were possible for people to protest in Germany or Iraq, you would condemn them as traitors and advocate their slaughter or genocide?

And what if the Iraqis don't tow the American line after they've been free for awhile? What if, in their democracy, they vote in a fundamentalist government? Would you kill them then?

[Fzob]

Wonder if those special showers in Germany are still available? That would be a real gas, wouldn't it?

I suggest you try them out and let the rest of us know how it helps your ability to voice dissent. These protestors are morons, but everyone has the right to be say stupid stuff. Just like you just did.

[oyez]

I picked up the morning local today and turned to then editorial page and there was again today from all the blind and the scared. O' the brutality of our troops, O' the corrupt George Bush and Cheney, O' the expense and O' the immage of America. Somebody wrote in about the courage of the war protesters. No, its cowardance. Its fear of of doing someting right and good. Its fear of having a standard of decency. Its fear of having fortitude. Of course these people never said a damn word when Clinton and Rino had the Koresh compound burned at Waco. Shameful, sub-Americans each and everyone.

Such people are insurance policies for brutal dictatorship and left to them this country would be one

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

I agree, at least so far as getting most of the troops out right away. Send them to Syria.