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 Editorials | Issues | September 2007 
Anti-War Protesters Arrested in California
 Stewart A. Alexander - Peace and Freedom Party
| | Anti-war protesters demonstrate outside the White House after U.S. President George W. Bush addressed the nation about the war in Iraq September 13, 2007. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque) |
Peace and Freedom Party member John Reiger was among ten war protesters arrested on September 17th at the office of Congresswoman Doris Matsui in Sacramento California. The protesters were part of a nationwide movement that opposes the Iraq war and congressional support for the war.
This month the Democrats and Republicans are expected to vote on another war funding measure, giving President Bush $148 billion to continue his war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrats and Republicans continue to support the war against the growing opposition of the American people and the world community.
Among those arrested at Representative Matsui’s office were four veterans and the mother of a US soldier now in Iraq. John Reiger is the husband of Debra Reiger, State Party Chair of Peace and Freedom Party.
John Reiger said, “Today we paid another visit to Representative Matsui’s office. We wanted her to sign a pledge to, among other things, stop voting for money for the war. We just sat down throughout the office and waited.”
Cres Vellucci, a Vietnam veteran and member of Veterans for Peace Coalition to End the War, says, “For the past several years we have repeatedly and politely met with the representative’s staff, and asked her for a meeting, but it has not worked. She still supports the policies of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which includes providing more money for the war.”
Recently President Bush spoke to the nation attempting to gain support for an increasing unpopular war. The president recently made a visit to the troops on the ground in Iraq; and his top US Commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, spoke before Congress trying to gain support and funding for the war.
Today, most Americans have grown tired of a war that seems to be without an end and without a plan. Recently Bush admitted that the war will continue for years and will continue into the administrations of future presidents. More recently Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden said regarding the war, “There is no plan to win, no plan how to leave, no plan how to end this.” Still, it appears that Congress is prepared to write President Bush another blank check to continue his war.
The Iraq War has been a complete failure and a disaster for America. All the information and intelligence leading into the war was fabricated and untrue, and the reasons for remaining in Iraq is to “protect American interest;” the oil that belongs to the people of Iraq and the Middle East.
The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has already claimed the lives of over 4,000 Americans and over a million Iraqis. There are presently over 4 million refugees and over 2,000 Iraqis leaving their homes everyday.
The Iraq government has lacked the ability to bring order to the nation, and less than half of the 18 benchmarks necessary for the Iraq government to achieve have been accomplished. Still, despite the evidence of failing results, Representative Matsui along with other Democrats and Republicans are preparing to give Bush the funding to continue the bloodshed.
All the socialist candidates with Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA are supporting American troops calling for an immediate withdrawal of American forces and are demanding that Congress cut all funding for the war.
John Reiger has been a lifetime peace activist and is vowing to continue his protest against the Iraq War and to support the struggles of working class people.
For more information search the web for: Stewart A. Alexander for President; Democrats Retreat before Bush; Socialist Presidential Candidates at America’ s Crossroads.
http://stewartalexandercares.com
http://sacendwar.org/node/203
http://www.vote-socialist.org
http://peaceandfreedom-sjv.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_United_States_third_party_presidential_candidates
http://newsblaze.com/story/20070917184341nnnn.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html |
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