FCNNEWSSOURCE
Even as President George W. Bush audaciously calls for more patience from the American public, insisting that the war in Iraq “can be won,” with U.S. resolve, anti-war protestors are becoming increasingly agitated and militant.
After a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington and a two-mile procession in bitter cold, 222 people were arrested outside the White House Mar. 16. Many of them were Christian peace activists.
“The time has come to confess our mistakes and wrongdoing and withdraw our troops. The Jesus we follow prays for peace and so do we. I am troubled that our Commander-in-Chief neither shares this prayer nor listens to his people,” said the Rev. Dr. Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Baltimore, in a statement from the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq.
In addition to open opposition to the President and his war council, demonstrators today are increasing targeting Democrats, who were swept into electoral power last November, on a platform of opposition to the “Bush war.”
Activists are afraid that the Democrats have lost their courage to oppose the war.
“Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004, used graphic expletives describing her disgust, during remarks at the Pentagon Mar. 17.
“Forty years ago there was a march on the pentagon. And here we are, 40 years later, marching on the Pentagon in another illegal, immoral war. When is it going to stop?” she asked. “I don’t want to be marching when I’m 90 years old in 2047 in another illegal, immoral war. I don’t want to do that. Let’s stop this b— s— now!” she said to the cheering crowd.
Weekend protests on the 4th anniversary of the start of the U.S. invasion were held in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, and scores of other cities. In New York City, protestors marched by the offices of Democratic Senators Hilary Clinton and Charles Schumer. That protest took place just days after Sen. Clinton actually admitted that she would keep troops in Iraq if she were elected president.
In San Francisco, demonstrators marched to the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to show their disapproval of her leadership on the war.
The messages echo the prophetic words of the Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan, who has warned American leaders since he traveled throughout the Middle East and Africa, searching for world leaders who would join him in public opposition to the war.
“These young soldiers of ours, Black, Brown, Red, Yellow and White who have joined the armed forces because they love America and they want to protect America and protect what they think is a good way of life,” Min. Farrakhan reminded the world in his Saviours’ Day address Feb. 25 in Detroit.
“Unfortunately, the President’s brain was afflicted with the ideas of the Neo-Conservatives and on the basis of falsehood, our babies are dying. Families are destroyed and even ruined because the President and his advisors duped the Congress, and they got us into a war that has destroyed the economy of America and destroyed her reputation in the world.” But Pres. Bush is not alone, Min. Farrakhan pointed out.
“In this last election, the people saw that something needed to be done to change the direction. If they wrote Articles of Impeachment for President Bill Clinton because he was involved in inappropriate behavior in the Oval Office and then lied about it, if they can write Articles of Impeachment for those so-called High Crimes and Misdemeanors, what should they do about a man lying to the American people, deceiving the members of Congress, prosecuting an unjust war?
“Is that not only reason to impeach him but to set down his whole administration? Set down his whole administration. All of them are liars. All of them are murderers!
“So you Democrats, stop pussy-footing around with the Republicans. Do what the people voted that you should do: Make a change in this world,” said Min. Farrakhan. “Now, the least the Democrats should do, if you don’t want to impeach him, censure him! Say to the world, something went wrong in our leadership and we repent of our wrongdoing.”
Anti-war activists who mobilized all over the country to mark an odd commemoration–the beginning of a war–agree.
“I’m here because we have got to stop the war,” a demonstrator camped on the National Mall as a part of the Troops Out Now Coalition said. “The Democrats in my opinion have already reneged on their promises. I don’t think that we can trust them.”
Pressure from the people of goodwill must continue, on both the majority Democratic Party, as well as the Republicans. Min. Farrakhan and many others in leadership have pointed the way. Tens of thousands of people all over the country and the world have taken up the call on the grassroots level. That struggle for the soul of the country, the salvation of the country continues.
