Communities Nation-wide Gather to Watch Obama’s Speech on Iraq August 30th, 2010 |
Peace Movement Responds to Iraq Troop Withdrawal: The Iraq
Debacle Is Not Over In light of the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, members of the women's group CODEPINK and peace and social justice groups will be gathering to watch and discuss President Obama's Oval Office speech on Iraq, highlighting the true cost of the war in Iraq and the problematic nature of the enduring US presence in the country. "The current administration has announced that there
are 50,000 troops who will be leaving Iraq. We know that the war still
continues in Iraq and more than 75,000 contractors are there," said actor
Danny Glover when asked for comment by CODEPINK. "The fact is that [this
war] is devastating the country with millions of people who have been displaced,
more than a million people have been killed. It is devastating the cultures
that represent the birthplace of human beings, of human existence. What
is happening has made the region even more unstable...So if this is a victory,
if this is called a victory, then shame on us." “With the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the
administration, the military and the media are trying to put a positive spin on
this grim chapter of U.S. history. It would certainly give some comfort to the
grieving families of the over 4,400 soldiers killed in Iraq if their sacrifices
had left Iraq a better place or made America safer," Medea Benjamin,
cofounder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange, states. “But the bitter truth is
that the U.S. intervention has been an utter disaster for both Iraq and the
United States." Nation-wide events are planned for the week, including: New York City: Film Screening and public viewing of Obama's
speech on Iraq
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