War Resisters League Condemns Bombing
18 Dec 1998
The War Resisters League joins many countries and organizations in
condemning the U.S. and British bombing strikes against Iraq. These attacks
are in defiance of international law and usurp potential United Nations
efforts to resolve the conflict with Iraq without further resort to violence.
Iraqi civilians will be the primary victims of the bombs, despite
assertions from U.S. military sources and the Clinton Administration that
the targets are Iraqi military sites or Saddam Hussein's palaces. These
assertions remind us once again of the statement by Aeschylus: "In war,
truth is the first casualty." U.S. propaganda depicting Hussein as the
enemy of the American people has flooded the media for months, but the
American people have seen very little of the effects of the 1991 Gulf War
and eight years of sanctions on the Iraqi people-effects that include a
death toll of more than 1 million Iraqi civilians. Is this biased reporting
the product of anything more than anti-Arab racism? As we engage in the
many activities of this holiday season that involve children and songs and
cards proclaiming "peace on earth," let us keep in our minds the daily
death toll in Iraq that is paid for by U.S. tax dollars.
President Clinton claims that Iraq will be a threat to its neighbors so
long as Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. We agree. We believe that any
country with weapons of mass destruction is a threat to world security. The
way to peace in the Middle East and around the world does not begin with
weapons, but with disarmament.
The War Resisters League calls for:
o An immediate end to U.S. military threats and attacks against Iraq.
o Withdraw U.S. forces and end U. S. arms sales in the region and around
the world; in addition we call for a worldwide embargo of arms sales to the
entire Middle East region.
o Work in partnership with the international community for negotiated
settlements and regional disarmament.
o End the sanctions against Iraq that have killed more than 1 million
people, including 700,000 children.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
o Contact our office (212-228-0450) for information about actions in your
community. War Resisters League is working in coalition with many groups
including Peace Action, Fellowship of Reconciliation, American Friends
Service Committee, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee and Friends
Committee on National Legislation for a National Day of Mourning, the first
called for Saturday, December 19, 1998.
o Call the White House comment line, (202) 456-1111.
o Call your Senator or Congress person. Demand that the administration seek
a diplomatic solution to this crisis.
o Send material aid to Iraq. The embargo prevents basic humanitarian
supplies, including medicines, from reaching the Iraqi people. Voices in
the Wilderness coordinates shipment of supplies; call them at (773) 784-8065.
o Leaflet and vigil anywhere people are gathered. Join with others groups
in your community to call for an end to the use of military force in Iraq.
o Stay informed. The Nonviolence Web has an Iraq crisis page. Check it out
at .
o Half of your tax dollars pay for current and past wars, not including
money for military action in Iraq. Refuse to pay all or part of your income
taxes in protest. Contact WRL for more information.
o Join us in the struggle for a just and peaceful world.
**********
War Resisters League
339 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10012
212-228-0450
212-228-6193 (fax)
1-800-975-9688 (YouthPeace and A Day Without the Pentagon)
wrl@igc.apc.org
web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl
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